OK. I am a huge fan of Cline Vineyard's Cashmere (more to come on that) as well as a fan of their viognier (www.kmwinediary.blogspot.com). So I am interested to see how this syrah stacks up.
Again, as I've explained before in my other blog, I am not the biggest fan of syrah when it's called syrah. I like it better when it's called shiraz. No matter. As long as it brings the goods, you can call it whatever you want.
The back of the label states that there are "black cherry fruit spiced with black pepper aromas." Mmm, yummy. I smell alcohol & black pepper right off the bat, but I only get a faint whiff of the black cherries at the tail end of the nose. Hmm, that 13.5% alcohol content must be blocking it out. Oh well, I'll take that 13.5% any day over a strong nose. This wine is very dark and grapey in the glass, with long legs that form immediately.
The first thing I taste are the tannins in this grape. Once you've tasted enough grapes, believe me, you can pick them out blind-folded. It tastes like syrah tannins at first, followed by rubbing alcohol on the mid-palate, with cherries & black pepper on the finish. I have to admit, this is a pretty complex wine at this price point, one that I would definitely recommend & buy again.
I've noticed that there are plenty of good red wines under $10, but the white wines at the same price point tend to be lacking (see: Las Valles 2009 Viura - Chardonnay). I'm not sure what that's about, but I do know that I'll try anything once, and if it warrants a re-buy, I'll buy it again. This wine definitely falls into the buy-it-again category. I love Cline Vineyard & I'm happy to support and promote anything they put out. Much like Pacific Rim, it's one of my go-to vineyards. Check out www.clinecellars.com for more info.
Cheers!
Kate
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