2003 Capay Valley Syrah

This wine came as part of our Wine Shop At Home shipment.

Interesting is that the eponymous AVA is in Yolo county of all places! Just goes to show that not all good wine comes from famous terrior. I wonder a bit about the owners; AVA, vineyard and winery all named Capay. Winery owns the vineyard. Tasting room is at the vineyard. Yet wine is made in Santa Rosa, denying them the snoot (and price point) of being able to label the wine "Estate". I would bet that the wine maker works for several other wineries and is not willing to spend the time to drive way out in the boonies.

The presentation is good. It comes in a Rhône bottle. All the required label info is there, along with a short historical blurb. The tasting notes from Wine Shop At home give some background on the farmer, and winery's tasting notes give a modicum more information about the wine.

The rubber cork left no tattoo.

It has a great colour, and smells dirty right out of the bottle. The swirl freed some burnt rubber aromas. Leggy, leggy, leggy legs. This promises to be good.

Unfortunately, the first taste tasted like burnt rubber. I'll let it open.

<Hours Later>
Still has a great nose to it. I liked it, but needs to open flavour wise. SGK says it's lemony and full of caramel.

The next day it was even better. It lived up to the notes on the back label "Soft and Velvety" More berries and dirt. It is superior.

The Verdict:

I wanted to buy more, but The Wine Shop At Home was sold out, and the winery does not have an on-line order facility. As I am unlikely to find myself in Yolo County any time soon, I'll unfortunately have to give it a pass on the grounds that it's too difficult to buy.

Style:	Rhône
Varietals:	Syrah
Appellation/Terrior:	Capay Valley, California
Vintage:	2003
Vintner:	Capay Valley Vineyards
Alcohol:	14.1% by Volume
Price:	$16.00