We tried these two Fri night at dinner:
1. DryCreekVnyd Chard DCV10/RRV/SonomaCnty (13.5%; 338 cs) 2012: Med.light gold color; light butterscotchy/Fr.oak/toasty strong melony/lemony/Chard spicy/nutmeg clean/vibrant nose; fairly tart/citric/zippy some Fr.oak/butterscotchy/toasty strong lemony/melony/Chard/spicy slight nutmeg bright/clean/crisp balanced flavor; very long strong melony/lemony/Chard tart/zippy/bright some spicy/nutmeg light butterscotchy/toasty/Fr.oak finish; a very attractive bright/zippy Chard at a great price. $24.00 (VSP)
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2. Arnot-Roberts Syrah NorthCoast (30 brls; 12.8%; LaCeuz/BakerLane/Marietta/ClaryRanch/Griffen'sLair/
QueSyrah vnyds; Whole-cluster frmtation) 2013: Dark color; strong black olive/tapenade/cold-climate bit blackberry/Syrah smokey/roasted/Rhonish lots of whole-cluster lovely nose; rather tart/tangy/mineral black olive tapenade/Rhonish/roasted/smoked meats bit lean/hard very whole-cluster ferment/Rhonish flavor w/ modest lean/angular tannins; med.long tart/tangy whole-cluster/Rhonish/smokey/roasted light blackberry/Syrah bit earthy/mineral finish w/ some lean/hard tannins; not a lot of fruit but lots of interesting whole-cluster/Rhonish character; needs several yrs yet; lovely Rhonish Syrah. $38.00
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. DryCreekVnyds: They don't get a whole lot of buzz in the wine sphere, but DCV, under TimBell, are making some of the best wines they ever have. And at very reasonable prices.
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2. Some of the A-R Syrahs have been on the screechy/lean/eviscerated side. Though this NC Syrah was of that style, it had plenty of flavor. It will be exciting to see what they do w/ AlRago's QueSyrah fruit, that they now farm.
Tom