Stevens Black Tongue Syrah, Yakima Valley, USA

點(diǎn)擊次數(shù)：3040

Stevens’ aptly named 2009 Syrah Black Tongue – 60% Dineen Vineyard – is illustrative of the sort of strong tannins I find in many wines from a cluster of vineyards just north of Zillah. Dense and brooding already in the nose, it features bitter-edged huckleberry tinged with iodine, black pepper, and sumac. The tannins are fine-grained as well as dense but their intensity along with the bitter elements already conveyed by this wine’s principle flavors makes for a finish as austere as it is persistent, and somewhat wanting in primary juiciness. (Warning: the photographic label art, which illustrates the wine’s nickname, is riveting, but might gross-out some diners if presented tableside!) The Woodinville winery founded in 2002 by Tim and Paige Stevens – after he had worked at Matthews and Sheridan – sources from some distinctive sources, the resultant reds unapologetically tannic. Their self-designed labels, by the way – often photographic and sometimes depicting three dimensional works of art – are as distinctive as any I’ve ever seen. Tel. (425) 424-9463

Coal black, this no-holds-barred Syrah is for those who love the dark side of the grape. Flavors of smoked cherries fill the palate, which is dense and tannic. At the core is a mesh of bark, earth and graphite, but the wine retains its balance with the perfect mix of ripe tannins and natural acidity.——P.G.(4/1/2012)—— 90