2014 Charles Smith Boom Boom Syrah

Happy Wine Wednesday!  So tonight I've decided to host a virtual wine tasting with some of my work colleagues, which in this remote work environment is both easy and safer (no worries about driving home when you're done tasting!), but the challenge with a remote tasting is finding a wine that everyone can easily buy locally.  So in that light I found that my local Meijer store had several vintages of the Charles Smith Boom Boom Syrah on clearance for just $9.99, so my decision was easy, though I opted for the 2014 vintage, the earliest of the 2014-16 options.  So let's see how this one tastes.

The wine is a deep ruby color in the glass, just as you might expect for a Syrah.  The nose is an interesting combination of ripe black fruit, blackberry, plum and cherry with just a slight undertone of leather and spice.  The taste is classic Syrah, with a rush of ripe, jammy fruit up front, that transitions easily to some notes of cherry cola and dark chocolate midpalate, before finishing off with some peppery spice.  The tannins are somewhat subdued, making for a moderately dry finish that lingers ever so briefly on the palate.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's just a pleasant drinking Syrah that is consistent wherever you can find this wine (which is just about everywhere) and it's a terrific value at just $10. This wine would pair well with a broad range of dishes, from steaks to pasta, to burgers and pizza.  Tonight I've gone big since I'm already at home and made a tasting menu of roasted beet and goat cheese salad with Neapolitan herb balsamic and grilled baby octopus with a range of grilled veggies.  Cheers!