Casting about for something to try w/ my leftover hamburger:
1. EaglePoint Ranch Wnry Syrah MendoCnty (14.4%) 2005: Very dark/near black color; slightly reduced/pungent nose that clears to strong blackberry/Syrah/boysenberry light vanilla/oak some peppery/licorice/pungent/mocha bit dusty/smokey terrific complex nose; soft bit tannic/drying out very strong blackberry/Syrah/boysenberry/spicy some licorice/pungent/peppery light vanilla/oak complex flavor; very long slight minty/menthol strong blackberry/boysenberry/Syrah light oak some tannic complex finish; a terrific example of how great MendoCnty Syrah can be; this wine is really singing right now; maybe starting to dry out on the palate a bit and probably should be drunk up.
______________________
A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. That guy on the tractor, CaseyHartlip, really knows how to grow grapes, if not make a wine out of them. It doesn't quite have the Rhonish character that some of BillyCrawford's early McDowellVlly Syrahs once had...but this is about as good a Mendo Syrah as I've had in many a moon....since we were last up at EaglePoint several yrs ago. I was a bit aprehensive when I pulled off the capsule....and saw it was closed by one of those hard/plastic SupremeCorqs...who are notorious in failing. But it was in mighty fine shape...it was.
I hate it when I open a wine like this....with low expectations, then find it is supremely good. Drank near the whole danged btl and none left to share w/ my friends, alas. Fortunately, those friends mostly have some of this their own.
Tom