had a staff blind-tasting of Syrah this AM. here's the lineup with the group ratings (mine in parentheses) of each flight and a few impressions.
Flight One
1. 2009 Terlato Syrah, Block #9, Dry Creek Valley - wine of the flight and wine of the tasting. floral component shined through on the nose. complex flavors and aromas of dried herbs, tar, tea, blue, red, and black fruits. nice weight on the palate and balanced acidity. (3)
2. 2009 Enkidu Kick Ranch Syrah, Sonoma County - deep, complex flavor profile featuring blueberry, blackberry, meat, and spice. (2)
3. 2009 Canihan "Exuberance" Syrah, Sonoma Valley - nose opened with time in the glass, aggressive tannin profile and definite minerality. (1)
4. 2009 Copain Yorkville Highlands Syrah, Mendocino County - sweet red fruit on the nose, with notes of eucalyptus and black tea. acidity on the finish was very sharp and out of balance, lacked any discernible mid-palate, hollow. (4)
5. 2008 Ty Caton Ballfield Syrah, Sonoma Valley - nose showed dark fruit early, and not much more with time in glass. there was a mustiness about this wine which put some people off, the finish was sour fruit lacking in acidity. (5)
Flight Two
1. 2008 Enkidu Odyssey Syrah, Russian River Valley - high tones of eucalyptus and dried herbs on the nose. continued on the palate with dark, rich fruits and a meaty/bloody/gaminess consistent with cool-climate Syrahs. (3)
2. 2007 Herman Story Whitehawk Vineyard Syrah, Santa Barbara - lush, rich and dense. tons of blue and black fruit throughout. a little RS which was not offputting, and a creamy finish. (2)
3. 2008 Gard Vintners Lawrence Vineyard Syrah, Columbia Valley - candied cherry and raspberry on the nose and palate. came off a little hot, though that blew off with time in glass. big, bright fruit notes will be a crowd-pleaser, not necessarily a food wine. (4)
4. 2006 Westwood Annadel Estate Vineyard Syrah, Sonoma Valley - floral notes on the nose, but took some time to show other components. dark spices came through on the palate, and a chalkiness (whole cluster?) too. some people complained about high VA in this one. (1)
5. 2007 Ceja Syrah, Sonoma Coast - weedy, green, herbaceous, onion skins on the nose. little to no fruit to be found in this wine, and little to no acid as well. almost undrinkable. (5)
i hadn't done a blind-tasting in a while, so this was a nice refresher. with this format it really make me concentrate on what's being presented and make careful evaluations. done in a group setting, with varying opinions being offered on each wine, hammered home the subjectivity to be found in wine.
. Looking forward to seeing how it turns out after it is aged for years.
