Sometimes (!!) I am easily influenced, and when I saw this post a couple of weeks ago, I thought “that looks like a wine I should try” — so here we are. Thanks again, u/wayne530!

I haven’t spent a lot of time with Syrahs, so this was a great departure from my comfort zone.

It’s a gorgeous medium ruby, and deeply aromatic. I picked up plum, dark cherry, ripe blackberry, and a hint of black pepper, and I’m absolutely cheating by identifying the floral aromas as violet (hazard of choosing a wine based on someone else’s notes).

This wine has a balanced acidity and noticeable but not overbearing tannins. I think the thing that struck me the most was the pronounced olive notes — I didn’t pick these up on the nose, but wow they hit. I’m feeling like it might be a good idea to pick up a block of feta and some salad ingredients before pouring the second glass.

I’m also excited to open the other bottles that came with this one — my impulse-buy a few weeks ago resulted in four selections that are entirely new to me. Cheers!