Domine du Haut Châssis Croze-Hermitage ‘Les Galets’ 2005: A tiny bit of cork taint mars the nose and palate. Still,  lots of fruit, good balance and firm backend structure. Quite a bit of vanilla coming through on the finish.  If I had another bottle of this 100% Syrah, I’d give it 3-5 years, when it would have more to offer.

Domaine De La Butte ‘Perrieres’ 2006: Midnight Black in the glass. Wild ride of a Cab-Franc. Massively funk-da-fied; barn straw vs. crude oil, raspberries, dried leaves. Big palate, bursting with fruit and funk, held together with an assertive tannic backbone. It truly took 24 hours to integrate and reveal more secrets and typical flavors like fresh herbs, tomato, and black currant. Very cool…maybe too funky for some, but full of life and energy.

~18US Northern Rhone Crozes-Hermitage - 100% Syrah

I found this Crozes-Hermitage on the bottom shelf at a nice wine shop while visiting my parents. Deep, opaque red, with a bricky fringe. The nose evolved over 3+ hours - through spicy, raspberry, and gamey (smoked wild boar?) aromas. On the palate - a warm-hearted and sturdy wine, well-built with firm tannins and soft acidity. Definitely a Syrah. The earthy- meaty flavors hit the palate before the fruit, with an old-world balance. Fairly interesting after opening up, and a fair match for grilled meats, but just not terribly exciting.

A solid, full-bodied Syrah with gamey notes; a great foil to try against the big Barossa and McLaren beasts from Oz.