The Identity of the blind tasting challenge Mystery Bottle revealed

 

Vina Leyda Single Vineyard Canelo Syrah 2013. Image: Alko.

Dear vinous friends, Divine Wine blog is in slight shock. This is due to the identity of the mystery bottle, which was recently revealed by Vindirekt. It was exactly in line with Divine Wine’s blind tasting evaluation! Lets see how it all went down.

Divine Wine’s conclusions based on blind tasting

1. New World (bold use of oak, sweet vanilla, fruit driven, concentrated, ripe fruit, even some stewed fruit character)

2. Not necessarily the hottest of New World climates. The style is rather black peppery, there are even herbs, the fruit isn’t completely cooked or jammy. Cooler parts of Australia? Chile’s Casablanca or San Antonio? New Zealand’s Hawkes Bay?

3. Animalistic and earthy elements. Certain areas, such as Barossa in Australia, are well known of their Brett influenced, sweaty, high quality Shiraz wines. But is this animal/leather/sweat influence in this wine too restrained for Barossa Shiraz?

4. Shiraz. Dark fruit, black pepper, liquorice and leather. Almost full body, high alcohol. I’m going for Shiraz. It might be that there is some CS in this wine (currant), but the black fruit might be also due to Shiraz solely.

Final Conclusion:

Because I have to say something, I say: Shiraz from Chile 2013. However, I leave an option open for cooler climate South Australian or Victoria Shiraz wines.

This wine is well made and is of high quality, although the finish could be longer. It can drink now, but I’d say it has aging potential.

Vindirekt announces the identity of the wine

The Mystery Bottle is Leyda Single Vineyard Canelo Syrah 2013.

The Finnish retailer Alko decribes the wine

Full-bodied, tannic, aromas of black currant, black berry, olive, spice and oak. The grapes were manually picked and the wine was fermented in open stainless steel. The wine was matured in oak barrels for fourteen months and aged for four months in bottles prior to release. The producer estimates that this wine has further aging potential of 7 years in adequate storage.  

 

How?

The accuracy of this particular blind tasting conclusion is greatly due to my incredible WSET3 teachers, particularly Alessadra Fedi, who is very passionate about wines of Chile. Although I have not had a chance to taste this particular product ever before, Alessadra’s tasting sessions last October combined with her very lively way of communicating about Chile’s varied terroirs have obviously left a mark.

Leyda Valley in Chile’s San Antonio lies only 14 kilometres from the ocean, hence boasting an exceptionally cool climate favouring production of more elegant style of wines compared to the hotter regions of Chile. Nevertheless, this wine is still very ripe fruit driven, soft and non-challenging. In my mind this nature of the product combined with unrestrained oak and black peppery character pointed clearly towards cooler parts of Chile while blind tasting.

Charles Smith Boom Boom! Syrah 2013 Washington State, USA

Charles Smith Boom Boom! Syrah 2013.

Wine review

4 of 5 stars

A very good wine

This Syrah rocks! It starts with a deep, clear, ruby red colour and clean, pronounced dark berry-herbal first nose. I’m immediately on board. A slight swirl is enough to open a range of aromas. There is plenty of dark and red fruit: blueberry, blackberry, cherry and plum. Some soft vanilla and an abundance of herbs and blackcurrant leaf aromas follow. Finally, depth and edge are brought to this interesting wine by black pepper, animalistic nuances, leather and a slight hint of balsamic.

Pleasantly soft and full-bodied first strike turns into a mid-palate of dark berry and fruit aromas. Plummy fruitiness is well balanced by medium acidity and medium tannins. An impressive after taste lingers for a long while leaving a floral-herbal impression.

For a wine of this caliber, it would be an understatement to call it an ”easy drinking” wine. However, this wine has fruitiness and roundness to suit those who enjoy softer wines, as well as aromatic complexity and acid structure to give more demanding wine lovers plenty to explore. Ready to drink now, Boom Boom! would make a perfect pair with a broad range of barbecue dishes. Especially lamb would be beautifully complemented with its herbal aromas.

Expressive, relaxed, while still surprisingly complex already at young age, this Syrah is definitely a rock star. Highly recommended.

