Chilean Syrah & Red Blends

This is the second part (long overdue) of our guinea pig tasting with a concentration on syrahs and red blends.

Syrahs


Falernia 2006 Syrah Reserva
Elqui Valley, Chile - $11.50
Dusty red fruit, blackberry, hints of barnyard. More rustic aromas and rougher all around initially. Light body. Green, herby aroma somewhere between green pepper and eucalyptus (hay, pot?) faded in/out quickly. Light tannins for just enough structure. Dominated by earthy and green notes.
Note: Elqui Valley is a cooler climate than Colchagua.


Montes Alpha 2007 Syrah
Colchagua Valley, Chile - $20
Sour cherry & leather aromas. Richer, deeper nose than Falernia with darker berry fruit. Smooth, grippy with tip of tongue spices. Dark chocolate joins sour cherry and dark berry flavors. Long finish. Syrupy, condensed aroma. Similar to Cousino-Macul (see below). As a whole, less fruit forward than California syrahs (a relief). Best on its own.

Nose: Montes
Flavor: Falernia (after drinking the heavier wines, Montes edged out the Falernia)
Finish: Montes
Wild card: Falernia
Favorite: Falernia

Blends


Seña 2005
Aconcagua Valley, Chile - $28.50
Blend of Cab Sauv (57%), Merlot (25%), Carmenere (9%), Cab Franc (6%) and Petit Verdot (3%).
Greener, more fruit forward than Montes. Bold with spicy, condensed port-like flavor. Long finish with lighter body. Bolder nose than flavors. Didn't care for the finish as the wine opened up, became bitter. This is a wine for drinking on its own or with food. You're able to continue drinking it after you finish a meal. Brainchild between Chadwick (Viña Errázuriz) and Robert Mondavi, hence the fruit forward approach. Produced by Viña Sena, imported by F. Wildman.


Cousiño-Macul 2007 Finis Terrae
Maipo Valley, Chile - $26
Blend of Cab Sauv (60%) and Malbec (40%)
Unfiltered. Softer nose with lots more everything. Complex! Spicy (cooking spices) with smoother mid-palate. More elegant than the Sena. CS focuses on the US export market. The Finis Terrae label, while tasty, is still not the top label available at CS.

Nose: Cousiño-Macul
Flavor: Cousiño-Macul
Finish: Cousiño-Macul
Wild card: doesn't matter
Favorite: Cousiño-Macul

Gourmet Raft-up 2009

Peju Rose of Syrah 2007
Napa, California
Light cherry, melon, other berries and dusty aromas. Dry style of rose, light body. Brilliant red-orange color. Light flavors that mimic the aromas. Paired with smoked salmon, pickled red onions, & goat cheese boursin. Interesting wine for summer event, surprising and refreshing. Rarity increases score. 3.5/5


Va La Silk 2007
Avondale, Pennsylvania - $28
Aromas of smoke, berry & plum open up to woodsy notes. After decanting for an hour, insane spice aromas appear - cinnamon. Spice and smoky fruit flavors with light body. Very complex flavors. Versatile red and a great local wine. Good for appetizers or as a substitute for Pinot Noir. 4.5/5


Merry Edwards Meredith Estate Pinot Noir 2006
Russian River Valley, California
Violet aromas followed by berry and vanilla with medium tannins. Needed more time to open - not as aromatic as initial tasting in CA.




Neal Zinfandel 2006
Napa Valley, California
Herbal, soft red fruits (berry) on the nose. Same jammy red fruits with medium tannins. A soft Zinfandel with powerful tannins that need time to open up, fruit is obscured. 4/5


Luchador Shiraz 2007
South Australia - $12
Stewed red fruits followed by good oak nose. Amazing flavor when paired with grilled lamb. Thick, powerful aromas; intense, spicy flavors and easy tannins. More potent nose than flavors. For the price, great flavor & intensity. 4.5/5

Luigi Bosca Malbec Reserva 2005
Lujan de Cuyo, Argentina
Aromas of smoke, earth, plum, red fruit and leather. Big hit of spice (back of throat) and smack of alcohol on initial taste. Bold. Same flavors as aromas. Peppery, port-like ripe fruit. Needs food. Tannic and powerful, nice finish. 4/5

Chateau de Segur Sauternes 2003
Barsac, France - $19
Pineapple, honey, light floral and ripe golden citrus aromas. Very sweet, syrupy weight. Honeyed pineapple. Very elegant and soft. Extended pineapple finish with caramel hint. Fantastic value for full bottle under $20 - why spend more? (That is, unless you're shooting for Chateau Y'Quem). 4.5/5

Syrahs for Steve

Some of my recent favorites in ascending order of price.

Cline Syrah
Napa Valley, California - $9
THE epitome of Syrah. Need to decant! A great, cheap selection with some oak. Wonderful go-to party wine; buy again.


