2003 Clos Mimi Syrah Westerly Vineyard

(bottled in June, 2007) Bright ruby. Wild dark berry and cherry liqueur aromas are complicated by licorice, cracked pepper and a peaty, Islay Scotch-like qualities, along with a suggestion of volatile acidity. Sweet raspberry and blackberry on the palate, with numbing white pepper and camphor building on the sweetly oaky finish. Really stains the palate, finishing with sweet red berry liqueur and clove character and lingering warmth. This highly individual, deeply flavored and exotic wine ought to divide the room nicely. (While this is the least extreme group of wines I've yet tasted from Clos Mimi, they are by no means close to the mainstream, with the exception of The Carlyle.)

There are only 105 cases of the 2003 Syrah Westerly Vineyard, which was bottled in late June of this year. Still primary and intense, this wine has a dense ruby/purple color, and blackberry, raspberry, licorice, a hint of spring flowers, and perhaps even a touch of truffle in the complex but still somewhat tightly wound aromatics. Its full-bodied, powerful flavors are pure, rich, broad, and expansive. The wine is intense, has sweet tannin, plenty of power, and should age nicely for a decade or more. The wine was actually better 24 hours after I first opened it, so decanting and aeration are highly suggested. Tel./Fax (805) 489-2900