Languedoc Cabrieres Rouge Selected by Kermit Lynch, 2020

This wine is 50% Syrah (Shiraz) but, oh, what a difference from the Shoofly Shiraz that preceded it at the table. It is slimmer in body and texture, less sweet and more nuanced with red as well as black fruits plus floral and mineral tones.

Medium red with amber at the rim. Cherries, red and blue berries, flowers and licorice. Well balanced for easy, but not simple, drinking. Flavors that grow and expand. Although it is higher in alcohol (14.5%) than the Shoofly Shiraz (14.3%) it has less heat on the mid-palate and finish.

50% Syrah, 35% Grenache plus Cinsault and Carignan from high altitude vineyards. This is the last bottle of a half case I bought three years ago ($10 a bottle) from MegaBev in Grand Rapids, and it is by far the best.