Earthworks Syrah 2006
Barossa Valley, Australia - $10
Lighter style with initial black pepper flavor. Aromas of cherry and a grapefruity tang/sharpness. Flavor resembles a spicy pinot noir with supple tannins. Stewed fruit, fatty pork (sausage/bacon), blueberry. General red fruits lead to blueberry then to smoke/tar, then peppery finish. Great mouthfeel, smooth. 4/5

Paringa Shiraz
South Australia, Australia - $10
Pleasing, smooth like a Merlot but with nice spice. Buy again, good for parties.

The Winner's Tank Eskadale Shiraz 2006
Langhorne Creek, Australia - $13
Spicy! Held up to burgers and chocolate cake. Side of tongue pepper, chocolate, burnt toast flavors. Tannic with leather aromas on finish. Buy again.

Montes Alpha Syrah
Colchagua Valley, Chile - $19
Lots of jammy reds, lingering smoke on the palate. Smokey, pleasing tannins. Flavors of chocolate with black and blueberry as it opens up. An interesting wine to drink again.


Jim Barry The Lodge Hill Shiraz 2006
Clare Valley, Australia - $20
Aromas of cinnamon, clove, sweet hay on a red berry backbone. Cut grass freshness with light barnyard earthiness. Stewed red fruit. Medium body, supple tannins. Spicy flavor opens up to vanilla red fruit (sweet red fruits). Needs more power at the end. Wine Spectator 91 points. 4/5



Cakebread Napa Valley Syrah 2005
Napa Valley, California - $50
Loved syrupy, very ripe fruit flavor. My style of syrah. From the winemaker: "Seductive, varietally expressive aroma of ripe black fruit, violets, white pepper, roasted coffee & sweet vanilla. Full body; lush blackberry, plum, & fig, savory spice. Supple tannins & long toasty finish. Best flavor 2011-2013."

While the $50 Cakebread was marvelous and very much what I prefer, I could not justify the price... especially when I considered this winery was the first of a dozen more still to visit on week-long Napa/Sonoma trip. The Earthworks was a great value, complex and definitely interesting. For a little more money, we really enjoyed the Jim Barry Lodge Hill.

Montemaggiore Tasting Notes

You never know what to expect when you strike up a conversation with a stranger. I certainly didn't expect to get a lead on a unknown small-production winery. It was during a trip to Napa and Sonoma in spring of 2008 that we first heard about Montemaggiore. A group of enthusiatic wine tasters next to our group got my attention and, before I knew it, I was writing down only a phone number while the tipster emphatically described why we HAD to fit it in. Problem was, we were at the last tasting of the day and an early dinner reservation was looming.

Unable to drink any more red wine (for a few hours anyway), I opted to walk around Healdsburg while the group piled back into the Jeep to try their luck at finding the winery with only a phone number to go on. The owners, in the middle of labeling and bottling, only buzzed them in because they thought they were the tipster group we had run into at the previous winery. I got to hear all about the fabulous tasting, vineyard tour, and the magnanimous owners when they returned and really started to rue my choice to stay in town. A few opened half bottles of syrah were sent back so that we didn't miss out.

We felt the wines were such a unique product at an incredible value that everyone we know has heard about them. Friends visiting Sonoma have been told to go, taste! They are converts too and the word continues to spread.

A vertical tasting of their two syrah wines was arranged and I finally got the full experience. My favorites are below.

Paolo's Vineyard Syrah 2002 - $30. Very fruit forward, perfect alone. Amazing aroma. Favorite of all the wines this evening. Later ordered several bottles to drink within the year. 89% Syrah, 11% Cabernet Sauvignon. 15/20

Paolo's Vineyard Syrah Hilltop Reserve 2004 - Steely, chocolate bitterness, charcoal dryness. Great aroma, but flavor and aftertaste not as strong as others in flight. 95% Syrah, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. 14/20

Montemaggiore Superiore (Syrah blend) 2002 - $40. Herbal with tannic finish. Soft and smooth, some spice. 75% Cabernet, 25% Syrah. 14.5/20

Montemaggiore Superiore (Syrah blend) 2003 - $40. Classy, restrained style with more finesse. More tannic with some spice. Style is very different compared to '02 Syrah which was equally loved by the group. Stronger flavor than aroma. 77% Cabernet, 23% Syrah. 15/20

More at Montemaggiore.com

Anaperenna Syrah
Barossa Valley, Australia - $70
Blend of 80% Shiraz, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon. Wow flavor with initial hit of white pepper. Smooth finish but strong tannins. Again, not a great value for the money. Perhaps it would have been more impressive alone and allowed to open up over several hours. Tasted at a Harry's Savoy wine event. 3.5/5