Douglas Oak Syrah
Wine: Douglas Oak Syrah
Grapes: Syrah (94 percent), petite sirah (6 percent)
Region: Oakville, Napa Valley, Calif.
Vintage: 2006
Price: $8.99
In the glass: Douglas Oak Syrah is a deep blackish-red color with streaks of purple running through it, going out into a light violet-red rim definition with fairly high viscosity.
On the nose: There is a boatload of peppery black fruit with underlying spicy currants, wood, violets, jammy cherry fruit, blackberry juice, vanilla, aniseed and earthy soft mineral character along with hints of barrel-aging.
On the palate: Douglas Oak Syrah is an aromatic fruit bomb with spicy blackberry, lead pencil, leather, tar, earth-driven cherry fruit, star-anise, then wood, pipe tobacco, cedar box and loganberry jam.
It assaults the senses once on the palate and goes through the middle with loads of spicy black fruit, tobacco and chewy black cherry jam. The finish reveals nicely restrained tannins, and they are balanced despite the big mouthful of spice and phenolic compounds. This wine clearly has a lot of character and structure.
Odds and ends: This wine is from a prestigious area of Napa Valley. Normally you could expect to pay big bucks for a Napa syrah, although they’re still not considered as great as those of the Central Coast. But Douglas Oak Syrah is an excellent value. Drink it now through 2011 and pair it with any steak.
Gil Lempert Schwarz’s wine column appears Wednesdays. Write him at P.O. Box 50749, Henderson, NV 89016-0749, or e-mail him at gil@winevegas.com.
