2000 Abacela Syrah

[dananne]

This Umpqua Valley winery is one of my favorites. They specialize in Tempranillo, but do very nicely with a wide variety of other varieties from Dolcetto to Granache to Malbec. For some reason, the critics really like their Syrahs most years, and this one was no exception (WE 90, for example, but every year they seem to range from 88-92). However, because I order well in advance of the scores coming out, I go by what I've enjoyed in past vintages and hope for the best. I'm not inclined to follow scores anyway, and it's worked for me so far. It's one of the few wineries that I buy from year-after-year without tasting first.

On to the wine. Deep reddish-purple in the decanter. Left there for 20 minutes before 1st pour. This was a much different animal than the Milbrandt from K Vintners, which was the first wine of the night. This one had aromas of brambly dark berries, some bing cherry, and noticeable herbal aromas like herbs de Provence. More angular in the mouth due to the acids, with a bit more tannic grip, which to me says that it can still age for another few years. It offers earthy black fruit flavors, finishing with licorice and/or anise and some subtle oak. A nicely balanced wine, and for me, it seemed a bit more serious than the Milbrandt, but it was probably a bit less fun to drink. Nevertheless, it was a very good wine and made for a very enjoyable evening of Pac NW Syrah. Alc. 14.7%, which surprised me, because I didn't notice any heat. Anne liked it, too, but she preferred the K.