Mt Palomar Syrah

[Innkeeper]

1999 Mount Palomar, Temecula, Syrah ($16). This is from the southernmost Rhone Ranger in the Northern Hemisphere. We visited it with Lizardbrains in February. This is not just a syrah. It is only 86% syrah with seven other grapes added in 1-3%, including such non-Rhones as tannat, and cabernet franc. Wonderful wine. It comes over your lips with a smell and taste of fragrent fruit that uplifts you. Then a spicy complexity with plenty of pepper crosses your palate with smooooooth tannin. Then the bottle empties too soon. Matched it with heavily spiced, but unsauced boneless country ribs baked for an hour and half at 350 degrees. I'm almost in heaven.

Asked the folks at Mt P. about Pierce's Disease, since these grapes were harvested in '99. We saw devastated vineyards as we drove up the hill. They, like others in the Temecula Valley, replied that reports about their demise was very Mark Twainian.



[This message has been edited by Innkeeper (edited 04-29-2002).]

[RAD]

IK,

You've perhaps just penned the greatest TN line of all time: "and then the bottle empties too soon." Love it!!! [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/biggrin.gif[/img]

RAD