|
|
Wine Recommendation
C. R. Sandidge Wines
2003 Syrah, Minick Vineyard(Yakima Valley)
The Minick vineyard was first planted in 1982, but the Syrah dates from a 1996 expansion. Still, it is among the oldest in the state, and the exceptional site, overlooking the Yakima Valley six miles north of Prosser at 1300 feet elevation, delivers the goods.
Ray Sandidge, who made wines at Kestrel before starting up his own winery, knows the area well and gets every ounce of flavor out of these grapes. Dark and streaked with smoke and decadent flavors of coffee liqueur, the wine is ripe to the flavors of cherry cordial and teasingly scented with whiffs of cigar. For those who favor a more decadent style, yet value balance and varietal typicity, this wine delivers all that and more, at a very modest price.
Reviewed August 4, 2006 by Paul Gregutt.
The Wine
Winery: C. R. Sandidge Wines |
The Reviewer
Paul Gregutt
Paul Gregutt values these things in wine above all: typicity, specificity, clarity, elegance, polish, depth and balance. He recognizes that there are genuine flaws in some wines, and it is important to know and identify them. Wines that are too ripe, too oaky or alcoholic to the point where nuance and detail are obliterated are not going to win his praise. Price is a factor in his evaluation of any wine; a good $8 wine is much harder to make than a good $80 wine. |