Been wanting to revisit Cabot afore I placed my order for the Fall release, so I tried this last night w/ my Samwich:
1. Cabot Syrah Aria's KlamathRvr/HumboltCnty (14.8%; 170 cs; www.CabotVineyards.com) 2006: Very dark color; strong spicy/blackberry/peppery/Syrah bit earthy/dusty slight herbal/adhesive tape light smokey/oak/pungent slight Rhonish/Cornas slight SouthAfrica/earthy quite interesting nose; lightly tart pungent/earthy/rustic/herbal bit smokey/oak strong blackberry/spicy slight Cornas/leathery slightly sour/rough flavor w/ some tannins; long fairly strong blackberry/Syrah/spicy/peppery somewhat earthy/dusty/herbal/rustic light smokey/oak quite interesting finish w/ good structure and modest tannins; quite unusual, terroir-driven & interesting rendition of Calif Syrah.
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A wee BP:
1. HumboltCnty is not an area that gets a whole lot of respect; at least for its wine-growing. I've always been impressed w/ what JohnCabot has been doing up there. I have, across the board, really liked his Syrahs and found them some of the most interesting ones being made in Calif. This Syrah was pretty much unlike any others I can recall from Calif. It spoke strongly of Syrah. It had a leathery character that reminded me of some rustic Cornas wines. It had a slight earthy sourness that suggested Argentine Malbec. It had an earthy rusticity that suggested a bit of SouthAfrican Pinotage. And it had a bit of tannic hardness that suggested a Languedoc red. With hearty/rustic fare like Cassoulet, it is a mighty fine match.
Tom