2009 K Vintners Roma En Chamberlin
We loved the complexity of this wine made up of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon and 38% Syrah. It revealed notes of blackberries, blueberries, black cherries, earth, a hint of vanilla and had a very long finish. As big as this wine was, it was very smooth and the tannins were in check.
Excellent
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2005 DeLille Cellars Doyenne Syrah
Deep red/black in colour. Blackberry and black cherry are complimented with baking spice notes and vanilla on the highly expressive nose. The dark fruits carry on to the palate where they create a very intense flavor profile. Full bodied and still somewhat tannic, this is a powerful wine. But the balance here is very precise and tannin, fruit, alcohol and oak are all there and in equal measure so no aspect overpowers. A delicious expression of Syrah, powerful but smooth, one of the best the New World has to offer. Just entering maturity and could go up to a decade longer.
Excellent
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2006 K Syrah Phil Lane
Dark red in appearance with aromas of cherry, blueberry and a touch of blackberry. A medium plus body with a very smooth, almost plush, soft mouthfeel. Drinking at its peak now, it is very balanced but lacks the structural components to age further. Not the Charles Smith monster Syrah, much more restrained than some of his more flamboyant efforts. The only knock on this wine is that it is a bit one dimensional, lacking complexity. It has a playing-it-safe element that keeps it from appealing to the intellect. Still, a very enjoyable, pleasure-driven wine.
Very Good/Excellent
Read MoreGrape varietals indigenous to the Rhone Valley have been grown elsewhere in the world for years. Notably, Spain has roughly ¾ of the acreage planted to Grenache that France does and Australia has about ¾ of the Syrah that France does. But the USA has been the late entrant to the game, and while it does not have nearly the amount of acres under vine of Rhone varietals, it has certainly become a force to be reckoned with for lovers of Rhone wines.
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2000 E. Guigal Chateau d’Ampuis Côte-Rôtie
A bit tight when we first pulled the cork, but it opened up beautifully as the evening progressed. Medium red in colour with a hint of brown showing some age but only slightly. Floral notes and red fruit on the nose with cherry and spice on the palate. A very elegant wine that you would not mistake for being New World…a subtle, feminine, finesse wine that we would call a Pinot-lover’s Syrah. An excellent wine in a not particularly great vintage in the Northern Rhone.
Excellent
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