Drew Vineyards Syrah 2006 Anderson Valley, California (USA)

So you probably think I'm some fucking snob on an exclusively imported wine agenda here, but truth is I'm not. I love American wine, I really do. In front of me is a glass of said wine. Hailing from Anderson Valley in Mendocino, California. The wine was again found at the local Sigel's, I am rather familiar with the vineyard from my days as a Sommelier. I had sampled and sold various vintages of their Pinot Noir, but never their Syrah, and apparently I've been missing out. 28 USD, this bottling is from the fruit grown at their Broken Leg vineyard (love that name), visually it has a very nice deep sanguine color and signs of rim variation, with a concentrated nose of cassis, vanilla, pepper, allspice and some espresso. Rich is an understatement, this could literally pass as a Syrah preserve. The mouth feel however is quite gentle and silky with medium tannic character. The cassis/blackcurrant makes a second appearance as does the allspice, leading to a nice full finish that simply beckons another sip. Yeah, I can (and will!) totally down this bottle in one sitting. Go buy yourself a bottle now, this is a GREAT example of the kind of seriousness that California can produce with Rhone varietals (See also : Saxum, Lillian, Ojai and if you're willing to pay the price, Sine Qua Non).

Until next time, friends.