• California
• Syrah

Review Date:	02/29/2008
Price Range**:	$$$
Winery:	Ledson
Vintage:	2004
Varieties:	Syrah/Shiraz
Country:	US
Region:	California
Appellation:	Sonoma
Rating:	8/10
Notes: Dark red bold drinking syrah with pepper and blackberry that will pair well with steak.
** $ - approx $10 or less $$ - approx $25 or less $$$ - approx $50 or less $$$$ - approx $100 or less $$$$$ - more than $100

• California
• North Carolina
• Syrah

Review Date:	01/17/2008
Price Range**:	$$
Winery:	Biltmore
Vintage:	2003
Varieties:	Syrah/Shiraz
Country:	US
Region:	California
Appellation:	North Coast
Rating:	8/10
Notes: An impressive syrah with very ripe red berry fruit, plum and raisin, sweet, with a hint of pepper.
** $ - approx $10 or less $$ - approx $25 or less $$$ - approx $50 or less $$$$ - approx $100 or less $$$$$ - more than $100

• California
• Syrah

Review Date:	08/09/2007
Price Range**:	$$$
Winery:	Steele
Vintage:	2002
Varieties:	Syrah/Shiraz
Country:	US
Region:	California
Appellation:	North Coast
Rating:	8/10
Notes: Plenty of luscious black fruit with decent structure and nice tannins. Nose is of blackberries, chocolate, and pepper. Nice spicy finish
** $ - approx $10 or less $$ - approx $25 or less $$$ - approx $50 or less $$$$ - approx $100 or less $$$$$ - more than $100

• Malbec
• Syrah

2004 Edna Valley Syrah & 2003 Kaiken Malbec

When you start doing research to put points of interest into the articles you discover some really interesting information.  We've already explained to everyone that we're big fans of the Diageo Company which spans the globe and owns all kinds of great brand names in the liquor and wine markets.  Evidently, it pays to drink.  We decided to try the Edna Valley Syrah last evening at our favorite dining establishment and have found out that this brand too is owned by a Diageo company.  So much the better.  We are always excited to find out that in a round about way we are supporting our habit.

Le Syrah 

Winemaker's notes:

Following two days of cold soak at about 55°F, we added a moderately fermenting yeast to our open-topped tanks. The cap was irrigated at intervals with gentle pumpovers. After fermentation was complete we put the wine to barrel for malolactic fermentation. Most of the wine was racked and aerated at least once during barrel aging to soften tannin structure. We aged the Syrah in a mix of French oak and American oak during the 11 months of maturation. We included a small amount of Petite Sirah in the final blend to add structure and volume in the mouth. A complex wine, the 2003 Edna Valley Vineyard Syrah displays opulent, black cherry and blackberry flavors, complemented by smoke, caramel and vanilla notes, a full, viscous mouthful with medium tannin and a long, chocolate and coffee finish.

Spectacular!  When jotting down notes on this one last evening, we came to similar conclusions.  We found that it the flavors and nose were dominated by red cherries, not black.  We would certainly describe the fruit as "redder" rather than "blacker".  Fabulous if you're a big fan of the cherry. It had much less pepper and smoke than did the Kaiken Malbec that we sipped alongside this one.  We also noted the "oakiness" of the nose and accompanying buttery smell. Surprizingly it had a rather short finish.

Edna Valley Syrah Central Coast Paragon 2003 (87 points, $14)

Rich and fleshy, with beef, peppery plum and lead pencil shadings. Shows its tannic muscle on the finish. An exceptional value at this price and should reward short-term cellaring. Drink now through 2008. 13,800 cases made.

-Wine Spectator

The guys at wine spectator seemed to have loved this Syrah, but we think they're being a little generous.  We don't consider it a positive that a wine tastes like you're sucking on a sharpened #2 during your standardized test.  We'd prefer to drink an Australian shiraz in lieu of this choice, though it's passable and certainly a well-priced wine.  You will enjoy this Syrah.  Try it.  It's cheap enough that if you don't love it as we didn't, it won't really matter after looking at the sales receipt.

The Malbec

Our 2003 Kaiken Malbec was fullbodied and had a nice blend of ash and fruits like black cherry. The tannins were strong but not overpowering, very rich and rustic. It's got a prominent sweet dark chocolate finish. Like most Malbecs the finish is short. We thought it would pair well with chocolate, figs, raw fennel, grilled meats, shellfish and pasta.

Malbec Mendoza Kaiken 2003 (86 points, $13)

Kaiken is a Mapuche Indian word for a Patagonian goose that lives on both
sides of the Andes. Aurelio Montes, the Chilean star wine maker, like
the goose, can be spotted on both sides of the Andes.

Rustic version, with mint and briar notes weaving through blackberry and plum fruit. Slightly chewy finish, but good fruit. Drink now through 2006. 4,000 cases made.

-Wine Spectator 

We were surprized at the note from wine spectator.
We drank this wine on 05/23/2007 and felt that although it was past it's prime it had kept in tack, in fact we would have guessed it needed more time to sit. At this price you cannot find a better Malbec. OKAY, maybe you could but our point is it's a great find. We recommed buying two bottles and sharing with friends ASAP. 

• Syrah

Review Date:	05/23/2007
Price Range**:	$$
Winery:	Edna Valley
Vintage:	2004
Varieties:	Syrah/Shiraz
Country:	US
Region:	California
Appellation:	Edna Valley
Rating:	7/10
Notes: Dark and rich with flavors of dark fruit, plum, blackberry, and black cherry. Finish is short but strong with pepper and smoke and a lot of tannins.
** $ - approx $10 or less $$ - approx $25 or less $$$ - approx $50 or less $$$$ - approx $100 or less $$$$$ - more than $100