A small production santa cruz mountains syrah, this reminds me of a crozes-hermitage in many ways. A spicy, pepper nose with rich dark fruit, chocolate and licorice as typical for syrah - very forward. The palate was unexpected for California in its restraint and high acidity. An explosion of earth and blackberry that is both mouthfilling and smooth. Not at all a 'sappy' syrah and texturally very bright. Distinctly California, but born of food friendliness and versatility rather than power. Not complex, but a good everyday dinner wine.
Very Good
$21 at Vintage Berkeley
2 comments:
Ah! I'm glad you went to Vintage Berkeley! It's a funky little place and I like it, although a few of the associates are more enthusiastic than knowledgeable! You should definitely check out two whites they carry--if they're in stock:
(1) The "Pie Franco" verdejo from Rueda, Spain, produced by Blanco Nieva.
(2) Txakolina from the town of Geteria in the Basque region of Spain.
The Pie Franco is like a sauvignon blanc but more so--much more grass and citrus, a bit of minerality at the end. The txakolina is a light bubbly and is tremendous fun.
Cool, thanks for the heads up. I will check those out if I have a chance.
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