So this has been one of my classic days without even a smidge of organization whatsoever! I thought I was doing well, taking advantage of the one non-rainy day this weekend to get my yard work done, and I thought I was doing well as I was putting the leaf blower away at 6:45, when my phone alarm went off, telling me I have theater tickets and the performance starts in 45 minutes! So, instead of dinner and wine, I raced to the theater to enjoy a marvelous performance of Silent Sky and now I'm back for dinner and wine! Sure, it's 10 pm, but there are still two hours left of Cellar Saturday, that first Saturday of the month where I open a bottle at least a decade in the making, and tonight it's a good one, the 2009 Helix Columbia Valley Syrah! So let's see how this wine is shaping up.
The wine is a beautiful, deep ruby color in the glass, just as you might expect from a nice Syrah. The nose is a cavalcade of lovely fruit aromas that seems to scream autumn, blackberry, currant, cherry with undertones of earthy tar, pepper and sage. The taste is a rush of ripe, jammy blackberry, plum and mulberry, that transitions easily to some notes of dusty limestone and peat midpalate, with a reprise of vanilla bean. The tannins are smooth and well integrated, providing for a wonderfully smooth dry finish that lingers on the palate for a minute or more.
Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it is likely at its peak, but still providing a food friendly approach that is full of fall flavors. This wine would pair well with a variety of dished from lamb, to eggplant Parmesan to a wonderful slow cooked chili with cornbread. Tonight I am enjoying this with a wild autumn meal of rare grilled elk strip steak, with a Blue Smoke Game Changer rub that is spiced with clove and juniper, along with some oven roasted fingerling sweet potatoes and grilled asparagus. Cheers!
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