The night before last I was sitting with a poetic bottle of syrah that makes me a believer again in the nobleness of this grape. It was bottle #278 of 3100 of 2006 Owen Roe Lady Rosa Syrah. Mr David O’Reilly really has a magic touch and it doesn’t hurt that the fruit for Lady Rosa is one of the most profound terroir vineyards of the North West, Dubrul. Hugh and Kathy Shiels spend so many diligent hours in their vineyard maintaining and improving the land, the terroir, the fruit, that high kudos has to go to them. That being said, how magical is it when you open a new world bottle of syrah and your senses are hit with wild game aromas, dark freshly ground coffee with just a dash of bitter Mexican chocolate, grilled bacon, and then the fruit. David is a master of blending vineyard and primary expressions. It’s the balance of letting the land, the terroir speak, at the same time giving us a nearly hedonistic wine that screams to be drunk. The sad but true part of the story is that on day two (I was saving the bottle to appreciate its amelioration over several days) I found that the remaining juice in the bottle had been used in a meat and pasta dish that my wife made! Suffice it to say the sauce was dramatically good, I was just wishing the whole time for another sip while we twirled spaghetti.
Author Archive for Christophe
Chicago, IL - Brought my snow blower to the neighborhood small engine repair shop who told me it would be ready in 4-6 days. Called on the 6th day, Saturday 12/15, to follow up. The owner told me it was ready, they weren’t normally open but he’d be at the shop for another 30 minutes. I was across town buying a Christmas tree with the family and told him “no worries, I’ll pick it up Monday morning.” That same afternoon and evening Chicago got over 5 inches of snow. My back is still sore. Thank God for red wine!
~Overoaked
Since SNAFU is a red wine, California made, perhaps we should have a couple of discussions on red wine. What makes wine red? Why does it taste so different than white? Why do some people only drink red wine (or only white wine for that matter)? Can’t we have a non-discriminating wine drinking public?
Thoughts from a roaming wine drinker.
Location: Northern California
Date: Recently
Story: He looked at me. Not with shock or surprise, but with a pale certitude. Is that how fate looks you in the eyes? I always thought that destiny laid its hand upon you in anonymity. Isn’t it something that just happens? When we turn around and look up into the balcony of passed time we can review how all the pieces come together to make the quilt of the whole.
So I took a sip and the word my senses could only describe was “overwhelming.” That’s a wine epiphany. And he nodded in agreement.
