WTN: 2006 Jemrose Cardiac Hill Syrah (Bennett Valley, Cali)

I didn't approach this bottle without a massive bias. Jim Mack, who owns the Jemrose estate/vineyards, is a good friend and a member of my old Chicago tasting group and I've been fortunate to drink with him on a number of occasions. I had the chance to enjoy his hospitality when I visited him in March in Bennett Valley and toured Sonoma/tasted out of barrel at Jemrose, and I immediately jumped on the mailing list after tasting through a few barrels and consistently being blown away by the complexity and aromatic profile of his wines. The first mailer release of Jemrose just went out a few weeks ago, and I just received my first shipment recently - so opened one of the Cardiac Hill Syrahs (from a fairly steep, cool, north-facing vineyard) tonight.

After sampling a few components of this from barrel back in March, I had very high expectations (and really wanted to like it, not least because I've got four bottles of this sitting around). This starts out a little quiet on the nose, but with with a few hours in a decanter this really opens out to show stunning aromas of white and black pepper, cumin, lavender, dark fruits and roasted meats. This isn't one of those Cali Syrahs that's all about the fruit - the aromatics are dominated by the exotic spicy aromas and meaty notes, and I could have just kept smelling this for hours as the nose kept opening out with air. On the palate, rich and full bodied with pure dark fruits and berries, white pepper, Asian spices and herbs and good acidity adding lift. Long, powerful finish. Delicious and only got better with time. I'm looking forward to my next bottle (but will probably give it even more air).