Varietal: Â Blended Red – Syrah Based
Region: Â Oregon – USA
Cost: Â $14
Winemaker’s Notes: Â This Syrah-based blend is complex, velvety, juicy and nothing short of exquisite. It’s a friend to grilled meats, barbecued chicken, Italian red sauce dishes, pizza, cioppino and even a fine ratatouille.
My Review: Â I’ve certainly seen the Evolution White in numerous grocery stores, and in fact it’s my next review, but during a trip to the store to replenish supplies at the house, my wife and I stumbled across the Evolution Red, something I didn’t know they had come out with. With encouragement from my wife, we picked up a bottle and opened it up that very night.
I don’t know exactly what the blend of this wine is other than that it’s Syrah-based. If forced to guess I would guess that there’s some Pinot Noir and/or Cabernet Sauvignon in it – attempts to email the folks at Evolution Wine were met with the emails getting kicked back to me.
That being said, the wine was enjoyable, and is certainly one that I would visit again. In the glass it was medium-dark, with a nice robust purplish-red color that let some light through when held up, but not a ton. On the nose I got dark red fruit and floral notes, and in the mouth I got juicy flavors of red fruit.
The wine is simple, with the red fruit note being the only thing that stood out. That’s not to indict it by any means – in fact I compliment the wine on doing a good job of being a single note and managing to avoid being a fruit-bomb at the same time. The wine was certainly lush and juicy, and was a good pairing with the pizza that we picked up for dinner, but it wasn’t complex – which was just fine.
I wouldn’t recommend this wine for anybody looking for something complex and thought-provoking. It doesn’t possess any gravitas or perception-altering qualities. But, if you’re in the market for a simple sipper that’s middling to good and isn’t your typical California Cab Fruit Bomb, then this could certainly be what you’re looking for.