Info in a nutshell

Price examples:

DKK 149 (EUR 20e) Smalle Vine wine shop, Copenhagen, Denmark

DKK 100 (EUR 13,50) per glass at wine bar Falernum, Copenhagen, Denmark

USD 13,98 at Wineworksonline.com

EUR 19,90 Viinitkotiin.com (in Finnish)

Country and region: USA, Washington State

Grape: 97% Syrah ja 3% Viognier

Alc vol: 13,5%

Producer: Charles Smith Wines

Charles Smith himself. (Image courtesy of Charles Smith Wines.)

Background

No wonder this wine has star quality. The man behind Boom Boom! Syrah is a California born, Scandinavia marinated rock band manager who became a star winemaker in Washington. Charles Smith was awarded ”Winemaker of the Year” by Wine Enthusiast in 2014 and Food & Wine in 2009, now being the only person to have won both awards.

It all started when Charles Smith was on a road trip and met a French wine maker who also loved Syrah. Consequently, Smith built an impressive sequence of wine businesses, and today is an owner and winemaker of  K Vintners, Charles Smith Wines, ViNO, Secco Italian Bubbles, SIXTO, Wines of Substance and one-half of Charles & Charles.

Charles Smith Wines produces wines to modern people, who want to enjoy their wine immediately instead of long storage time. The Modernist Project aims at doing this hand in hand with wines being expressive of their grape variety and terroir. In my glass, the project absolutely proved its point.

Andréa Calek Chatons de Garde 2012, Ardeche, France

Chatons de Garde 2012.

Wine review

4 of 5 stars

A very good wine

The colour is clear, medium ruby with a slight tint of purple. Tearing in the glass hints towards high alcohol content. The nose is aromatically multifaceted with pronounced intensity. There are autumnal ripe dark berries and fruits: cherries and cassis, as well as fresh and dried plums. Animalistic aroma components of delicate sweat and leather are also present. Fallen leaves and black pepper complete the bouquet. An image of Rhone vineyard landscape glowing in the gold of autumn sun forms in my mind.

On the palate the first strike is full bodied, fruity, and round. However, the mid palate reveals high acidity, high alcohol and great deal of tannin. The bold acid structure is well in balance with the fruitiness. Tannins are mouth filling and velvety. They can be felt on the tip and the sides of the tongue the most. The aromas on the palate follow the impressions of the nose. The fruity after taste is long and pleasant.

This wine would be beautifully complemented by an aromatic game stew. However, it would work just fine with a good steak and dark sauce, or mixed grill and vegetables.

A well integrated, balanced wine. I warmly recommend.  

Info in a nutshell

Price examples: 

USD 26.99 per bottle at Union Square Wines

EUR 49.50 per bottle at GastropubTuulensuu, Tampere, Finland

Country and region: France, Ardèche, Alba la Romaine

Grape: Syrah 100%

Producer: Andréa Calek

Background

Andrea Calek was born in former Czechoslovakia and currently lives and works as a winemaker in Ardéche, France. You could call him a bit of a bohemian of the  wine making world, I guess, since he makes wine with a hard core natural wine philosophy and lives in a trailer close to his five hectare vineyards.

He came to France in the end of the 80’s, making his way from behind the iron curtain, which proved to be a challenge. The story involves a military service in Czechoslovakia, an especially lucky opportunity to make a trip to France, falling for France, a doctor’s certificate as an attempt to get discharged from the army, which didn’t work, a return to Czechoslovakia and military service, and finally finding love in France, which gave Calek finally an opportunity to return. As a delightful result of his all this, we now have a chance to enjoy the fruits of his painstaking natural wine production.   

Calek aims at tending to the vineyards and vinifying the wines so that the outcome would be a seamlessly expressive reflection of the grape variety and the terroir. Everything that might be considered manipulating the wine is avoided. Hence, no new oak, no commercial yeasts – you get the picture. Having tasted Chatons de Garde (eng. Kittens patrolling), (and having ordered a second glass right away), I have to say that Syrah is downright glowing in this wine. Calek’s products speak for themselves.