2006 Melville Verna's Syrah

Today I had a very long day with work and then school, so I was craving a nice syrah after school. OK, I really wasn’t craving syrah, and any adult beverage would have done, but it was time to revisit this wine after a year. Popped and poured through Vinturi, and allowed to "decant" in the glass over the course of 2 hours. This wine has integrated very well from a year ago. The nose is still absolutely ridiculous with tons of berry, pepper, and spice. The alcohol is still a bit prevalent, but not nearly as it was with past bottles. Oodles and oodles of dark fruit and berries on the palate, but the blueberry seemed to be the shining star, with a little more white pepper than I like, but this was still delicious. The finish is no longer hot like it was in the past, and has integrated nicely with some white pepper notes. This is a fun wine, and for the price, it is worth searching out a few more bottles. Kudos to the gang over at Melville producing great, consistent wines! 91 points