Wine Recommendation
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Wine Recommendation

South Coast Winery 2004 Syrah, Wild Horse Peak Mountain Vineyard (South Coast)

South Coast Winery

2004 Syrah, Wild Horse Peak Mountain Viney
(South Coast)



Get the big saddle out for this one: the one made for a stallion in the 18 hands plus category. From its deep, rich color to its earthy, gamey, barnyardy nose, you know this is going to be enormous. There’s even a hint of iron filings on the nose, as well as plenty of leather and lavender. Yee-haw! This wine practically stampedes across your palate. It’s filled with wonderful plum, cocoa, licorice, dried cherries, fat raisins and even a hint of dates. Combine the fruit component with a healthy dosage of deli meats, including baked ham, Thuringer and Kalmata olives, and throw in a good grind of black pepper. and you have one rich, multi-layered Syrah, just oozing varietal character. For those who like ‘em as big as they come, and for those who prefer a Syrah that’s got game rather than Aussie purple-punch fruitiness, this horse will take you for a ride you’ll enjoy.

This wine comes from the Lone Boulder Ridge area of the Wild Horse Peak Vineyard, reputedly where horse thieves and renegades once sough refuge. This part of the vineyard, filled with red soils and granite outcroppings, is at the highest point of the peak, at 2400 feet in the San Gabriel Mountains above Temecula. It is definitely not getting a lot of water. The terrain is steep, the climate harsh, and the yields insanely low. The flavors in this wine are so concentrated, so intense, that it is like drinking liquid darkness. This is indeed, the soul of a very dark horse.

Reviewed July 18, 2007 by Laura Ness.

The Wine

Winery: South Coast Winery
Vineyard: Wild Horse Peak Mountain Viney
Vintage: 2004
Wine: Syrah
Appellation: South Coast
Grape: Syrah / Shiraz
Price: 750ml $38.00

Review Date: 7/18/2007

The Reviewer

Laura Ness

A wine writer and wine judge for major publications and competitions around the country, Laura Ness likens wine to the experience of music. She is always looking for that ubiquitous marriage of rhythm, melody, and flawless execution. What is good music? You know it when you get lost in it. What is good wine? It is music in your mouth.