Category Archives: Syrah

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2012 Baco Noir, Henry of Pelham

Three years ago we met Henry of Pelham on Christmas Eve, an international guest that made himself welcome in our family’s holiday celebration. He came back down from Canada tonight to bookmark our 2014 celebration and was once again excellent company for the short duration of his visit. What’s a Baco Noir, you ask?

2012 Baco Noir, Henry of Pelham, Ontario, Canada.

2012 Baco Noir, Henry of Pelham, Ontario, Canada.

Well, it is definitely not quite a Pinot Noir–at least the Californians that we often sample–and it’s lighter than a Napa or Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon. I even remembered to pop a quick photo of the bottle this year. It’s less spicy than the Syrahs we’ve been tasting from the West Coast, but probably closest to that profile. The 2012 vintage has a deep, purple-red color and some nice woodsy flavors that lurk just below a fruity surface. A good beverage, and one that started our cocktail hour and merriment.

The winemaker pulls grapes for the the 2012 right from the Henry of Pelham family vineyard and handles the fermentation process in stainless steel tanks before aging the wine in American oak barrels for six to eight months. This wine enthusiast isn’t sure but believes oak often imparts some of the vanilla hints to a wine…a vanilla this guy doesn’t really relish. I’m happy to report that the 2012 Baco Noir doesn’t carry this taste to an appreciable extent. (And if you have a good, reliable resource that explains the process by which vanilla is infused into a wine please by all means share it in a Comment.)

The 2012 Baco Noir from Henry of Pelham was long gone before we sat for our excellent dinner–a glazed ham, cooked light and luscious, a potato medley consisting of white and sweet varieties, steam vegetables, and lots of great conversation with family. May the 2012 Baco Noir usher in your special occasion in similar, rewarding fashion.

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2012 Count’s Selection Syrah – Old WInery Road, Buena Vista

Two glasses, two eager, excited glasses drinking from the 2012 Count’s Selection Syrah – Old WInery Road, and two glasses that we could not keep filled this Saturday evening as we gnosh on pan-seared steaks, asparagus, and mashed potatoes. The steaks were excellent, lean and delicious, and left us just a healthy bite for the dog as well. The mashed potatoes were fluffed and had just enough lumps in ’em. The asparagus–were they organic?–were really good but perhaps a bit thin or young.

2012 Count's Selection Syrah - Old WInery Road, Buena Vista, California, USA.

2012 Count’s Selection Syrah – Old WInery Road, Buena Vista, California, USA.

 

But for me? You know the highlight of the meal for this guy was the 2012 Count’s Selection Syrah – Old WInery Road from the team at Buena Vista. My favorite winery and one of Sonoma’s most storied vineyards, tonight they offered our family a fantastic dark, fruity, and spiced syrah. Killer beverage. I’d say plain and simple, but this wine is way too special for that trite phrase. This syrah is fragrant, it’s got one of my favorite pepper flavors, a deep purple color, and amazing taste.

If my phrasing doesn’t convey enough for you, he winemaker describes thusly: “Our 2012 Count’s Selection Sonoma Valley Syrah is a richly colored wine with a dense core of dark fruit flavors, notes of black pepper and touches of leather and chocolate that impresses immediately but expressly opens after a brief decant.”

I can tell you we did not decant for any period, and the Count was still a really great beverage. We had bottle 1886 of the 325 cases that the winemaker produced. Perhaps one that we should reorder while Buena VIsta will offer a 30% discount?

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2012 Dead Bolt Winemaker’s Blend

A California red that comes together in an interesting tumble of red and black fruits, the Dead Bolt makes its mark on you as a consumer. We opened this bottle over the weekend but only finished it this evening with ground beef soup, tortilla corn chips, and buttered rolls. How did it take two sittings to partake of this 2012?

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The winemaker remarks, “Dead Bolt is a rich, round, and opulent California red of dark origins. A generous blend full of rich fruit flavors with a long textured finish.” Is that a little overstated for this working man’s red? Maybe a little, but it is a drink that’ll leave a smile on your face. Partially from this succulent wine; partially from the clever branding.
The 2012 Dead Bolt is the creation of Philip Laffer and brings together Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel, Petit Sirah, and Shiraz–might be a kitchen sink in there too–into one helluva smooth red. And it works. We’ve got several interesting bottles awaiting us, but I will look forward to the chance to circle back to this one again soon.

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2011 Boom Boom! Syrah, Charles Smith Wines

Didn’t get a photo of the 2011 Boom Boom! showing the bottle or the fantastic spread of food (a consistent theme all weekend) that accompanied this wine, but suffice it to say children and adults alike had plenty to eat.  This Syrah too was a recent favorite and earned a second showing among our lake friends this weekend, following closely on the heels of the 2011 Petite Petit, and it received similar praise from the gathered company.

2011 Boom Boom! Syrah Charles Smith, Columbia Valley Washington USA.

2011 Boom Boom! Syrah, Charles Smith, Columbia Valley, Washington, USA.

The Boom Boom! Syrah is a Columbia Valley wine, the largest in Washington State and covering an area of nearly 11 million acres. Now that is a lot of grapes (and I hear their vine rows are often more spread out there than in other regions around the grape-growing world).  Several smaller pockets–Yakima Valley, Walla Walla, and others–are encompassed in this great region for winemaking, where Charles Smith Wines makes its living.

