What We Say 2005 Bells Echo Syrah
This is a BIG Syrah for a Syrah. If you a are fan of bigger Zinfandels, this is a great pick.
We recommend that you decant this kick you in the throat and dry out your tongue wine for a few hours as its intensity will come more into balance as compared to tasting it on opening.
With a DEEP dark color and a nose of tart cherry, spice and oak, this wine has incredible all-over-the-mouth tannins with only a hint of the juiciness we expect from most California Syrahs, especially those from J. Cole.
Pick up two bottles and keep one for a few years, as we suspect that aging will improve this heavy-hitter. We have a few bottle socked away at our secret lair.
What the Winery Says
J. Cole Wines
Jene Chapenar says of this wine, “This is easily one of my favorite Syrahs. It is easy-drinking and it pairs easily wint almost anything. You’ll find flavors of chocolate, currant and blackfruit with big tannins.”
Bells Echo Ranch & Vineyard is situated in its own private valley along Feliz Creek and among the Pacific Coast Mountains. This is the heart of the acclaimed North Coast Mendocino Wine Region.
The mature vineyard consists of 50 acres of Bordeaux varietals; Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petite Verdot, Malbec, and Syrah.
“In 2005 Jerry Dodd and family owned the vineyard where these grapes came from,” says Jene Chapenar. “This Syrah has unusual character for a Mendocino wine and it behaves more like cool river Russian River wine, with less hotness more typically found in hot river Mendo wines.”
