Quick tasting note for Wine Blogging Wednesday #47, hosted by Grape Juice, a Canadian wine blog extraordinaire. We tasted the 2004 l’Aventure Estate Syrah from Paso Robles at a dinner party on Saturday night, so the “S” in this case comes from the grape variety.

Sorry we couldn’t get a whole lot more creative than that and also encompass the producer, region, or fantasy wine name. If we weren’t being all economical and whatnot, perhaps we would have cracked open a Super-Tuscan from Sassicaia. Oh well, next time this theme comes around, perhaps we won’t be in penny-pinching mode (brought to us by the economic downturn not to be referred to as a recession).

In any case, back to the wine…the 2004 l’Aventure Syrah was a bit of a disappointment. Too big, too bold, too everything. But mostly, it smelled and tasted of Dimetapp which was a big flaw for us, though we’re pretty sure there was nothing “off” about the bottle. Just too grapey and medicinal for us. We couldn’t get past it. Apparently Dimetapp is now some sort of controlled substance, though our parents didn’t have an issue plying us with it when we had the sniffles in the 1970s and 80s. Ah, those were the days…

There’s a silver lining, though. Considering we used to guzzle Dimetapp proper when we were more regular viewers of Sesame Street, the originator of the “brought to you by the letter…” theme, we think this is the perfect wine for this particular Wine Blogging Wednesday. Even if we plan to never drink it again.

Cheers!

We apologize to Simon at Larchmont Wine for being a week and a half late posting his wine of the month pick for April. This one rings in at only $12.99 a bottle and sounds interesting. Call 323-856-8699 and ask for Simon if you’d like to order some, or stop on by Larchmont Wine & Spirits for a number 5 sandwich (our favorite) and a few bottles of carefully curated vino, including this one. Simon says:

“This Spring, as the world seems to be rapidly steering itself into a ditch, we could all do with a cheer up. This aptly named red from Paso Robles is a tribute to all the toilers (er…most of us then) and strugglers who make it through another oh-so-trying day.

Serve liberally with roasted meats, grilled lamb sausages, robust pastas, hearty soups or just your favorite hunk of cheese and bread combo.” –SC