ACORN Alegria Vineyards Russian River AXIOM 2008 Syrah

АКСИОМА реки виноградников Alegria ЖОЛУДЯ русская Syrah 2008, $22.94-$29.99, 89 points: Brilliant deep ruby and violet colors, distinct sweet red cherry, cedar, and clove on the nose, light to medium body carries a food friendly acidity, and a firm tannin structure, with pronounced licorice, plum, with some floral notes. The finish is a truncated culmination of the above with a dusty-wood hint and jalapeño.

We enjoyed this Syrah with a spiced lamb, fried kalamata olives and mushrooms, and a green veggie potato dish.

This is another diversion into a unique Syrah style of wine, and though a bit pricey, it is still certainly worth trying.

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Rosenblum Cellars Solano County England-Shaw Vineyard 2005 Syrah

Rosenblum Cellars Solano County England-Shaw Vineyard 2005 Syrah, $26-$34, 90 points, is a deep garnet color, transparent at the rim, the aroma is a stout plum with hints of cedar and black olive.
A medium body conveys a pronounced sweet florality (Not usually to my liking), red licorice, plum, and juicy red cherry.
The finish has a serious flash cayenne-white pepper heat, which is what makes the sweet florality work.
This is another different kind of Syrah that broadens this varietal's boundaries. This is a wine that recalls roses and summer lightning storms; it is also a Shiraz by another name, and Australia is now in the middle of summer. So, whether Syrah or Shiraz, open a bottle and imagine summer zephyrs in the afternoon sun. 
Sorry, I can't remember where I bought this or how much I paid for it, but the above pricing info is from wine sellers on the internet.
Also, for what it's worth, and just to help you who might be interested in buying this wine to be informed, the WS scored this wine 86 points.


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Morgan Pinot Gris Is A January Thaw Diversion

Morgan Santa Lucia Highlands R and D Franscioni Vineyard 2009 Pinot Gris, $11.89-$16.99, 88 points, (Most often known by its Italian name Pinot Grigio) began cold (41 degrees), the color is a very pale transparent straw butterscotch, the aroma began as a gentle lemon zest and grapefruit, but as the Pinot Gris warmed it lifted hints of honeydew melon and pineapple. The texture is rich, but not as dense as olive oil. The flavor mimics well the aroma, and the finish ends nicely on faint ginger spice.
My January Thaw Diversion was the result of my having spiced Haddock fried in extra virgin olive oil, along with my homemade comfort mac and cheese topped with Gruyere and Italian bread crumbs.
You can tell by the label that I've had this wine for some time now, and maybe just past its prime (drink young is the norm), but some Pinot Gris, I'm told, can age for a few years.


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2009 Domaine Fond Croze Côtes du Rhône Villages Cuvée Shyrus

Фонд Croze Côtes 2009 полей сел Рон заквасил Shyrus,
 is 100% Syrah, $16.99-$19.99, 90 points, is inky purple to a coal-black core.
The aroma needed a bit of coaxing, but when the aroma wafted upward, it wafted beautiful sweet cooking spice with a hint of mocha java. The medium plus body carried juicy black-berries, mild plum, and a hint of mocha java, but the noticeable acidity is very food friendly, the tannin is a bit sharp, but not bothersome.

All of this followed the finish nicely, with the addition of some black pepper and a hint of cayenne.

This is still a very young wine, and as of right now, not as "drink-alone" as some of the other Syrahs I've tried, but for the money, a very good deal in my humble opinion. With a year or two, I wouldn't be surprised to see my estimation of this wine go up. Yes, I bought two bottles, and " I' ll ist zurück! "

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Francis Ford Coppola Su Yuen 2008 Syrah

Francis Ford Coppola Su Yuen 2008 Syrah, approximately $14.00, 84 points, is deep ruby red with purple flashes, the aroma is bright sweet grape, and the medium body carries mild blueberry, strawberry, and juicy blackberry with a diesel after-taste which I dislike very much. The finish is spicy, but short. 
Having tasted a few of Coppola's wines, I'm not too enthusiastic about them; the best so far was Coppola'sIvory-label-Cab-NHwineman-/2011/01/winters-cabin-fever-brings-out-cabernet, the Chardonnay was okay, but the Zin and this Syrah have left me wanting.
I wish I liked every wine I tasted, but that's for Utopia.


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In case you want some Su Yuen entertainment I do have 
a link for you, but I can only recommend it as much as 
the wine: 


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gI4o8W2_So

Chatom Calaveras County 2005 Syrah

Chatom Calaveras County 2005 Syrah, approximately $23.00, 89 points, is dense, opaque to rim purple. The aroma has a gentle candy-cane note on plum and grape. A medium plus body carries the aroma toward a full palate flavor with hints of licorice and espresso.
The finish is long on pepper, and though the 15.2% alcohol is noticeable, it is fairly well balanced as is the wine overall. 
I have a bottle of Chatom Merlot and a bottle of their Red wine, which I'm looking forward to tasting as well. The winery web-site says: "The vineyard is nestled in the breathtaking Esmeralda Valley of Calaveras County, in the Sierra Foothills of Northern California." Chatom vineyards

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AMON-Ra Barossa Valley 2006 Shiraz

AMON-Ra Barossa Valley 2006 Shiraz (Glaetzer winery), $80.74-$94.99, 96 points, is a Syrah/Shiraz that transcends the trend I've been on, i.e. inexpensive wine and a decline in ratings.
AMON-Ra has a color almost as mysterious as its name; it is deep dark garnet with rubies to the core and flashes of violet, but though the wine is a bit cloudy (unfiltered) there is yet a brilliance here.
The aroma is subtle, but pervasive with toasty spice and bright black fruit.
The near full-body has a gestalt of complexity that radiates throughout the wine experience and is a cinema, a spectacle, a drama that separates this Shiraz from the run-of-the-mill wine: a beautiful color, an enticing bouquet, a developing palate that is both deep and delicious, refreshing and (dare I say) cerebral, with damson plum, blackberry, sweet cherry, and licorice, but the finish explodes and lingers long with black and white pepper with hints of cayenne on tart cherry. The 14.5% alcohol is perfectly integrated and innocuous.
My son cooked a Roast pork tenderloin stuffed with mozzarella, and tomato onion chutney, over sautéed Broccoli with a tomato crème sauce, which paired nicely, though this wine, which is excellent by itself, will pair well with lamb or beef, or almost anything, in my opinion.
I found the Amon-Ra at store 33 in Manchester's North end.




Amon Ra 2006 Shiraz revisited

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