2010 Blacksmith Syrah

Well, this is the first write-up from my Washington Wine Month tasting last week, so let's start with the 2010 Blacksmith Syrah.  This is the second label from Forgeron Cellars, a wonderful producer out of Walla Walla that I learned about on my vacation to the region back in May of 2012.  This is my first experience with the second label, and I must admit I was very pleasantly surprised.

This wine had a lovely dark color, and rich aromas of ripe black fruit and spice.  The taste was wonderfully fruit forward with tastes of blackberry and tart cherry, that gave way to some tar and cedar midpalate.  The bright tannins made for a long, tight finish that will likely improve with a little time in the bottle.  But overall, I felt this was quite the worthy effort from Forgeron.

I would rate this wine a solid 8, not only because I thought it was a solid example of a syrah, but also because it was a really good value at only $18.  I think this wine would pair perfectly with some roast lamb and grilled vegetables, or almost any other sort of meaty game.  Cheers!