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A recent TN and a little Moroccan research

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Ben Rotter

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A recent TN and a little Moroccan research

by Ben Rotter » Tue Mar 29, 2011 4:53 am

In the thread titled Morrocan wine match help.........., Joe Moryl commented:
I'm not sure if you will be able to find it, but there is a nice Syrah made in Morocco by Domain Ouled Thaleb (in association with Alain Graillot) called Syrocco. The vintage I tried was clearly a warm climate wine, very rich, with lots of black olive notes, but I thought very well done.


I found this interesting, as I recalled tasting the 2008 vintage of this wine a few weeks ago, and I had written a loose tasting note on it which read as follows:
Clearly a bottle that had seen minor heat shock in past (wine pushed up sides of cork and dried), but not severe heat shock (the pushed wine hadn't got as far as the end of the cork). Even at 10°C [50°F] this smells nice: acidic yet sweet juicy blackcurrants with an edge of blackcurrant confiture (and I do mean the homemade French stuff). It's got clove and an almost mintiness at this temperature. Wild and yet somehow strangely candied, but in a kind of sweet-and-sour way... almost liqourish-like sweetness and yet it's not at all heavy or syrupy. So many New World [not that this is] big ripe reds I find to be heavy and syrupy - this is thankfully not like that. Is that dried thyme or sage? Jammy sweet fruit with wild herb. The next day it seemed much more kirsch like and a bit too sweet (more noticeable oak too) on the nose. Interesting to try. OK but not special.


I remember finding it interesting, but not something I'd consider returning to.

According to Australian wine retailer International Fine Wines*, this wine is made from fruit presumably somewhere around the towns of Rommani and Benslimane. From this perspective (open file in Google Earth and use maximum vertical exaggeration for best effect), the town of Rommani is shown in the foreground, and Benslimane lies to the far north west of the perspective. International Fine Wines note the wine's from a "relatively cool climate", which I find strange given my impression of this wine. Casblanca appear to average 26°C [79°F] during the day in July (though it's by the sea / at lower altitude), and Fez (which is further inland though at about the same altitude) appears to average 36°C [97°F] during the day in July. This region must surely get something close to 4000 degree days, which means it has more degree days than even Australia's Barossa Valley (though McLaren Vale does have a higher value, but then McLaren Vale is certainly a warm - I'd call it hot! - region).

*No connection apart from having been a customer.

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