2003 Cañon De Sol Syrah & Great Food

Last week a couple of friends kidnapped me for my birthday and took me to McMenamin's Edgefield Winery for some celebrating, drinking, eating and wine purchasing. The trip was doubly productive thanks to Chris' employee discount on the wine from their winery. It was a fun and delicious birthday treat, but while we were there having dinner we ordered a bottle of wine, which turned out to be out-of-stock so we upgraded to the top end syrah on the wine list. That wonderful bottle was the 2003 Syrah from Cañon De Sol Winery.

When the server poured my tasting sip the first thing I noticed was that the wine smelled of a very fruity jam, it had a deep red color, and has a very long and smooth finish. The palate is also of a very fruity deep red berry jam, with a mild oak flavor that provides just enough balance to the wine. It paired excellently with each of the three meals we individually had:

• Lamb Saltimbocca sirloin filled with sautéed artichoke hearts, seasoned with fresh sage leaves and wrapped in prosciutto with balsamic vinegar-pomegranate molasses reduction and roasted cippolini onions


• Grilled Smoked Ribeye Steak dried cherry and Edgefield Winery Syrah reduction, smoked jalapeño butter, roasted baby Yukon Gold potatoes


• New York Steak Béarnaise sauce creamy potato blue cheese gratin, sautéed green beans
  

Cañon De Sol Winery hails from Benton City, Washington which is about 15 miles outside of Richland, Washington in the eastern side of the state. Noteworthy of the Winery is that Victor Cruz the Managing Owner/Winemaker is the only Latino winemaker and winery owner in the state of Washington. So, not only can you be sure to enjoy some wonderful wine if you buy this syrah, but you can know you're supporting a minority owned small business.

In the end the wine is something I will continue to recommend to friends to enjoy, as will I recommend eating at the Black Rabbit Restaurant & Bar at the Edgefield Winery in Troutdale, Oregon.

-Cheers!

2005 Griffin Creek Syrah Fort Miller Vineyard

PEPPERY, BLACK CHERRY, OAK, VANILLA, SMOOTH!

Please excuse my excitement; my taste buds have control of my brain and I have a new favorite! My fellow wine bloggers know that I covet my Syrah's, particularly the 2002 and 2004 from Griffin Creek, so I was quite excited to receive the 2005 Fort Miller Vineyard version as a house warming gift.

The first whiff after popping the cork on this Rouge Valley gem was the peppery spice and bold cherry nose that diffused from the glass. This encounter was off to a good start! Letting the first pour breathe a bit, I put the finishing touches on the pairing for the evening, New York pepper steak, cheese risotto, and corn.

After toasting my wife on our new house, our first sips were pure bliss... This wine contained all of the key components I require for a superior ranking: spicy nose, fruit and oak notes, with a smooth finish. In this case a subtle vanilla finish grew in intensity, while maintaining its smooth qualities, as the wine came to equilibrium with its uncorked environment. The pairing of this robust yet complex vintage with the pepper steak could not have been improved; fellow wine blogger Megan, who is a lover of a good sweet white wine could not complement this Syrah enough.

As a test, tonight I decided to pair the same bottle with chicken enchiladas... OK, this may not be the traditional pairing for a robust red, but I felt that I had to really push this wine to see if it ranked supreme on my list. After being open for a day, any bite that was imagined at first sip has completely vanished and the vanilla, cherry, and oak components have intensified! Yes, I think it actually got better!

I will be acquiring another bottle of this wonderful specimen and would suggest that even the folks a little apprehensive of reds give this vintage chance.

Finally, Drew and Josh, thanks much for such a wonderful gift; I would suggest locking your doors until I get a chance to purchase another bottle...

CHEERS!!!!

2004 Griffin Creek Syrah

This pre-release wine, made available only to Willamette Valley Vineyards Club members, is an outstanding testament to the quality of southern Oregon wines and its fruit forward grapes. Syrah can be a finicky wine to master, in my humble opinion. The bold qualities of this grape make it a wonderful wine to pair with big meals like steak, ribs, or even a roast.

As for the specifics of the 2004 Syrah by Griffin Creek, the nose starts with a great spicy tone, followed by a smooth scent of blackberries and black pepper. When the wine hits the palate a wonderful flavor of black cherries, strawberry jam, and a long smooth finish of spicy black pepper and licorice.

For our own pairing we had a dinner party last night with seven other friends at our place. For the main course we dry-rubbed some pork spare ribs overnight. The rub had a base of brown sugar and cinnamon, with cayanne, chili powder, paprika, ground ginger and garlic, and some thyme and rosemary. The pairing was excellent, the dinner phenomenal, and the company beyond reproach.

If you ever get the opportunity to purchase a bottle of this wine, by some myserious chance, do so without hesitation. The wine is one I won't soon forget.

-Cheers!

Barnard Griffin 2004 Syrah

Are you looking for a nice syrah for under $20? Barnard Griffin's 2004 Syrah is the wine for you. Barnard Griffin is probably my favorite Eastern Washington winery, located near the Yakima River in Richland. Now, I grew up in Richland but unfortunately was under the legal age for enjoying wine at the time. I'm really digging where the industry is going in the Tri-Cities when I visit my family.

Barnard Griffin buys all of their fruit--and Rob Griffin, the winemaker, attributes much of his success to sourcing great fruit. They produce both tulip labels and reserve wines, and while the reserve are definitely the cream of the crop, tulip label wines are very respectable and reasonably priced.

For the 2004 Syrah, the nose has plum and blackberry notes with rich, full-bodied flavors. The grapes for this wine came from the Wahluke Slope, Columbia Gorge, and Columbia River areas capitalizing on the high heat climate of the Columbia Valley. We cracked it open with a nice steak and next thing we knew, the bottle was gone.

Next time you are in the local wine store, pick up a bottle. Even better, if you happen to find yourself in Richland--stop by the tasting room. They are quite hospitable.