We poured this dark beauty into a plastic “lake glass” and passed it around, swirling its deep purples and sipping contentedly with the onset of the evening. It’s not just the grape itself that intrigues here, but a little something spicy that lingers in the background. It’s there for sure, but I’m not savvy enough a taster to identify its specific details for you.

Syrah is sent to us once or twice yearly as part of a recurring wine club shipment, and we always enjoy it on those occasions…but the 2011 Boom Boom! from Charles Smith is the only Syrah I’ve gone out of my way to purchase. There’s an obvious “boom” quip waiting in the wings here but you’ll have to taste it for yourself to get it.

 

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2011 Petite Petit, Michael David Winery

As part of a (long overdue!) Lake Gaston weekend with lifelong friends, I planned to swing out and pick up several wines that had earned recent accolades in our home. One of them was the 2011 Petite Petit from Michael David Winery, a veritable juice bomb hidden in these cheery elephant-decorated bottles. Thankfully I pulled this last bottle–and several other fun options–from the shelves at Winestore and couldn’t wait to share.

2011 Petite Petit Michael David Winery Lodi California USA.

2011 Petite Petit, Michael David Winery, Lodi, California, USA.

The weather was not cooperative by the dinner hour (as shown in this photo) but the 2011 Petite Petit was a burst of sun and flavor against the thundering skies and rain-spattered windows of our weekend rental. We poured a first glass, passed tastings around, and saw lots of nodding heads as each taster caught a whiff then a taste of all dark fruits of this Syrah/Verdot blend. Multiple glasses followed in swift succession. I’m not sure if everyone could taste the hint of charcoal that I described, but I’d enjoyed a bottle previously and sort of knew what to expect from this deep, rich red. I also knew we’d kill the bottle quickly, and indeed we did, our tanned faces smiling in enjoyment.

The Petite Petit was essentially gone before the dinner hour–grilled fare and delicious cold salads of pasta and potato–but it did give us ample opportunity to delve into other new favorites. Lots of new fans of the 2011 vintage after this evening!

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2011 Petite Petit, Michael David Winery

The 2011 Petite Petit from Michael Davis Winery is bursting at the seams with fruit flavor. It packs a wallop of dark fruits and has a subtle underpinning of charcoal that leads to a rich, enjoyable finish. We opened this red late on a Saturday evening, with the sun’s light fading in the distance and smell of  T-bone steaks wafting in the still air.

2011 Petite Petit, Michael David Winery, Lodi, California, USA.

2011 Petite Petit, Michael David Winery, Lodi, California, USA.

So much fruit here! It pours purple so deep and dark that it looks almost like chocolate tumbling into your glass, and its earthiness is fragrant, big, and lush. According to the team at Michael Davis Winery, this is a blend of 85% Petite Sirah and 15% Petit Verdot and offers a “joyous explosion of color and fun!” I’m here to confirm they are not exaggerating with such claims.  The Petite Petit is full-bodied and almost like jam on the finish.

We had the 2011 Petite Petit with those grilled steaks, baby fingerling potatoes, and blue cheese salads on the side. You almost want to bite, to chew this wine just like the delicious foodstuffs gracing our plates. Here’s what Robert Parker offered about this vino: “This soft, opaque purple-colored wine exhibits impressive density as well as lots of blueberry fruit intermixed with graphite, licorice, and a hint of tar.“

I’m not a fraction of the experienced taster that Parker is, but the flavors here stand up to be counted and I was able–even with my humble palate–to identify several of the most developed layers. Hadn’t had a glass of wine in more than a week and this one is a great means of breaking that unwelcome streak. Be sure to try the 2011 Petite Petit for yourself.

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Buena Vista 2008 Ramal Vineyards Syrah

Syrah isn’t my favorite red but this Buena Vista offering rang all the bells. Earlier this week my wife and I were in a beer state of mind but last night our favorite Sonoma vineyard beckoned. It poured out fragrant and fruity, a hint of spice hidden just below the surface, and was a great compliment to our pork chops with dijon mustard sauce, white rice with home-grown scallions, and mixed (i.e., green and wax) beans.

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You always know you’ve got a good bottle going when you look at it half full and are disappointed that it’s a work night…but that does make it all the better when you resume the “challenge” the next evening. The 2008 was again equal to the task, its rich ruby red the perfect companion to our pasta dinner this evening. I know without looking that the experts would praise this wine; we surely do too.

Thankfully we have more Buena Vista shelved and look forward to the next occasion, or even none at all, to break one out.

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2009 Buena Vista Syrah

It’s no secret that our favorite winery out in Sonoma is Buena Vista.  This syrah was one of their wine club selections that I was exciting to break out over the past week.  In addition to providing a heart-healthy welcome home from work, it accompanied dinners that included 1) sushi, 2) a pork tenderloin with green beans and cous cous, and 3) chicken piccata with penne noodles in a white wine caper sauce.  All were delicious regardless of what wine one was supposed to have with the fish, fowl, or pig in order to complement the various tastes involved.

2009 Buena Vista Syrah

2009 Buena Vista Carneros Syrah

I’m sure finer and more experienced palates would offer a discerning analysis of this 2009 red…some pithy commentary regarding the bouquet, the nose, the fullness, and certainly the flavor.  From our time in California I know this wine is possible due to the unique temperatures of the days and nights out in the Carneros region, and the vineyard’s proximity to the oceans and mountains alike.  My taste buds simply offer a round of applause, and my eager hands reach for another glass.  The wine club shipments typically include both reds and whites but I’m always more interested in the reds; this 2009 is worthy of that same legacy.