2008 Peay Vineyards Syrah Les Titans - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast (8/28/2020)
Can’t remember the last time I had one of these, but it’s definitely evolving positively. Major fires in the middle of summer affected Mendocino county in particular, but also drifted down into northern Sonoma county. When young, this wine had some noticeable fireplace ash notes, though in the case of Syrah, it melds pretty well with the wine. Now, that earlier smoke has mellowed into more of an attractive smoky bacon note, actually complimenting the still deep, dark blackberry Syrah fruit. Somewhat brooding, but with a floral blueberry note that comes out after several hours of air time; excellent acidity, and fine tannic structure for balance, this is turning into quite a wonderful, complex wine, still very youthful, with years of life and development ahead of it. (93 pts.)
Opened this recently, and thought it was something of interest to post, given the current discussions around smoke taint.