Syrah Un-Stymied

In golf circles a stymie is a ball blocking another players ball, as in being blocked with a clear shot to the cup. Syrah in general has this same issue - much of what is out there, insincere iterations of Syrah, blocks the truly wonderful expressions of Syrah. I am and have always been a fan of Syrah. Trouble is – how to find a good one that isn’t great but stupidly expensive or not great and a waste of your money. Stymie removed: the 2014Steele Stymie Syrah from underappreciated Lake County.

Jed Steele manages to extract heady aromas of cedar, boysenberry pie, blackberry, red raspberry jam, cedar, vanilla, mocha, with back notes of sage and campfire smoke. The viscosity is stunning, a virtual liquid velvet, that does not subtract from the tannins and acids, which though mild as they are, support the structure of this wine. This in no way is over jammy fruit, instead, this is darker hued, alluring, seductive - a kind of Film Noir idea of shadow and light. It offers a depth of maturity, without the need to draw attention to itself. Aged for 22 months in both American and French oaks barrels, only 20% of which were new, means while the oak provides a framework to the fruit, it does not take center stage. Jed made just 150 cases of this, and I hope you’ll try a bottle.

ORIGIN: Lake County, California

PRICE: $36/ 750ML

ALCOHOL: 14.8%

PAIRING IDEAS: Braised pork loin with garlic marinara sauce; Veggie stuffed baked potato with smoked Gouda.

SCORE:  90 POINTS