Domaine de la Mordoree Lirac, 1998

This wine was recently pronounced DOA by a taster at a wine board I often visit. I disagree. The color is a medium deep ruby with some browning but really not very much. The ripe cherry/berry smells are fragrant. I pick up some slight volatility, but that probably adds, rather than detracts from the wine's ripe fruit charm. I sense some volatility on the mid-palate as well, and the wine seems to be losing the impeccable balance that characterized it a few years ago. If you're grading wines, as you would students in a classroom, you might mark it down. But if you're looking for enjoyment, this wine still offers plenty. It's 50% Syrah, 50% Grenache, and the Syrah seems to be in control at the moment.