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Cork:Synthetic
Name: Judd (Judd’s Hill)
Type: Syrah
Vintage: 2002
Region: Napa Valley
Country: USA
Producer: Finkelstein Vineyards
Price: $18.99
Purchased at: Vintage’s Wine & Spirits
Date: 07/10/07
Served With: Hershey’s Extra Creamy Milk Chocolate w/Toffee & Almonds
Appearance: I can’t see through it! That’s usually a good thing. Very deep, dark purple.
Aroma: Black berry, black currant (cassis)
Taste: Very fruity on the front end and slightly tart on the finish. A bit alcoholy on the long finish. It’s a little lite on the tannins for my tastes.
Comments: Very thick. Very Rich. Very intense. 14.2% Alcohol. Too fruity for me. I bought this on a recommendation from the store owner. I told her I like smooth syrahs that aren’t to alcoholy and I like some fruity taste. She translated that into a silky, aged, intensely fruity wine. This was not her fault at all, I simply expressed myself incorrectly. Also, to be fair this wine is probably better served with an entre.

While the wine is OK I will finish the bottle but I won’t buy it again for 2 reasons: 1. It’s nearly twice as much as I normally like to pay for a bottle of wine and 2. I think I’ve just discovered that I prefer a more earthy taste to a fruity taste. I guess I’ve known that for a while now I just didn’t know how to express it. Maybe I’m getting better at it now.

I find it interesting that as I drink more wine and study it a bit more than I used to - and the slap upside the head from the Spectacular Shiraz that has caused me to go outside my comfort zone to find something similar - my vocabulary expands and I yearn for a way to express what I see, smell and taste in a wine because I want to drink what I enjoy. Most people who drink wine and aren’t connoisseurs don’t have the knowledge to express what they like in a wine other than “fruity”, “dry”, “sweet” and the like; this, I believe, is the biggest hurdle the wine industry constantly struggles with.

–update–

After a day in the bottle this wine has decanted very nicely. It’s still not one of my favorites but I’m getting very strong strawberry jam tastes coming through. It is enjoyable!

–end update–