Doyenne (DeLille Cellars) 2006 Yakima Valley Syrah.
Picked up a couple of these at a decent price ($33) along with some younger bottlings of DeLille's Bordeaux-style blends (still haven't tried those). The Syrah, which apparently also includes some Viognier, is a deep black-violet and only modestly aromatic, but it's quite pretty on the palate, dominated by cocoa-laced blackberry fruit. Silky tannins are present but not obtrusive; impressively, there's no perceptible heat despite the ABV (14.9%). There's nice play between the concentration and weight of the wine and its refreshing acidity, but it's fairly one-note, and lacks a significant floral and/or savory element to play off against the fruit, though something meaty was stirring in the depths by the end of the bottle. Might have benefited from a decant, and might gain some complexity with more time -- there's certainly both stuffing and structure enough to allow that, so I'll hold the second bottle for ~5 years.
