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Wine Details
Price:
Description:
Our Syrah is a variety that does extremely well in the area, responds best to our way of viticulture, is multi-dimensional as a wine, and moves through the winery quickly. It is 100% Syrah, to highlight the spicy notes and requires some bottle aging to tame the tannins. Prone to producing too large a crop to make a wine with finesse, the syrah is pruned and thinned to concentrate the spicy fruit flavors The best winemakers worldwide give this variety a brief barrel aging. However, it is in the bottle that the tannins and the flavors come together. Our 2001 was pretty much an acid rocket when released to our Buon Amici Wine Club. By October it married well with Basque Mahon cheese, by Thanksgiving it was wonderful with goose. Now it can be sipped while making dinner. A rapid transformation compared to our Cabernets and Merlots. With the 2002, the classic bacon aspect of the wine is very pronounced, with undertones of blackberry, black pepper, and coconut. The acidity is much milder at this age compared to the 2001, but it will require bottle age to tame the bacon and let the ripe fruit return to the nose.
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Varietal Definition
Syrah:
Syrah is the eight hundred pound gorilla of Rhone grapes! In the vineyard and the winery, Syrah is typically an easy grape to work with - healthy, early ripening, resistant to mildew and rot; suitable for winemaking in a variety of styles. The wines from Syrah are tannic without being harsh. The wines will have a taste and smell of dark blue fruit like blackberries and blackcurrant, with a strong spicy side where one can find freshly ground pepper and other spices. Syrah is famous for its part in the French blends, such as Côtes du Rhone and Châteauneuf du Pape.
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Merlot:
Merlot is known as a Noble Bordeaux varietal. Although it came to France in the first century, it was not named until the 1880s. Merlot was originally used only for blending, as it is soft and compliant, very useful in softening other Bordeaux wines like Cabernets. Recently in California and Chile it became popular as a 100% varietal wine. Merlot tends to be easier to grow in a variety of soil conditions and is harvested earlier in the year than Cabernet. Although most Merlots are made to be drunk earlier, there are many with complexities of a Cabernet. Flavors of plum, black cherry, violet, chocolate and orange pair well with rich, red pasta dishes, hearty chicken dishes, and any beef combination that you fancy. The perfect match of course is chocolate. Not only does the chocolate compliment the wine and vice-versa, but the essence of both flavors linger eternally.
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