Steve brought this mystery wine last week:
1. Morell-Lawrence Syrah ColumbiaVlly RoyalSlope (15.4%; no oak; www.MandLWines.com) WallaWalla 2014: Very dark near black color; rather earthy/dusty strong blackberry/Syrah/blueberry some roasted/Rhonish bit peppery/whole-cluster complex very interesting nose; lightly tart very strong blackberry/spicy/Syrah/blueberry/bit licorice some roasted/Rhonish/peppery some earthy/dusty fairly rich/lush structured complex flavor w/ light ripe tannins; very long/lingering lightly tart intense blackberry/Syrah/spicy/blueberry bit peppery/w-c some Rhonish/roasted/smoked meats bit earthy/dust structured finish w/ modest ripe/smooth tannins; should go out 10 yrs or so; quite a beautiful somewhat old-World style expression of Syrah. $30.00
___________________
A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. M-L: The joint effort of winemaker ArynMorell and grower JoshLawrence. This wine was aged & frmtd strictly on concrete tanks. This was a totally new wnry for me.
I was quite impressed by this wine. It struck a nice balance between old-World Syrah and modern WashState Syrah. It was quite structured and didn't have the soupy character I find in some WashState Syrahs. It reminded me a bit of Cornas but w/o the rustic character those often show. This is how AugustClape or HerveSouhaut would make Syrah in WashState if they could. Good stuff.
Tom