LCBO Sale Pick of the Week: Sept. 17

Creekside Estate Winery 2013 Syrah (Niagara Peninsula, Canada)

Sale $14.95, Regular $15.95
Discount (until Oct. 11): $1.00
LCBO # 66654 | 750 mL bottle

Tastes like: Sour cherry with a whiff of smoking gun.
Pairs with: Big meaty meat meats.
Good for: Grilling the hell out that backyard before the weather turns.
Alcohol: 12.5%
Drink: Now through 2017.

Why we're drinking this
You had us at Syrah. Ontario is discovering that it can make good on the stuff, and Creekside Estate Winery is one of the leaders. Their Syrah has garnered consistently high ratings from local critics over the past several years. The 2013 vintage was a bit cooler, and it shows here in slightly lower alcohol than past vintages and rather bracing acidity. But underneath, there’s some real charm. Connoisseurs will love to sip this, while the rest of us will enjoy it with a rare ribeye. Perfect. And on a chilly autumn eve, even better.

Tasting note
There’s no shortage of nose here. The perfume flies out of the glass, all black cherry, wild strawberry, plum and fig. It’s got that characteristic pepper spice (makes you hungry!) and some lovely sweet spice too, vanilla and clove, even a hint of cola. The flavours are more of the same, but they are really focused around that sour cherry and some savoury tones of black olive, dried herbs and hay. It’s flinty, smoky, especially on the finish. It’s the vinous version of a big Weber kettle cranked up on pure lump charcoal. Grab a steak and get to work.

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This week's selection by kwäf Taste Bud Dick Snyder