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Tropical Depression: Win Some, Lose Some
Red Bicyclette. 2003 Syrah. (Holy crap it's a Gallo!) I haven't been able to get beyond this in the red bike family of wines because it is so lovely. There is something so sexy about syrah (as opposed to shiraz) and the shape of the bottle...like a lovely woman in a strapless evening dress. I initially purchased it not because of the $8.99 price tag but because I saw a respected oneophile (the attorney for the Humane Society) add it to her stash. That's the key to successful wine drinking, finding someone whose palate is similar to yours and copying them.
So, the syrah.The color was fabulous and the swirl produced light but lovely perfect drips around the bowl of the glass. It has a big presence on first taste but it does not linger, a clean finish. It intensified the mushroomy flavors of the warm Brie I had it with. The alcohol became apparent after I gave up the half-hearted attempt at eating. It was entirely charming.
Pepperwood Viognier . 2003. People are all over this wine...recommending it to everyone and just raving about how it is a great bargain. It's only $7.99 so I had to try it. This was my first voignier. And I didn't like it. It was just enormous and overpowering, not light and refreshing like I like a white to be. Maybe it would be good with sardines or anchovies.
In defense of the variety there are other viogniers tht I have liked, specifically, one from France that I can't recall right now. More on that another time. As well as news of the Concannon petite syrah.
