Lomond 2005 Syrah, Cape Agulhas (South Africa)
09 Jan 2015- Details
- Category: Uncorked Tonight
(November 7, 2014) ... After a truly disastrous class featuring South African wines, many aged and atrocious, I made my way home wondering what to have for, and with, dinner. When I had arrived home I had steadfast resolve that I was not quite ready to give up on South Africa quite yet, and decided upon a wine that held an interesting history for me: Lomond 2005 Syrah. This bottle of wine carries with it memories of an evening of fighting, bad glassware and spite drinking ... It's a long story best saved for another day, but suffice it to say the last time I popped the cork on a bottle of Lomond I would have been better off drinking it alone, at home from a Dixie cup than the I'm-gonna-drink-this-wine-to-spite-you-even-if-it's-out-of-these-cut-crystal-pieces-of-baccarat-crap I did. It was time to wash that memory clean, with the very wine itself. At first, and throughout the evening, the wine exhibited smoky black pepper aromas that never faltered or wavered. On the other hand, the palate was a plethora of excitement that hour after passing hour kept giving something of interest to the experience. Starting off with peppery, smoky, vanilla, and black cherry flavors that carried with them some nice spice. After the first hour there developed a lovely layer of mocha, then soon after came some sweet cherry. This was a far cry from the train-wreck older South African reds I had tasted earlier in the day; it was a real beauty for a South African wine, heck a beauty for any country's wine. Granted it cost me upwards of 30+ dollars at time of purchase, while my other examples earlier in the day were all most likely sub-twenty. What I remember most were my final few sips and thinking that there was a nice smoothness about this wine, that seemed to zip and zing among the black pepper on the finish.
(November 6, 2014) ... Somedays I feel more adventurous than others, this was one of those days. I dug deep into the wine cellar to locate this bottle from Spain: Montesierra 2000 Reserva ... from the Somontano region of Spain, a surprisingly good blend of equal parts Moristel, Cabernet Sauvignon and Tempranillo. Now I hear you saying, "I've heard of the other two, but what the heck is Moristel?". I too had to look it up as it was news to me. According to our good friends at Wikipedia: "a minor Spanish red grape variety. It is mainly found in the autonomous region of Aragon and is one of the authorized varieties of the Somontano Denominación de Origen (DO). It has medium sized, compact bunches with medium sized, cylindrical shaped, berries with a blue hue. Traditionally it has been used for blending with other varieties to add body and colour to the wine". Now you know too. As for the wine itself, the nose is positively woody, but in a good way, while the palate delivers on dried fruit and woodiness in the form of vanilla, cedar and cinnamon toast. I found it quite good and palatable for its age. Smooth, silky, with a little hint of wood-derived tannins on the finish. I kept thinking, this wine is very enjoyable; there's even a sexy sweetness that sits right in the middle of this wine 30 minutes after opening and after an hour it develops a certain kind of vanilla smokiness.
