WTN: 2003 Cave de Tain Crozes Hermitage

12.5% alc. Clear dark garnet with a ruby-garnet core. Not entirely together when first opened - somewhat thin, hot and closed all at the same time. A few hours later, though, it came together and showed nondescript albeit savoury fruit coupled with subtle oak spice. Dry and grippy on the mid-palate with a bit of well-water funk and nice grippy tannins, but still quite a fiery streak of heat toward the finish.

Although this wine is 100% Syrah, I don't get much in the way of telltale pepper or meaty aromas or much of anything else.

Here is a link to the winery's page on this wine.

I recently had it also. It was a bit boring - that is my main gripe. The 2001 was one of the best cheap wines that has ever been available here and I went through cases of it. I hope we'll see '04 soon.

-O-

Otto, I agree - it tastes like nothing special. Yet I was expecting it to offer at least some complexity.

I dare say that I liked the Australian Cab of a day earlier a lot more.