Wine Recommendation
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Wine Recommendation

VIE Winery 2005 “Les Amours” Syrah  (Santa Barbara County)

VIE Winery

2005 “Les Amours” Syrah
(Santa Barbara County)



The winemaking partners who came together to form VIE looked at Santa Barbara County and felt the grapes were ripe for the picking, so to speak. Their philosophy is to source their fruit from world class vineyards, selecting from known Rhone varietal producers. This Syrah perhaps best typifies their approach, as it draws on three stellar vineyards: Thompson and White Hawk Vineyard for Syrah (80%) and Alta Mesa Vineyard for Mourvedre.

Deep in color and darkly extracted, this Syrah shows dark fruits and a bit of smoky bacon fat on the nose. Powerful blackberry fruit is immediately apparent on the palate and a little red raspberry sneaks in too. Buffering the fruit are toasted and blistered oak, with hints of aged beef, barbecue sauce and soy sauce. While the flavors run deep, it is not a complex wine meant for the ages. Very much in the ripe, fruit driven mode, with tannins mostly resolved, this Syrah rolls over the palate with ease and will provide hedonistic flavor pleasure for near-term drinking.

Reviewed October 24, 2007 by Dennis Schaefer.

 

Other Awards & Accolades

Top Central Coast Syrah - San Francisco Chronicle
Gold Medal - LA Wine & Sprits Magazine Competition

The Wine

Winery: VIE Winery
Vintage: 2005
Wine: “Les Amours” Syrah
Appellation: Santa Barbara County
Grapes: Syrah / Shiraz (80%), Mourvedre / Mataro (20%)
Price: 750ml $42.00

Review Date: 10/24/2007

The Reviewer

Dennis Schaefer

Dennis Schaefer has been tasting and writing about wine for over 30 years, propelled by a continuing curiosity and burgeoning enthusiasm for discovering what’s in the bottle. Blessed with catholic tastes, he enjoys everything from the obvious to the sublime. A major requirement is that the vineyard, winery and winemaker consistently perform well and fulfill their potential. Balance, concentration and complexity are key to the tasting experience but, in the end, the purpose of wine is simply to give pleasure.