Wine Tasting: CA Syrah

Well, this made me more of a believer in CA syrah. These were all great food wines, striking a nice balance between fruit and structure, and much more reasonable than Napa cabernet. My faith in Unti was vindicated, and I have new respect for Qupe. Thanks to everyone for making it on a Saturday. Good thing I had second bottles of most of what we tasted (and a magnum for the Qupe).

1. 2007 Cep (Peay Vineyards) Sonoma Coast Syrah ($22): lovely example of a reasonably priced CA cool-climate syrah, drinkable, but with enough structure for food. Good stuff, but not as good as the Unti.
2. 2007 Peay Vineyards "La Bruma" Estate Sonoma Coast Syrah ($46): beautiful wine, still much too young, but with lots of structure and promise. Really improved the longer it was open. I'd probably buy the Qupe Hillside for the same price, tho.
   
3. 2006 Torbreck "Woodcutter's Shiraz" Barossa Valley ($17): example of the more fruit driven, generous Australian style, and also what a good value these can be.
4. 2008 Donkey & Goat El Dorado Syrah ($20): nice, more like the Australian style than the cool-climate wines, but with a very barnyardy nose, reminiscent of French Rhones. A favorite for many who tasted it.
5. 1999 Qupe Bien Nacido Hillside Estate Syrah ($50, magnum $100): The don of CA Syrah, Qupe's Hillside Estate is their premier offering, meant to age. Awesome wine, with a lovely nose, great acid, complexity, really fantastic. Embarrassed nearly everything else on the table (altho the Peay might rival it in 5 years...).
6. 2004 Domaine du Colombier Hermitage (orig. $80, K&L sale $40): our representative from the Northern Rhone in France, 100% syrah, probably the most complex and dynamic wine of the evening, seeming to change every 15 minutes in the glass. Great nose. Bargain at $40, but not at $80.
7. 2006 Ramey Rodgers Creek Vineyards Syrah (~$35): lovely bottle, refined, balanced, a nice example of a wine punching above its price class (but not at the level of the Qupe). Thanks to Orion and Rebecca for bringing this one!
8. 2003 Unti Dry Creek Valley Syrah (~$25): a little too austere, compared to the 2004.
9. 2004 Unti Dry Creek Valley Syrah (~$25): excellent wine, demonstrating the successful way to make the more fruit-driven style from warm weather syrah. So tasty.
10. 2005 Rosenblum Abba Vineyard Lodi Syrah ($25): ah, Rosenblum, the iconoclast. This was sweeter than the rest, but still nicely balanced, leading with a big helping of cassis on the palate.
11. 2003 T-Vine Cellars Napa Valley Petite Sirah ($34): Petite sirah is an entirely unrelated grape, so this was just for a finishing contrast. T-Vine makes a consistently lovely bottle of petite sirah, steel fist in a velvet glove (well, maybe not quite velvet, maybe merino wool).