Crazy purple. Blue purple. Shocking purple. Big smoky nose going all cinnamon and nutmeg–sweetness lingering–over fat, round fruit. A shard of peat funk and uric-stained straw bedding lay the foundation for a brilliant wine. Decanting hard: I want the smoky to go away, it’s annoying. And it does. Totally breathes out.

I don’t think there’s much argument about what kind of Syrah I like. Yes, occasionally I will drink a big fat bullshit over-ripe cake-frosting thick monster and will say good things about it. I enjoy that every now and then. I have a ton of them in my cellar. Variety is the spice of life. But wines like this are the way to my heart. With that said, I really don’t think I’m ready to see “100% Whole Cluster” on the front label above the AVA. I don’t need to know that and probably 80% of my reach doesn’t either. This is why I love my following so much. Let’s just drink the wine–leave the adjectives and pro-ces-ses off the label and think about each bottle on it’s own. Kinda like putting “Stainless Steel” on the front label of Chardonnay. Just stop it already.

In the mouth, pie-cherry and black tea, thin and ridiculously bright, as clean as you would possibly want with still all that dirty-girl goodness–tattoos and no make-up and boots and jeans not fake-torn. Sweet bitter brilliance crescendos slowly over the tongue to lemon-zest cake-and-ice cream, butter and popcorn and art-deco velvet seats, a dusty acridness melding so perfectly with the central core of modest fruit. Just chubby enough to be someone you want to hang with and just lean enough to be something you can’t get enough of, this wine manages to pull off some pretty ridiculous balance. And through all that baseline funk.

The fact you’re able to make a wine this balanced and good and low-alcohol in Lodi speaks TOMES to the ability and focus of this winery.

2016 FIELDS FAMILY WINES Syrah Lodi 12.8

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