Tenet The Pundit Syrah 2014

Drink now. No need to decant.

Tenet Wine Company looks at Syrah differently than other winemakers do. In the New World, Syrah can often be just a blender to beef up Cabernet Sauvignon or an overly jammy wine from warmer regions. To find the best of both the Old World and the New World, the winemaker embraces the fruit forward quality of the grapes grown in the area, but looks to traditional Southern France varietals to round out the wine. They also employ unique winemaking styles like experimenting with what percentage of grapes are destemmed and which are fermented as whole bunches. Some try to move away from the bramble that can come from stems, but the winemaker feels that the savory element that comes from this method is actually a perfect balance to Syrah in particular.

In the glass, the wine shows dark purple and ruby hues. The nose features strong blueberry jam notes with undertones of a brambly and meaty quality. The mouthfeel is smooth and silky with the blueberry coming forward to start, followed by tobacco and gamey subtleties.

The dark and rich quality of the wine makes is a wonderful pairing with red meat, especially gamey options like lamb, duck and wild boar.