Lacuna, 2010 Red Wine (Syrah/Petite Sirah)

This is only the second year for Lacuna, a red wine blend that varies from year to year. Given the talent behind the production side as well as the distribution side of this equation, I predict this brand will achieve considerable success.

My Tasting Notes
At our recent wine club member tasting panel, this wne was divisive. And understandably so - it's young, young, YOUNG, and can be as energetic and overly enthusiastic as a puppy. But give it time to calm down (such as pouring through an aerator or decanting three hours (seriously) before your meal) and you'll be rewarded with layers of ripe fruit and tannic pleasures that beg for the hearty meals from your Winter cookbook.

Complex aromas of bramble berries with cracked black pepper, tobacco, roasted meat, dried sage and forest-floor scents. The lingering finish features dark fruit redwood forest floor, cracked black pepper and a cedary spice with tannins galore in this young red. This wine is almost sure to throw some sediment as it ages - I recommend decanting carefully and leaving the sediment along with the last few tablespoons of the precious liquid. A miserly 580 cases produced.

Cheers!
Dave "the Wine Merchant" Chambers