Some bad boys tasted last night (6/24/08) Syrahs:
1. Cristom Syrah Eola-AmityHills/Estate (14.0%; http://www.CristomWines.com) 2005: Very dark
color; very strong cracked black peppery some blackberry/blueberry/Syrah quite
distinctive complex classic cold-climate nose; tart rather cracked black pepper
strong Syrah/blackberry/blueberry flavor; very long tart some tannic rather cracked
black pepper fairly blueberry/Syrah finish w/ fair tannins; striking cracked black
pepper character w/ plenty of Syrah fruit beneath; should age well for 3-8 yrs;
easily the best Cristom Syrah yet; terrific wine at a good price. $29.00
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2. Novy Syrah Garys'Vnyd/SantaLuciaHighlands (14.6%) 2005: Very dark color; very lush/rich
blackberry/boysenberry/Syrah some spicy/herbal some pencilly/oak very attractive nose;
soft very lush/round/full light herbal/licorice/spicy very strong blackberry/Syrah
slight peppery flavor; med.long soft/lush strong blackberry/blueberry/Syrah some toasty/
pencilly/oak light herbal/peppery finish w/ light tannins; loads of sweet/up-front fruit
w/ nice SLH character; ready to drink and might improve some. $26.00
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3. Neyers NapaVlly Syrah Cuvee d'Honneur (HudsonVnyd; 13.9%) 2000: Very dark color; very
intense roasted/smokey/pungent/NorthernRhone/espresso/FrRoast coffee bit herbal some
blackberry/Syrah stunning/complex nose; soft/smooth balanced/textured very roasted/smokey/
espresso/Rhonish some herbal/blackberry/Syrah very complex flavor; very long/lingering
very Rhonish/roasted/espresso/coffee/pungent some blackberry/Syrah finish w/ smooth/polished
tannins; loads of NorthernRhone character and good Syrah fruit and complexity; probably
nearing its peak; fairly priced at $53.50
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4. EdmundsStJohn Syrah Parmalee-HillVnyd/SonomaCnty (14.4%; http://www.EdmundsStJohn.com)
P&B by Thirsty Pagans With Big Ideas 2005: Black color; very intense blackberry/boysenberry/
Syrah very spicy some peppery bit green olive rather primary nose; tart very strong
blackberry/boysenberry/Syrah fairly spicy/peppery bit pungent flavor; very long blackberry/
boysenberry/Syrah spicy/pungent balanced finish w/ fair tannins; loads of rich Syrah
fruit but great structure & balance; rather primary now and badly needs age to show
its stuff; will easily go out 10-15 yrs; another SteveEdmunds winner; a steal at $27.00
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5. Jaffurs Syrah ThompsonVnyd/SantaBarbaraCnty (15.1%; http://www.JaffursWine.com) 2004: Black
color; whiff of VA but very strong peppery/blackberry/Syrah some toasty/FrOak rather
peppery/spicy nose; tart big/tannic very spicy/peppery taosty/oak strong blackberry/
blueberry/Syrah flavor; very long rather tannic somewhat toasty/FrOak strong peppery/
spicy/blackberry/Syrah finish; classic JaffursThompson that needs 4-8 yrs yet; seems
a bit tight & closed right now. Great price at $32.00
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6. AlbanVnyd Syrah Lorraine AlbanEstate/EdnaVlly (14.7%) 2000: Black color; very intense
blackberry/boysenberry/Syrah slight reduced/pungent/licorice very perfumed/aromatic
somewhat smokey/Rhonish complex nose; big/huge fruit rather tannic intense blackberry/
boysenberry/Syrah rather Rhonish/pungent/charred/roasted complex tart flavor; very long/
lingering intense blackberry/boysenberry/Syrah some Rhonish/roasted/pungent/coffee some
charred/FrOak finish w/ ample tannins; a classic Alban Syrah that needs more time; should
go out another 10 yrs at least; stunning Syrah. $85.00
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And a wee BloodyPulpit:
1. This was the first tasting of the BacchusBadBoys group and I thought it would be
interesting to expose them to some of my favorite Syrah producers. The focus was
to be on cold-climate Syrahs and the diversity they can show. The wines seemed to be
well-received by the group. The older wines, from my archives, were pretty much
where I expected them to be. The Neyers Cuvee was particularly stunning for its
Northern Rhonish character. The Alban was equally stunning. All-in-all, a decent
selection of Syrahs.
Tom