2005 JC Cellars Syrah a la Cave

JC Cellars has been receiving a lot of positive PR of late. They were highlighted in an article in the Escapes section of The New York Times last Friday. It's not everyday you encounter a top flight California winery located in downtown Oakland. I suppose if you are close to your sources for grapes, get a good lease on warehouse space for your winery, and are located close to a lot of potential customers, it is a good location.

We served this wine before and with tonight's dinner - Turkey Chili. I think I have two more bottles of it in the cellar. It is a very good Syrah, but I think we prefer the JC Cellars California Cuvee' Syrah which is actually less expensive.

Winemaker's Tasting Notes: In the second year of developing this blend, the consensus was to take it up a notch, turn up the volume, add a little more punch, so to speak. I've learned through the years of creating blends, the ones composed of multiple appellations are always the most challenging and the most rewarding. This vintage is composed of vineyards from Coombsville, Santa Ynez, Calistoga, Mendocino, Dry Creek Valley and Rockpile. Each region has brought its best to the final blend. A wine which features dark chocolate, smoky accents, mineral textures, and beautiful fruit that ranges from dark cherry to wild raspberry.

Wine Spectator: 89 points. Dark, rich and concentrated, with beefy, grapey and peppery flavors that are pure, focused and balanced. Drink now through 2011.