What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD)

Boy, did this L'Ecole Nº 41 wine live up to its label, which states, "The fruit for our Seven Hills Vineyard Estate Syrah was harvested ultra-ripe, resulting in a dark, massive and dense wine." It certainly was a big, extracted wine with dark cherry fruit, providing a hearty wine on a cold winter night.

Even still, it paired well with the grilled filet mignon we had last night with roasted fennel, red onions and carrots along with onion rings. The kosher salt and ground pepper seasoned free range beef was served with a chipotle butter sauce that Kari made. This offered a rich yet spicy accent with the Walla Walla Valley syrah. Hearty food to go with a hearty wine.

As much as I enjoyed the deep fruit of this wine, I couldn't overlook the hot finish due to the 14.9% alcohol. In fact, my guess is that this wine was well over 15%, considering the +/-.5% leeway in labeling alcohol. No surprise here when the winemaker admits to picking their fruit when it was "ultra-ripe." Add to this 18 months in French and American oak, bottling unfined and unfiltered, and you get one "dark, massive and dense wine".

I wonder what the folks at L'Ecole Nº 41 were hoping to achieve in crafting this massive syrah. I would have prefered a less ripe wine, one that had more balance in terms of fruit and acid as well as lower alcohol. This is what I have come to appreciate most about wines made from Walla Walla Valley fruit.

What do you think? Is my experience an exception or the norm? Please leave a comment and share your experiences drinking Walla Walla Valley syrah.