2009 Francis Coppola Eleanor

Dark, dark Cabernet Syrah blend with both Sonoma and Napa grapes. Coppola's wife is the name sake  and inspiration for the wine which is definitely a cut above their higher volume brands. I like most of their wine. Very approachable drinkable wines, good with food and with a wide range of styles. Completely consistent with the Italian tradition.

The Eleanor as noted is as dark red. The fruit jumps out of the glass on the nose and reminds you of the big fruit bomb Australian Syrahs. While it is a bold on the nose and has very generous fruit, it is also very well balanced. I wish it had a bit more tannins as I think it would give it more weight. Nonetheless, it is a very nice wine, one that is quite enjoyable to drink right now and should drink well for several years. 

A worthy name sake.

WS 93

WR

2006 Pax "Obsidian" Syrah Beltramo's 6 of 6

This was the final wine of the flight. It was a shift to Syrah, so it stood out with more up front fruit and punch in terms of flavor impact from the Cabernet's and blends which were all more complex. It tasted great. Plump blackberry and herb nose, with a dark color. The flavor was very rich and lovely spicy bites flavored a long and velvety finish. Clear to see why Parker liked this wine.

I had not heard of Pax wines previously, so as an introduction it was very positive.

This wine finished 5th of 6 in the group. Now that may sound harsh, but quite frankly I would say that Parker has isolated a group of very nice wines here, and absent the Verite being off its game, any one of these wines served to most anyone would produce a very positive reaction.


WR

2008 Lewis Vin Gris Syrah

The fourth of four wines at the K&L Lewis tasting. Spent $10, enjoyed four wines that are all good to excellent.

This is a delightful rose. Not what you want to be drinking in February with a light drizzle falling outside, but certainly something to enjoy on a warm to hot summer day, refreshingly chilled. It has very nice fruit, a nice balance of acid for some pop and a very nice sweet/tart blend flavor in the mouth. I think it was served a bit warm for this tasting, but it did allow it to bring out its flavor.

This would be great with a summer BBQ chicken salad mixed with corn and carrots and a mild cream dressing.

I would only quibble with the price, given that there are many very fine summer rose that come in around $15, rather than $25.

WR