2005 Sequel Syrah

I know what you're thinking: 'Syrah? How desperate were you guys?! Must've been down to that or the 40 of Olde English in the back of the fridge!" Yep, any 'o you VdVers that follow us know we don't have a ton of praise for most of this varietal, reminiscent of Vick's Formula 44 in at least color and finish. Eww.

But I went into a great wine shop the other day (Ha, I can almost hear the K&L people's anticipation: "We made it! They really do like us!" Nope, suckas it's Time for Wine in Tahoe City. If they had a website I would link to them) to get a gift for a Syrah fan, and figured "hey I like the label on this one." That's right, even stewards of the wine-tasting world like us are not immune to a great label to help make the buying decision.

Hey, this Columbia Valley (that's in Washington) wine is pretty damned good! Beats the pants off of just about any Aussie Shiraz I've had, that is 4 sure. Why? Well grab a drink, pay attention and I'll tell ya!

This puppy is refined for a Syrah. So many are hot, over-extracted with awful taste. The Sequel is loaded with dark cherries and chocolate, but with great balance and minerality. And slightly oaky tannins that don't overpower the fruit. I know only rookies typically use the term 'smooth' to compliment a wine, but I cannot resist (or maybe as some of you more snarky types have accused, maybe I am just a rookie!).

This wine is made by the same winemaker that made the legendary Penfold's Grange for fifteen years - John Duval. Glad ya learned a few things and made a tamer, more well-rounded wine this time around, Duval!

Oh yeah, that 'gift' never made it to its recipient! Bad for him, good for us!

Goes for about $50 bones. And like Time for Wine, Sequel doesn't seem to have a website either! Google it, you'll find a retailer to get it from.