Back to Biodynamics: A Dynamic Syrah
It’s rare that I go all out and cheat completely at making a home-cooked meal, but the few times I do, I like to drink a good bottle of wine to ease the guilt. Case in point: the night before last. Since I wasn’t around much the past couple weeks, I didn’t have any produce or much else in the fridge. My freezer and pantry raid resulted in spinach ravioli topped with sauce from a jar and very little sprucing up. I’m even out of fresh herbs as my plants decided to die on me recently. So I sorted through my bottles until I found the one I was looking for– the 2003 Jeriko Estate Syrah from Mendocino.
It was sent as a review sample with my last Wine Q shipment, though it would have run me $25.99. A little over ten years old, Jeriko Estate is a family-owned winery that makes use of organic and biodynamic practices, which they say leads to “less manipulation during the vinification process….and… chickens, goats, and sheep roaming Jeriko’s vineyards and hillsides.” Sounds like a happy place to me.
And it made for a happy wine. When I first opened it, I found raspberry, tar, cherry, and red licorice on the nose. The palate was spicy and full-bodied with another dose of raspberry, bing cherry, black pepper, cedar, and a little graphite. When I came back to it the next night (sadly, with just a plate of veggies, though I did use a spicy Spanish tapas sauce that did complement the wine), I found more cherry and cedar, but this time there was a hint of violets and sandalwood incense. I preferred the more vibrant first tasting, even though it was softer the second time around, so I wouldn’t age this one terribly long myself. But you might find differently.
From the website, it looks to no longer be available (they’re on to the 2004), so you’ll either have to scour stores, or join Wine Q.
*Realizing that you might find me a little confused–What are those blood oranges, tomato medley, and gerber daisies doing on the counter? I thought she didn’t have any produce? To clarify, I took my picture after I’d been to Trader Joe’s….
