2005 Novy Syrah Judge Family Vineyard

This is my second post on a single vineyard Syrah from Novy.  As noted in my review of their Christensen Family Vineyard http://acoupleofwines.blogspot.com/2011/09/novy-2007-christensen-family-vineyard.html , Novy is a really great small producer who focuses primarily on making single vineyard Syrah although they do work with a few other varietals.  Owners and winemakers Adam and Dianna Lee believe that the wine should be a pure expression of what's coming out of the vineyard and as they say on their website they "are determined not to let any overt winemaking components mute the personality of an individual site."  I believe this is an excellent philosophy overall, and I think its a particularly great approach for Syrah which can really change depending on where its grown and how it's treated.  I can't say that I love every Novy Syrah that I'm lucky enough to find, but they are certainly all unique and most of them are pretty darn good or even better.  The Novy Judge Family Vineyard is one of my favorites so far.

In your glass the wine is deep purple that bleeds to garnet at the edges.  Blackberry and black pepper dominate the bouquet but their are some other subtle elements lurking quietly including a bit of raw red meat.  On the palate I get sweet blackberry fruit up front that then transitions into less ripe blackberry, plum, and very dark cherry that leads to a nice, lengthy finish.  The tannins are very well integrated and the acid is just enough.  Overall, this is a really nice and well balanced wine.  There is nice up front fruit that dies quickly, but it's followed by a darker second wave of flavor, tannins, and acid that just keeps going. 

From a pairing standpoint, this wine makes me want lamb.  Rack of lamb, leg of lamb, lamb chops. lamb stew...I don't care which one, just give me some lamb!  This wine is made for it.  At about $35 a bottle its not for everyday, but it sure is a nice treat for the right occasion. 

Cheers!

Pete