We tried these w/ pizza last night:
1. Novy Syrah SantaLuciaHighlands (14.2%) 2011: Dark color; somewhat smokey/pencilly/oak strong blackberry/spicy/Syrah/grapey slight herbal/thyme bit alcoholic nose; soft slightly hot/alcoholic strong blackberry/Syrah/grapey some milky/pencilly/oak slight herbal/thyme flavor w/ light slightly bitey tannins; long bit alcoholic/hot strong blackberry/Syrah/grapey slight herbal/thyme some pencilly/oak finish w/ light bitey tannins; pretty nice Syrah at a great price. $18.00
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2. Novy Syrah SierraMarVnyd/SantaLuciaHighlands (14.5%) 2011: Slightly darker color; very light pencilly/oak strong blackberry/blueberry/spicy/Syrah bit more herbal/green/rosemary/thyme slight licorice/pungent/black cherry cola/forest floor more complex less ripe nose; soft strong blackberry/blueberry/Syrah fairly rich/lush some herbal/thyme/rosemary slight black cherry cola/root beer/pungent more complex flavor w/ light/smooth tannins; very long/lingering strong blackberry/blueberry/Syrah/licorice/black cherry cola some herbal/thyme/rosemary light pencilly/oak finish w/ light/gentle/smooth tannins; no signs of alcoholic heat; really lovely Syrah at a great price. $24.00
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
Just got these in the last week, so thought I'd Pobega them. The first Syrah is declassified SLH Syrah which probably includes other vnyds than just SierraMar. The first seemed to show more alcoholic heat and was much less lush/smooth on the palate w/ more bitey tannins. The second did not show much obvious alcoholic heat, was much smoother on the palate and had greater depth & intensity; clearly a superior Syrah. Quite an interesting comparison.
Tom