Anthony Gismondi Review: 2012 Syrah Cuvee Violette

[2012 Syrah Cuvee] Violette is a high quality, entry level syrah that is co-fermented with two or three percent of viognier. A warm summer and cool night have yield a tasty syrah with peppery, meaty black fruit, poultry spice and black cherry flavours. Sleek and smooth you can sip this now or let it age two to three years in bottle. The winery suggest steak Dianne with a flambé of crème de violette and cassis moutarde. A beef and tomato pasta dish is an equal match. The fruit is grown in North Oliver, Deadman Lake and Black Sage Bench from seven to 16-year old vines. It spends some 14 months in varying sized French oak barrels (225l, 400 and 500L) of which 19 percent is new.