Tar and Roses

Tar and roses - a descriptor usually reserved for Barolo. Not in this case! The 2001 "Nina Lee" Walla Walla Syrah bottle from Spring Valley Vineyard with a glamorous photo of Nina herself on the label, leads you to expect something big. The deep, dark, magenta wine is almost purple with a rose edge to it and a perfumed nose. Tastes of tart plums, tar, roses, and tobacco. Big, but not jammy, this wine sports 14.6% alcohol. It is an interesting wine with a unique character. It's hard to tell how it will age. It seems to have lost a lot of it fruit already and one might guess that it had some velvety tannin when it was younger. Thanks to our good friends and neighbor Dave and Liza for a great holiday gift.