In the glass this wine is uber-dark. On a white background, the wine shows only one note with no edges that surround the core. The nose is oak. French oak, American oak, Hungarian oak: oak~oak~oak; and I like it. Smelling past all of the wood I get an onslaught of mocha and dark fruit. The palate is pure silk with notes of plumb and blueberry. My second taste brings out flavors of cola and dark cherry. The finish on this silky, oaky beaut is more of the mocha that I got on the nose accompanied by subtle tannins that hang on my tongue for a bit.
Every drink of this wine flash me back to the 1990’s. Not because the Syrah reminds me of cigarette machines, mullets, and Family Matters on prime-time television… It doesn’t remind me of catch phrases like, “I did not have sexual relations with that woman” or the image of a white Bronco being chased by 9,000 of LA’s finest… It doesn’t taste like Crystal Pepsi or Fruit by the Foot…
No, it brings me back to the 90’s because it’s silky. It reminds me of a time when silk shirts reigned supreme. There was nothing like buttoning up your casual silk shirt, strapping on your roller blades, and hitting the streets. You just knew that you looked like a million bucks; to cool for school. The only thing better than the feeling of that silk shirt on your chest???
Your silk boxers under your jean shorts…………..
2014 Bell Syrah “Canterbury Vineyard” – Sierra Foothills AVA CA
Wines on the Range 