Opened a 2014 Wind Gap Nellessen Vineyard Syrah and wrote the following tasting note, having zero recollection of opening one just 3 months ago until I went to adjust my CT inventory. Three months ago being BYO in a restaurant in Seattle in early March before we had any idea how bad Covid was going to get. Feels like another lifetime. So I'll provide both notes since I believe together they document some evolution:
6/17/2020
Great nose of boysenberry and blueberry fruit plus sage. Identifiable as syrah if you work at it but on the leaner, less conventional side of the road (under 12% abv, no less) and nothing like the Washington syrahs I've become accustomed to. Needed an hour to open up and it felt like there was more to go--even with lots showing on the nose the palate holds back, too much so for a sipper but it's great with food. No idea what to expect in the future but I have more and it will be a fun ride.
3/7/2020
As Syrah goes, this is by no means great syrah. But as restrained, medium-bodied food wines go, this is delightful. All red fruit, some spice, a little earth, good acidity and a mere 11.7% alcohol, this is more like drinking Beaujolais than American syrah. Paired nicely with a range of dishes at JuneBaby, Seattle.