I was hoping to wait until our first day of Willamette Valley tastings was over to make my next post, but tonight instead of going for a road ride (which we desparately need to do), we decided instead to hit one of our favorite local wine bars: d’ Vine (http://www.atlantawinebar.com/) for a few glasses and some tapas.
And the reason I am writing this is not for the Sipino or the Willamette Valley Vineyard Pinot Noirs I tried (which were awesome, by the way), but because of the Starry Night Petite Syrah that just momentarily brought me back to my roots of BIG BOLD vino… WOW!
First, the color was very, very inky and dark… especially so after visualizing the Pinot’s I just had. Then the nose was very herbaceous (rosemary?) and like toasted cedar. The taste reminded me of blackberry jam slathered on some burnt toast, if you’re into it. The mouthfeel was tremendous and chewy as I gnashed through the licorice, blackberry and blueberries followed up by some teeth-licking. Yes, that thick and chewy. It was higher in alcohol content as well at 15.4% showing much leg at the swirl. Whew!
See you next week on the west coast.
Ed — I’m sure you know Petite Syrah is called such because the grapes are smaller than syrah grapes, thus relatively more skin per weight and more tannins. So a petite syrahs is generally a “bigger” wine than a syrah, as counter-intuitive as it may seem.
Here’s a tune for your trip to the west coast….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTzEp4CeWT8
Thanks guys… Jason, I think I’ll have to use this song/video in one of my vlogs while out there… stay tuned..
An article I found on the WSJ about Petite Syrah. Many of their favorites are less than $20, but I haven’t had any of them.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122117108052025405.html?mod=moj_columnists
For example:
Concannon Vineyard ‘Limited Release’ 2005 (Central Coast). $13.99.
Very Good/Delicious
3 Best value. Clean and crisp, with great fruit tastes, like the whole berry is in there. A hint of chocolate, especially on the finish. Totally satisfying. Consistent favorite
Castle Rock Winery 2005 (Russian River Valley). $10.99.
Good/Very Good
Highly drinkable, with plenty of vibrant fruit, fine acidity and an undertone of minerals. Great price.
good site sadtnf