Lot 299
2007 Minervois Syrah, Single Vineyard (Languedoc-Roussillon)

I often enjoy a big, full-bodied California red, with lots of fruit balanced with bracing tanins, and a mouth feel ranging from "puckering" to "silky". So I was looking forwartd to this "BIG RED". Unfortunately, I found it to be a "Fruit Bomb". It's big. It's bold. But I can't describe any natural "fruit". It tastes like a scientest concocted it in a factory - NOT like anything Mother Nature grew. There's no balance, no tanins, no silk, no pucker, nothing that really even tastes like wine. Just heavy and BIG. I've had 30-40 other Cameron Hughes wines, and I'd rate them all from a 3 (average) to a 5 (awesome). This is the only real dud I've had. I tried it with food, without food, decanted. It just went from Big-and-ugly to Big-and-ugly-and-stale...Chris.