Saturday, February 13, 2010

Cycles Gladiator Syrah


I was awaiting Denise's arrival at Sushi Dan the other night, and as I perused the wine list an old friend popped up - Cycles Gladiator Syrah.  Denise had discovered this one for us at one of Wally's Tent Sales a while back.  I liked it then, and I hoped I'd like it this time, too.  I suspect it is the 2008 vintage they are serving at the restaurant, but I failed to check on that.

This wine from the Hahn Estate of Soledad, CA, takes its name from an old French bicycle company. The whole crew is apparently bicycle-crazy.

The wine sits ruby-red in the glass and smells of dark fruit and pepper.  Blackberry and cassis greet the palate with notes of chocolate and a little white pepper.  It's pretty smooth, but it has a nice acidity.  The finish is a little off - a slightly medicinal edge crept in faintly.  The fruit rocks while it's in the mouth, though.  It's a very tasty wine for the price.

Variety:  Syrah
Appellation:  California > Central Coast
Price:  $10
Acquisition disclaimer:  Purchased by the author

2 comments:

  1. Hi Randy,

    Thanks for the kind words, and thank you for the reminder that I forgot to put a caption on the picture you linked to. Those guys are part of the 2010 SAFEWAY/BicyclesPlus/PureRedCreative cycling team (Cycles Gladiator is on the jersys, just not in the name).

    "Very tasty wine for the price" couldn't ask for better words,

    Cheers,

    Joshua Cairns
    Hahn Family Wines

    ReplyDelete
  2. Joshua,

    Thanks for making a nice wine! Keep up the good work.

    ReplyDelete