2004 Qupe Syrah (Central Coast)

[hotwine]

My first Qupe. Had read about it for years but only now seeing it locally. Wasn't sure what to expect, since some notes posted here on earlier vintages weren't so promising.

Not to worry.

Inky deep red in the glass, opaque. A very French nose, heady like a southern Rhone, with red and black fruit on a soft forest floor whispering "come hither!" Yes, ma'am. Silky and supple on the entry with the fruit playing with a bit of white pepper, red fruit coming forward on the palate, grounded by just enough oak to give it structure, trailing off gracefully on a very long finish. Very nicely done and well worth the $18. 13.5% alc/vol. With beef stew and gumbo; the beef was grass-fed black Angus, super lean and fork-tender. Oh yeah, finished with a Giradelli 60% dark chocolate square. OK, so it was two. burp. (Holy cow, this is nice juice!)