Synopsis, Our Opinion: An excellent California Syrah.
Producer/Winery: Jeff Cohn & Yves Cuileron; Jeff Cohn Cellars; Oakland, California.
Grape Variety: Syrah.
Geographic Appellation: Sonoma County, California.
Vintage: 2013
Price: $59.95
Purchased From: Woodland Hills Wine Company; Woodland Hills, California.
Paired With: Lamb stew with carrots, parsnips and turnips, seasoned with rosemary, garlic, bay, thyme and Merlot wine.
Tasting:
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He said: Opened and corked 24 hours before reviewing. We had this yesterday at our New World/Old World Rhone wine dinner party with the lamb course. Years ago a very knowledgeable wine expert told me that at the end of a party you can always identify the wines guests like best by seeing which bottles had the least amount of wine left in them!!! Well, this was the only bottle that was not totally consumed by the guests, so we decided to review the remaining half-full bottle, paired with the left-over lamb stew we served the night before.
Opaque, inky dark purple color with a lighter rim. Heavy floral aromas (not light springtime floral) with an undertone of ripe blackberry. Smooth, full-body and dramatic mouth-feel; dry, lusty fruit flavors, lots of rich texture and very chewy tannins that continued through a long mouth-puckering finish. The previous night this (New World) Rockpile Vineyard Syrah was blind tasted with (Old World) Guillaume Gilles Cornas Syrah that everyone said they liked best. Being the only wine left at the end of the night was telling, but drinking it the next day paired with the same lamb I would only describe it as OUTSTANDING. Our conclusion was that it should have been decanted. All the wines were opened four-hours before drinking, but this one simply needed more time to relax and reveal its delicious character. It was an excellent California Syrah.
She said: Opaque, dark garnet color with lots of the irregularly spaced thin well moving legs. This was left over after our Rhone wine dinner so I was suspicious that it might be an inferior wine. Not so! It was a fantastic Syrah and a perfect pairing with the lamb stew. With a heavy floral aroma, it had a full body and provided a mouthful of chewy scrumptious tannins. The dry, flavorful taste was followed by a long finish that continued the flavors as well as the tannins. A quality California Syrah at $60.
Alcohol Content: 15.2%
UPC Code: NA
Imported by: NA
Photo from Jeff Cohn Cellers.