2003 Cline Cool Climate Syrah

[VouvrayHead]

Was searching for notes on Cline's Small Berry Mourvedre (Can get it for $25.50... thinking on it) and noticed noone posted about their wonderful cool climate syrah, so i thought i would!
Mostly sourced from Northern Sonoma, I think...
This is one of my favorite Syrah at the moment. Notes from memory--Blueberry, Blackberry, and somehow soft Cracked pepper notes dominate. Full bodied, but silky and only mildly tannic. The flavors are exceptionally well-defined and despite lots of flavor, body, and youth, it's really easy-drinking. $15.99

This wine is pretty unusual-- I can't recall a syrah that's terribly similar; well worth the money if you can find it. around 3000 cases produced.

[wondersofwine]

I don't know if it was the Cool Climate Syrah but I recall a tasting at the Officers' Club at Fort Bragg where the only wine that impressed me at all was a Cline Syrah! (The Blackstone Napa Merlot was superior to the Blackstone California Merlot but everything else was kind of lower end plonk.)
Coincidentally I went to a wine tasting with art auction at the Club last Friday. Again, the wines were pretty low end. I did find one Muscat Canelli refreshing as a dessert wine (I didn't try that one until the end because of the residual sugar) and I liked a Ravenswood Zen of Zin. One French brand geared towards Americans (name and label) was the Ribbit Red and Ribbet White (or maybe Rouge and Blanc). I tried a blend of Chardonnay and Viognier that I didn't care for. Oh, I'm forgetting one wine I almost didn't try but that I did like. It was a Chateau St. Michelle Chardonnay and I asked if it was oaky. The pourer said yes so I was going to pass it up--with the exception of white Burgundies where they often get the balance right, I don't like oaky Chardonnay. However, he persuaded me to try it and it was rather nicely balanced. It must be a low-end Chardonnay from the price (suggested retail was under $15 I think) which makes me wonder if it was wood barrels or oak chips. However, I would like to think that I would not have found the wine pleasing if it had oak chips behind it and not real oak barrels.

Checking the St. Michelle Winery website jogged my memory. It was the Indian Wells Chardonnay in the Columbia Valley (a district rather than a single vineyard). On wine-searcher.com a bottle sales for $12 or $13 plus change. The winery describes it as exhibiting tropical fruit. The 2004 vintage received 90 points from "Wine Spectator."
You might give it a try for the $12 or $13 figures.

[This message has been edited by wondersofwine (edited 06-12-2006).]