Once again I find myself sipping wine at a fairly uncivilized hour.  This is becoming a pattern. Today it’s not even noon!  But really, I am just sipping a sip or two to refresh my memory on this wine, as I have sipped on several glasses at more normal sipping times during the past week.  As I often say to the staff at Cellar, I am “revisiting” this wine this morning.  “Revisit” is a term I invented when for there are no official “new” wines to taste, but we are in need of a, as Stump Johnson would say, “Motivator.”  That will strike those of you who know Stump as funny- and if you don’t, and you don’t get the joke- well, you just need to get to know Stump.  Do yourself a favor.  Here, I will post a picture of him so you know what you’re missing:

He is a man of many talents, but most of all, he is a drinker of fine German riesling.  It is actually somewhat blasphemous to include a shout-out to him in a post about Syrah, but I don’t think he’ll mind!  And if you ever lose your earring at Cellar, he will find it and hang it on his hat.

But moving on to said Syrah- this killer little bottle is from the Lodi region of California, a place known for making some pretty darn delicious Zinfandel, among other varietals.  Anyone remember the 7 Deady Zins that we poured by the glass at Cellar a while back and people couldn’t get enough of at the Wine Sales?  This is made by the same folks.  Lodi is about an hour south of Sacramento and has much hotter summers than the more northern wine regions in Cali.  I think wines from Lodi are a perfect fit for Columbia, SC- because we know what it’s like to be overshadowed by a neighboring city (hint: starts with a Chuck and ends with a Town).  I’ve never been to Lodi, but I think I would love it.  The people there seem to have a lot of pride for their wine in a way only an area that has played second-fiddle to Napa-the-great could have.

So as it turns out, Lodi makes awesome Syrah as well as Zin!  And such a bargain!  This 6th Sense Syrah will retail for $16 at Cellar, and it is packin’ some serious heat for that kind of cash.   Dark, dark in color, it’s nose will knock you out with aromas of tobacco, smoke, cedar, blackcurrants, plums, plums, plums and ohh a lovely little hint of smoked bacon, too.  A perfectly smooth, velvety texture and light pepper on the finish round it out pretty darn well.  This is a great winter wine- it will warm you to the bones.

Here is is on my ottoman/coffee table aside my latest People magazine.  I almost included my feet in the picture, so you could get the full effect of what I do when I’m at home writing… I do like to create a visual, but hesitated when I realized that my toenail polish is in dire need of reparations.  I can admit to it, but admitting it and photographing it are two different matters entirely.  You’re welcome.

We have about a case of this in stock right now (Wednesday the 27th) so I anticipate we will have some at the Wine Sale this Saturday for your tasting pleasure- but feel free to come down and pick up a bottle before then!  I don’t think you need to try it- just trust yours truly, I don’t think I have ever led you astray.  Happy Drinking!