Last month at the Wine Workshop we featured the Alpha Carmenere for it’s tomato leaf aromas as we discussed herbaceous notes in wines, when I heard they had a Syrah I knew I had to bring that in too. While this is a New World wine, it’s styled very much like an old world, indicated by naming it Syrah rather than Shiraz. Bold fruit aromas show as red fruited on the nose, then shift towards black fruit on the palate. Licorice and cocoa are apparent, and an addition of 7% Cabernet Sauvginon and 3% Viognier bring some cassis and violet. Structurally the extra hit of tannins from that Cab fraction is tamed by twelve months in oak, 50% new, giving this a firm, but smooth feel.