2007 Cline Sonoma County Syrah

#16-10-PIE

Some years back a few wine makers in California decided that they would try to develop some high
  
quality wines in the style of the wines from the Rhone area of France.  These guys even nicknamed 
  
themselves "The Rhone Rangers".  The premium red grapes in the Rhone area are Syrah and Grenache, 
  
which are often blended  to make some of the region's most famous wines, such as Chateauneuf du 
  
Pape, which was a favorite in the U.S. in the 70's, and early 80's.  What these "Rhone Rangers" did 
  
was not only make some very good wines, but they also renewed interest in the Syrah grape, which is 
  
well known for its peppery nose and cherry-like fruit flavors.
  
   
  
I recently sampled the 2007 Cline Sonoma County Syrah, which "The Wine Spectator" gave an 86
  
score, and said, "Grapey, peppery wild berry flavors are clean, complex and full-bodied, ending with
  
a hint of mineral.  Drink now."  I read one very complimentary review of this wine, where the writer
  
paired the wine with vegetarian Shepherd's Pie and said it was wonderful!  Well I am not a big fan of
  
Shepherd's Pie, and especially if there is no meat!  I opted for Baby-Back Ribs, since I knew Syrah
  
is excellent with BBQ, and boy did I make the right choice!
  
   
  
Now there was a time when I used to tell people that the best wine with BBQ was beer, or sweet tea.
  
Well I don't know what could have been better with those Baby-Backs than the Cline Syrah!  It was 
  
big and bold, with lots of big black cherry and berry flavors which sailed on into a long clean finish, 
  
which cut right through the BBQ sauce.  Now the wine is still a little young, so be sure to let it breathe
  
for about twenty minutes before serving it with your meal.  This wine would be very good with any 
  
hearty meat dish, including the Shepherd's Pie or a venison stew,  but try it with ribs. After all its BBQ 
  
season.  Norm's score on this one is an 88.     
       
Price Range - $10 - $13
Score - 88
 
 Norm