Red Bicyclette, Syrah, 2004
This is one of those Vin de Pays d'Oc wines. This is one of the only places in France where the varietal is clearly marked -- such as "Syrah" in this case. Usually you spin the roulette wheel; sometimes for good, sometimes for bad. And this time? Well, it wasn't so good.
The nose was nice: raisin, prune, subtle vanilla, and something metal. I could overlook that metallic smell if it weren't for the taste. In a word: bitter. Tannic. Branches. Stems. Bitter in a bad way. Oh, and some raisin in-between all that bitterness. And it keeps coming, next with a gritty finish. Raisin and prune is there at the end too, but it's hard to get past that nemesis: it's bitter to the end. For Denise, the bitterness was surrounded with metal: "it smells like metal, tastes like metal, and finishes metal". I didn't get that metal taste, but we both agreed that it was too bitter to enjoy.
Cost:
Rating:
3.0