Tasting - Valhalla Syrah

Name: Valhalla Syrah

Winery: Valhalla Vineyards

Variety: 100% Syrah

Region: Roanoke, Virginia

Country: USA

Year: 1999

Price: ???

Winery review/description: “This is a big red wine that accompanies any meal. Aromas of spice, pepper and dark ripe fruit will be sure to evoke your senses into frenzy. Rich fruit, meaty texture and spice awaken your palate. If you like Australian Shiraz, you'll love our Syrah.” – Valhalla Vineyards “Our Wines” description

My review: This was definitely an interesting wine to taste for my family and me. My parents were actually given this bottle of wine as a gift well over a decade ago. I can vividly recall it sitting on top of a white cabinet in our kitchen, never moving, for years. When they heard I was taking a class about wine, we decided to taste it during my weekend visit to my hometown of Roanoke, Virginia (which is also where this wine comes from). I was a little concerned that the wine was made in 1999 and we were just now finally getting around to trying it. I wondered how the wine would taste, having aged for so long. This turned out to be a quick tasting for both my mother and I. The wine was too overpowering for us – we couldn’t get past the extreme smoky, spice like qualities of the wine. Neither of us tasted any fruity aspects of the wine. It had a bitter, burnt oak quality about it that was too strong for us to handle. Both my mother and I did agree, however, that if it were toned down a bit, it would be good with a steak dinner.

We tasted this on its own with no food.