1999 Deerfield Ranch Syrah

[hotwine]

Yesterday afternoon, Debra said, "Let's grill some steaks tonight", and I was out the door to start an oak fire in the pit before she even finished the sentence. Dug some T-bones out of the freezer, and she fixed some fresh beets, boiled potatoes and Swiss chard. I figured it was the ideal opportunity to try this Syrah from the Sonoma Valley, and it didn't let us down. Very nicely blended flavors of spice, black pepper and coffee, and a mouthfeel as smooth as silk. 13.9% ABV and $22 at a discount retailer. Distribution is tiny: only 200 cases were made, and the wines of this outfit are only available in Texas, Chicago, Atlanta, San Francisco and Bermuda. The distributor within Texas works out of Pleasanton, south of San Antonio, and I have no idea if he has reached Houston or Dallas. But for folks in the areas of Chicago, San Fran and Atlanta, this one is worth looking for.

[hotwine]

Dredged up this old post to add a note on its pairing with BEEF stew. DEE-lightful! The pepper and spice of the wine integrated superbly with the stew, with the finish lengthening noticeably. (It might help to be using cubed sirloin as "stew meat".) Wish I owned a piece of Deerfield.....

[Kcwhippet]

Hotsy,

You can own a piece of Deerfield. They're going through a major expansion and are looking for folks who want to invest. Check it out at www.deerfieldranch.com.

[winoweenie]

Yep....Now is the definative time to invest in wineries.....and Dot.Coms. [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/biggrin.gif[/img] ww

[hotwine]

Thanks, Bob. I looked into it last year, but it was too rich then at $100K minimum. Now it's $150K. Nice folks, though.

[hotwine]

Hadn't tried one of these in over a year, so pulled one tonight to accompany oak-grilled sirloin burgers and oven-fries. TN has definitely changed: black pepper is still present on the nose but has faded from the palate, ditto with the coffee note. Fruit is still there, just not quite as interesting as a year ago. Improves a bit after two hours as it recovers from cellar temperature, but still a tad disappointing. A perfectly acceptable Syrah, but a notch down from its former self. Will need to finish the case before the summer has ended.

[winoweenie]

Think the wine was a liltte bit deficient in the acid. I got the impression when I tasted the sucker she was an early drinker. WW

[hotwine]

Decided to kill the last bottle of this with burgers & beans tonight. A mere shadow of its former self.... no real flaws, just lacking structure and fading to black. Bye bye birdie.