2007 Elyse Petite Sirah Barrel Select

2009 Lewis Cellars Syrah Ethan’s

2008 Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard

2007 Elyse Petite Sirah Barrel Select – $20.83

I’ve been a big fan of the quality red wines being produced by Elyse for many years. The winery was one of the first we visited on our first trip to wine country. This is an outstanding winery with equally outstanding people selling their wines at very consumer friendly prices.

This wine has 14.7% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

My Tasting Note

The wine is a dark, inky maroon color, almost black. The very expressive nose is full of crushed blackberries, minerals, blueberries, fresh ground dark roast coffee, dark bittersweet chocolate, warm baking spices, and vanilla. This has medium to full body, solid tannins, and very nice acidity. On the palate the spicy blackberries and minerals hit first and slowly allow some coffee and chocolate to peak through. The finish is long and full of berries and dark chocolate with nice spice and coffee adding depth. This is on the young side but is starting to show some impressive complexity. I’m sure this will be even better in another couple of years. This isn’t made in a massively ripe style, the alcohol is a manageable 14.7%. This will easily last another decade. (93 pts)

2007 Elyse Petite Sirah Barrel Select

2009 Lewis Cellars Syrah Ethan’s – $33.24

I’m not as big a fan as most people. The winery has a cult like following but I’m just one of those people. I generally grab a few bottles when I can get them at great prices, but I don’t hunt them down and I never pay full price.

This has 15.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

My Tasting Note

The wine is a dark, opaque purple color. The stunning nose is full of crushed berries, minerals, charred meat, scorched earth, vanilla, violets and dark chocolate. This full bodied wine has fairly solid tannins and good acidity. On the palate, the wine is big and brawny but the tannins and acidity hold everything together. The initial assault on your palate is quickly reined in and held together through the long finish. As should be expected from the winery, this is not a wine for the timid or for someone looking for a subtle, nuanced wine. This will club you over the head and leave you asking for more. (91 pts)

2009 Lewis Cellars Syrah Ethan’s

2008 Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard – $75.00

I’ve been on the Myriad mailing list since the beginning. This will be my first bottle of one of their pricier wines, but I know I’ll love it since even their lower end wines have all been outstanding.

This has 14.8% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep, dark ruby to purple color. The intense and spellbinding nose has cassis, cedar, tobacco, dusty minerals, blueberries, dried herbs, candied violets, licorice, dark chocolate and some earthiness. This has medium to full body, solid tannins and good acidity. Fruit and dried herbs explode on the rich and plush palate slowly allowing minerals, cedar and licorice to squeeze into the picture. The finish is very long with dark chocolate and some earthiness joining the party. This is very young but already delicious, drink it now with a fair amount of air or let it rest a couple more years. (95 pts)

2008 Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard

Blog Update

I’m going to be changing the blog a bit over the next couple of weeks. Instead of twice a week updates, I’ll be posting one blog covering all the wines for the week, except for one wine. I will post one blog a week highlighting my “Wine of the Week”. Since it seems like no one really follows links to sites I suggest or comments on winery/wine information, I will eliminate the information from the normal blog. I will add extra “color” and links to my wine of the week post. I will still be posting separate blogs for events and samples provided to me, these should not change too much.

Connect with me

You can follow me on Twitter for more wine info, potential food pairings, and an occasional recipe or two. Be warned, I’m also a sports fan and there are occasional Pittsburgh Penguins, Steelers, and Pirates tweets. I attended the University of South Carolina, so during football season, there will also be some Gamecock posts.

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Cheers!

* Shameless Self Promotion *

Here is a link to a YouTube video of me getting “coal” from Santa for being named the “Nicest Person in Social Media” in 2012.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOvQTeGR3-c

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Notes – I use the “official” Cellar Tracker name for the wines. I use Cellar Tracker to help manage and organize my cellar. I highly recommend checking it out at www.cellartracker.com. Loading you existing cellar is a lot less intimidating than it would first appear. There is a good chance 99% of your wine is already in the system, so you generally only need to enter part of the wine’s name and the system will find it for you.

Prices noted are the prices I paid at the time of purchase. I don’t shop around to find the best prices, but my local store is usually VERY competitive. I generally get case discounts, and since I work there part time, I get a 5% discount. Wines purchased direct from a winery do not include any shipping charges. None of the prices include the sales tax.

All wines that were sent to me free of charge to sample will be noted and I will show suggested prices when available.

Cliff's Wine Picks