Mysteries never cease.

So, I was rooting around in the cellar looking for a wine to open while I did some rather hateful, boring work. I was conflicted as to what to open, when my eyes spied the last two bottles of my first venture into winemaking, a 2000 Stage Gulch Vineyard Syrah, Sonoma. I had purchased a single 5 gallon bucket of frozen grapes from my local wine and beermaking supply store for the princely sum of $110 or so. I then, very ineptly (as opposed to merely rather ineptly on my second winemaking attempt), set about making wine. I did some things then that I wouldn’t do now (adding pectic enzyme, pressing literally by hand – handful is probably more accurate, etc.), and I ended up with about 12 bottles of wine.

I had sampled the wine from time to time over the years, and it was okay – certainly potable – but I’d decided to leave the last two bottles to age for a while. And, as happens (at least in my cellar) things get forgotten about, especially those things that are not entered into Cellartracker! I don’t think I’ve had a bottle of my Syrah in about 5 years. So, since I was in a rather dire mood given both how the evening has gone, and what lay ahead, I figured I could torture myself with what was sure to be a drain pour. I was surprised enough with what was in the bottle to delay for a few minutes to blog a tasting note:

Deep, but clear, dark ruby. Nose is very much Syrah with iron, fresh meat, animal fur, blood and cranberry. I’m frankly shocked that it smells this good. It doesn’t live up to the nose on the palate, which is much simpler (though somewhat disturbingly viscous). There is sweeter cherry and cranberry fruit, and a good surge of acidity. Tannins are completely resolved. It’s not long, but it’s a lot better than I ever thought it would be.

Some day I’ll open one of the remaining bottles of my second winemaking effort and tell the tale of woe that is receiving Zinfandel grapes so ripe they actually maxed out my hydrometer and trying to make them into something potable.