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Wine Recommendation
Chatter Creek Winery
2004 Syrah , Lonesome Spring Ranch(Yakima Valley)
Though Walla Walla gets most of the credit, it’s the Yakima Valley where Syrah was first grown in Washington, and this is the region that has the oldest and most fragrant examples.
The Lonesome Spring Ranch, planted in 1997, is at the warm (east) end of the valley, the soils mostly broken basalt and caliche, with volcanic loess over the top. It ripens Syrah to the point where sweet blackberry fruit and aromatic herbs create a fragrant, perfectly meshed bouquet. On the palate it is peppery and lively, sleek and racy, with citrus highlights. Neither jammy nor fat, this firmly tannic, well-balanced wine is a pure expression of both grape and vineyard.
Reviewed August 5, 2006 by Paul Gregutt.
Other reviewed wines from Chatter Creek Winery
The Wine
Winery: Chatter Creek Winery |
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. |