Syrah TastingPAGE 2
MacRosite , 2004 Syrah, Wild Cat Mountain , Sonoma Coast $34
Madrona Vineyards , 2003 Syrah, Enye Vineyards, El Dorado, $38
Lava Cap , 2004 Reserve Syrah,
El Dorado, $20
Specifics
Rated an 92 by Wine Spectator
Limited Production, vineyard designated

Gold Medal, 2007 SF Chronicle
Character
The almost black wine promised some big black fruit, smoke, and a dusty earthiness on the nose that it then delivered on the palate. Chocolate and vanilla were central to the character of the wine, followed with some anise, cinnamon and black pepper. The palate showed its cooler climate with its tart fruit quality and good acidity.

Another dark, almost black wine, with almost no rim and great colored legs.The fruit was all about big, black flavors of currant and plum. In addition to the big fruit there was toasted wood, leather, sweet spices and even just a bit of black olive. The spices carried to the palate, with the wonderful ripe fruit and vanilla making for an intriguing finish.
The Lava Cap had the lightest color and rim of the wines, but was still deep ruby. The nose was started as spice and fruit developing to sweet vanilla after opening and then leather, tobacco and cedar. The depth of the spices was tantalizing, showing cinnamon, anise, sage and cloves. The palate was lighter in fruit, but the spice carried beautifully.

Tannin
The tannins were just nicely dusty on the palate and in the finish.
This wine had some fairly good tannin, but was not at all harsh or green.
There was a bit of drying from the tannin present that ranged from soft to dusty.
Alcohol
14.3%
14.5%
14.8%
Complexity
 This was a wonderfully complex wine that changed every time you went back to it. It had a great combination of ripe black fruit, a dusty earthiness, a little spiciness, and even a rustic mossy, or even horsy quality that actually created a great classic Syrah impression.
This was a very well balanced wine that was the most complex of the six wines in the tasting. It had a finish that evolved from fruit to spice and finally toast as it lingered on the palate. There was just a bit of warmth, but that was balanced nicely by the moderate acidity and fruit.
The wine was intriguing in that the fruit on the nose was more complicated than the palate, but the spice and tobacco carried through very nicely. The blueberry fruit, sweet vanilla and spice worked together in the finish to give the impression of fruit covered with cream.

Overall
Impression
 The wine had a bit of alcohol on the palate, but was not out of balance with the tannin and fruit. There was just a hint of bitterness, to be expected from such a condensed, big wine. It is still on the young end of its lifecycle with a great deal of promise for years to come. Although not what would be considered tannic, it could stand up to some pretty heavy food and strong cheeses. A crowd pleaser, this wine received the most votes for best wine of the flight. Not only was the acid, fruit and tannin in beautiful harmony, so were the intertwined flavors. The wine had enough tannin that would allow it to age for quite a while, but refined enough to drink now. The flavors were somewhat lighter than some of the other wines, but had a real elegance to it.
This could best be described as a delicious wine that makes for a great sipper with or without food. The finish started with blueberries, then moved to vanilla and on to a great toasty quality. It was soft and luscious, not quite as big as the other wines, but with a nice elegance to it. There was even a little hint of a floral quality that added to the overall experience.