We had a few friends over and we had a few wines.  Two were solid winners – while the other was passing.  The meal was meatballs and rice, so we thought we would go with wines that had enough firepower (acidity, power).  So Syrah was the wine of choice.  These are them.

2003 Herzog Syrah Special Reserve – Score: B
This was the ‘M’ version of the wine, which means it is Mevushal (cooked).  The color was a lovely purple, but the nose was non existent.  All I got was wood and a bit of spice.  The mouth feel of the full bodied wine was fruitless.  It was a nice balanced and spicy full bodied wine.  But without fruit or a good finish this wine is lacking.

Galil Mountain Winery Syrah Yiron 2004 – Score: A
The Yiron Syrah was the best of the night.  It is a wine that will be best if opened two to three hours before serving.  The wine’s color is a crazy purple, which shimmers with a halo of orange. The nose on this purple monster is filled with luscious ripe blackberry, cranberry, wood, and sweet notes of figs and dates. The mouthfeel on this full-bodied wine starts with a full plate of black fruit: blackberry, cassis, and plum. The middle of the mouth is filled with wood and chocolate. The finish is a long and satisfying stroll – filled with nice acidity, wood, and pepper.

This wine pairs wonderfully well with roasted lamb, thick beef stew, and rich, creamy dishes. The acidity and sheer power of the wine is able to stand up to almost any pairing. Finally, chilling the wine a bit before drinking it will add yet more to what will surely be a wonderful experience!

Herzog Cabernet Sauvignon/Zinfandel/Syrah Special Reserve 2002 – Score: B+
The wine is much like we blogged about this before, but it is going down hill.  The color was a bit more brown then before.  Also, there was some funk in the flavor for sometime, but when it finally did blow off, some of the good flavors left as well.