Clos la Chance Syrah 2005: B

last night paola and i decided it was time to pull out the decanter and give this syrah (which coincidentally was a christmas present from my sister and brother in law - they correctly assume that wine is always a safe gift for me) a try. We had wanted to get a table at bistrot du coin, the french spot two blocks from chez moi, two nights earlier, but it was full and i think both of us were left with the urge, even two days later, to wash food down with wine. granted, had we gone to B du C, the food being washed down would have most likely been an onglet á l'échalotte, not the safeway pepperoni oven pizza that i was able to whip up last night in less than 14 minutes time, and far from the Roasted Pork with Molé Sauce, Grilled Lamb with Blackberry Sauce recommended on the back of the bottle.

upon first taste, paola's reaction was that it tasted sort of woody, even oaky, something that seemed sort of a funny to me. i certainly didn't taste any oak, but i also wasn't bowled over by big dark fruit. this wine is rather inky in color so i expected it to have a bit bigger taste. it was definitely good, and i would drink it again without hesitation, but it didn't have the bold flavors or aromas that i expected it to based on it's color. i would say that i tasted a pleasant mix of red and dark fruit - maybe heavier on red, with soft tannins. as for Paola's woody characterization, on the clos la chance website for this particular wine it says that "barrel allocation consisted of 28% new french oak and 7% new american oak" - so i guess we know who has the keener palette of the two.

I think that a second tasting of this wine is in order, paired with something different than crappy pepperoni pizza. aside from the fact that the aforementioned cuisine choice has a pretty overpowering taste, we were so hungry that i think we ate it too soon after it came out of the oven and kind of burnt our mouths - not conducive to fair tasting judgements. i will keep you informed as to how tasting #2 goes when/if i can get my hands on another bottle of this juice.

ps. i wicked love Bistrot du Coin and highly recommend it to anyone who is in DC and hasn't already been. you gotta love a place that in true western european social democrat style is open 364 days a year....every day except???...christmas? NOPE......new years?? NOPE....Bastille Day?? NOPE.....Labor Day?? Mais oui!!!