Bright, dense ruby, no garnet at all or bricking.  Staining edges, pink and vibrant.  This is an 11yo wine?!?!  A little closed in, but with air a ripe round apple-pie nose rife with bread dough and Christmas cinnamon potpourri.  I honestly opened this 24 hours ago, it was funky, tight and cold-shouldered and I decided I didn’t like it.  I drank half a glass, sparged with argon and Vac-U-Vin’d and here we are.  It is still tight and overtly briared, but it def shows considerably better.  The iron grip and chalky tannins coming off the bouquet are something I could do without.  I don’t LIKE Syrahs which show this characteristic–they appear chemically and frigid.  But tonight these two have loosened into mere banana-peel and peach-pits.  In the mouth, oaky tannins take over almost immediately and then it FINISHES jam-packed with rich, ripe fruit, but trails off into astringency.  I suppose that is the polish of 11 years speaking?  Quite a bizarre bottle.  Can’t get completely behind it but it is NOT horrible.  14-8  ♦