Hedges Family Estate DLD Syrah 2009

Varietal:  100% Syrah
Region:  Red Mountain – Washington – USA
Cost:  $25

Winemaker’s Notes:  Earth, fennel spice and structure, the hallmarks of a great Red Mountain syrah, framed by classic French Oak barrels.

My Review:  With the wife out of town for a work conference that can mean only one thing – George is cooking steak and drinking red wine. The grill fired up and a steak cooking away, I pulled out one of my always handy corkscrews (since I have like a dozen of them) and popped open the 2009 Hedges DLD Syrah.

The first thing I noticed about the wine was the deep purple color in the glass. On the nose I got aromas of dark fruit and spice, both of which carried over to the palate. That, however, was not what I loved about this wine. Through the fruit and juicy flavors came a note of meat/smoke/bacon that I just loved. By itself it was great, but when paired with a freshly grilled steak, it was sublime.

Even after the steak was gone, the wine continued to be enjoyable, the smoke/meat/bacon note that was so great with the food, subtle enough without it to not make the wine unenjoyable without something to munch on.

For the price this was a great value on a steak wine, and definitely one work checking out, especially if you’re a fan of Syrah. I appreciated the smooth finish, the good fruit, and the unique meaty note. If you don’t like meat, this might not be the wine for you.

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