What a pleasant surprise! This was an extremely enjoyable bottle of wine; Superior for its price range. I'd give it three and a half, if halves were possible. While it only had some of the refined qualities of a much more expensive bottle, it had NONE of the lesser qualities I often accept from bottles in this range. It has a very smooth, even silky, deep bass-note flavor, full of fruity lusciousness, as opposed to the higher, brighter tannens of many Syrahs. I also found it to be just a touch sweeter (not in the bad way!) than the average Syrah, kind of like a cross between a Cote du Rhone (not surprising, what with its Chateauneuf du Pape lineage) and a California Pinot Noir. If you're willing to spend $15/bottle on your everyday wine, you'd be drinking an awfully good one. Or, you could save it for more special servings and be impressive at bargain rates. I enjoyed it fully both with food and without. We had our first glass while watching a re-run of the Charlotte-doesn't-want-to-be-the-"up the butt girl" episode of "Sex and the City". What could be better?

Beautiful, rich, heavy flavour. Great with strong meaty dishes

Jammy AS. Right up my alley.

Interesting taste, not too jammy... very smooth & spicy. Had it with dessert... not sure it was the best choice.