Monthaven Coastal Syrah 2001

I was trying to decide on whether to have a cup of hot chocolate tonight or glass of wine. I have a weakness for rich, smooth, hot chocolate and my two favorites are Williams-Sonoma and Mariebelle. Both are wonderfully delicious and worthy of any chocolate lover. Speaking of chocolate…my fiance’s daughter-in-law is starting a boutique chocolate business and just posted her “Coming Soon” page for her chocolate website. She’s an extraordinarily talented, intelligent and creative woman so this venture is sure to be a huge success. Check out her site: Chicks Love Chocolate.

Anyway, I digress…it was a tough choice, but the wine won.

We were in the mood to try something new and open a bottle of Monthaven Coastal Syrah 2001. What a GREAT choice that was. On the nose I detected a pleasing balance of fruit and a little smokiness. Very nice. However, this wine is even better on the palate. It’s a fruit-forward wine (black cherries and cassis) with a hint of bacon and very smooth tannins. It also has a nice finish.

The problem is, we bought this out of state and we’ll have to look into getting more. At about $9.00 a bottle it’s one you should try.

Wine Reviews