 New vintage of an old favorite, a producer we've known since the earlier days of the Rhone Rangers/ Hospice du Rhone events out in California. We also love when we can knock down a few misconceptions about wine reputations, in this case the one of Syrah being a heavy or oversized variety. A lot of that has come from when Syrah is grown in the warmer climates of the world, Australia especially, which encourages faster and more intense ripening along with less acidity, lending itself towards bigger fruit character and more alcohol. It also makes for easier farming for the grower (generally less disease/environmental issues) so you tend to find it easier to make more volume and value oriented wines in this style. Cooler climates invite more savory notes into the fruit, even bacon or wild game, and while they can still be big and intense it isn't from extreme extraction. The cooler climate Syrah can also have a very silky velvety tannin similar to Pinot Noir but with bolder flavors for the price point (a lot of 'inexpensive' Pinot is goosed with Syrah to fill in their otherwise thin body). For the price point this has everything you could want from this style of Syrah, approachable and complex without a lot of oak or weight getting in the way. Snappy raspberry and black cherry nose with little notes of black pepper, anise and dusty cocoa shifting through. The red fruits definitely pop but there's no sweetness or heat to them at all. The palate is more savory than expected with more of the gamey notes in with the black fruits, and a fine dusty tannin to the finish that even has a snap of acidity that gets some tart fruit skin notes in at the last. Very food friendly without the weight or aggressive tannins. so work it in all winter long.
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