Super Syrah

A couple of great Syrah/Shiraz that I’ve enjoyed lately, they both show the elegance that this versatile grape is capable of.

G6 Bethany 2006 Barossa Shiraz £14.50 Lancelot Wines, East Molesey

I bought this expecting the the big block-buster shiraz one might expect from the Barossa, it was to go with some spicy BBQ food, however it was better than that! Certainly the nose lived up to expectation; intense red fruit with plenty of red and brambly fruit, spicy cinnamon, pepper and vanilla with a hint of cocoa. The colour is more subtle, paler than many of it neighbours and the favour is gentle and elegant, smooth, deep with pronounced red cherries with a touch of pepper.

Paul Jaboulet Aine, St Joseph “Le Grand Pompee” 2007 (half), £9.25 for the 2009 Wine Society

I was luckily enough to win this bottle and thought it would be wonderful with some grilled lamb, I wasn’t wrong. The colour was mid plum, with a hint of brick at the edges indicating some bottle age. The wine smelled divine, sweet red and bramble fruit with liquorice and old leather chairs, soft but restrained. It tasted wonderful, smooth but with balanced, firm tannins, a delicate mouthful of bitter strawberries, dry but with luscious fruit, a very classy wine.