2016 Forgeron Facon Rouge Syrah

Ahhh...Sunday, a chance to catch up on my relaxation!  Today I relaxed by mowing the grass after church, and now I am ready to do a little cooking for Sunday dinner.  Of course cooking goes better with wine and tonight I've opened a bottle of a recent wine club shipment from Forgeron Cellars, the 2016 Facon Rouge Syrah, a 100% Syrah from the Blue Mountain Vineyard in the Walla Walla Valley AVA.  Now I was a bit surprised by this wine as the past few vintages of Facon Rouge have been GSM blends, but this one leaves out the G & M, so let's see what it has to offer.

The wine is a wonderful deep ruby color in the glass, just as you'd expect from a Syrah.  The nose is a breath of fresh air from the French countryside, with aromas of lavender, blueberry and a hint of spice.  The taste is rush of ripe fruit, blackberry, blueberry and plum that transition to some wonderful warm spice notes midpalate.  This wine has a lot going for it, as at first it seems quite powerful in its fruit expression, but then it mellows to some soft tannins and a smooth, dry finish that completes the journey.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, it's just a wonderfully balanced Syrah.  You might expect this to pair well with strong dishes like roast lamb or pasta with spicy sauce, but tonight I'm taking a different approach, as I think the lovely fruit and spice notes of this wine need something more subdued to pair it with.  So tonight I'm enjoying this wine with an olive oil poached trout (my first ever attempt!) served with lemon along with wild mushroom risotto and steamed sugar snaps.  Cheers!