Region: Lodi, CA
Lodi does wine? Who knew? Not this uncultured gourmet, apparently. Also, the back of the bottle has a somewhat gruesome poem about being buried in a barrel of wine. I think it's meant to be metaphorical, but I don't really want to imagine someone in the vat this came from. Hope the wine banishes the thought from my mind!
It smells good, like a hot fudge-covered brownie, nuts and all-even some boysenberry fruit topping on top! It tastes refined (I know, I know: But what does refined taste like? I have no answer for you yet) with some brittle leafiness at first. Then spice jumps in and takes over the glass completely. It's black pepper, and it's strong. The fruit element is indeed boysenberry, but it's hard to taste with all that pepper.
I want to like it, because I love spicy wines, but there's just too much pepper in this Syrah. I didn't finish the glass contemplating decomposing bodies, but I still didn't want more.
The Wine Harlots on the 2007 vintage:
You don't have to be psychic to enjoy 6th Sense Syrah. Nor will you see dead people. (Unless, of course, you drink too much - then all bets are off.) The color is an opaque plum burgundy. The nose is all blackberry sweetness, which continues on the palate with currents, cherries and earthiness; with a vanilla and pepper finish.
6th Sense is a mammoth Syrah, boasting a litany of robust flavor characteristics in amazing concentration. The nose is incredibly lush, exhibiting the essence of vanilla extract in the purest form I have ever experienced. Black cherry dominates the fruit qualities of the nose in a rich, syrupy way. Like most wines, as the wine settles in the glass, the dominant flavors and aromas dampen and new, more intricate, offerings open up. Notably, mocha, blackberry, sweet pipe smoke, and pepper shuffle in elegantly.
Words cannot describe the boldness of this wine. Initially, the black cherry flavors were so dense that it reminded me of cough syrup (in flavor, not texture!). But, as the wine moderates, mocha and pepper undertones really take over and blend the flavor profile out beautifully. The Michael & David tasting notes describe cedar accents that I did not initially pick up on, but was able to recognize and see the interesting importance of this flavor characteristic.
This wine exhibits a round, almost chewy, texture that literally glides through the mouth.
Reviewed 7.2.10.
