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
No comments:
Post a Comment