2006 Brian Carter Cellars Byzance

DATE CONSUMED

Sunday, March 3, 2013

VINTAGE

2006

WINERY/PRODUCER

Brian Carter Cellars

WINE NAME

Byzance

TYPE OF WINE

Red blend

COMPOSITION

61% Grenache, 21% Syrah, 18% Mourvedre

SUBNAME/NICKNAME

N/A

VINEYARD DESIGNATION

N/A

REGION/APPELLATION/A.V.A. (American Viticultural Area)

Columbia Valley, Washington

ALCOHOL CONTENT

14.2%

PRICE PAID

$29.99

WHERE/WHEN BOUGHT AND/OR HOW PROCURED

We bought this bottle at Total Wine & More earlier this month after falling in love with the 2007 Byzance (also bought at TW&M).  We buy very little wine from wine stores (except daily drinking affordable bubbles, whites, and reds from BevMo during their 5Cent Sale), but after being “wow’d” by the 2007 Byzance, we just HAD to try another Byzance (not sure why TW&M had the 2007 before offering the 2006, but that’s an irrelevant point).

BOUQUET

This is my kind of wine, based on the bouquet.  I love earthy, “dirty” wines (my own term for earthy wines), and while most wines exhibit fruity and/or spicy bouquet elements, the most prevalent characteristic for this wine is its earthiness.  The red/black fruit and spices reveal themselves as a subtle undercurrent on the nose, but this wine’s “dirtiness” is its most compelling bouquet factor.

TASTING NOTES

This is a delicious, rich, creamy Southern-Rhone blend.  As previously-mentioned, I absolutely LOVED the 2007 Byzance, and though I really like this wine, I do indeed prefer the 2007.  As best I can remember, the 2007 was a bit more spicy and fruity, whereas this wine is much creamier.  Either way, this is a wonderful red blend.

The most noticeable trait of this wine is its rich, creamy, slightly oaky essence.  Showing classic GSM traits, there’s also beautiful red and black fruits (plums, blackberries, and raspberries), in addition to savory herbs and black pepper.  I believe a lot of the creaminess comes from the undercurrent of oak, which also lends the wine a slightly vanilla sub-current.  I HATE comparing wines and/or vintages to others (which is usually very unfair and just not quite right, because the weather has a MAJOR influence/impact upon a wines essence), but because I absolutely loved the 2007 Byzance, I just had to go back to Total Wine & More and try another Brian Carter Cellars wine.  When we bought this wine, we also bought a bottle of Brian’s 2008 Abracadabra, which we will probably try later this year, if not next.

No matter how you slice it, this is a very nice, creamy, spicy, earthy (“dirty”), delicious GSM.  It’s possible I prefer the 2007 because that blend included Counoise and Cinsault, which, like any/all blends, every varietal brings something interesting and different to the party.  I’ve been a HUGE fan of GSM blends for years.  But in my humble opinion, “the more, the merrier.”  Again, this wine is fabulous.  If you enjoy rich, creamy, spicy, “dirty” Southern Rhone blends, this one’s difficult to beat.  I cannot WAIT to try the 2008 Abracadabra. 

In case you missed my musings about the 2007 Byzance, I had never even heard of Brian Carter Cellars before we exchanged a couple of over-priced/under-performing Napa Valley Cabernets for several highly-rated and nicely-priced alternate wines about six months ago.  I am SO glad that we returned those over-priced Cabernets because that’s how we discovered the fabulous red wines of Brian Carter Cellars.  Looking VERY forward to opening that 2008 Abrcadabra!

By the way, Byzance is French for “luxurious.”  To quote Dumber-than-Dubya John McCain, “call it a banana if you want.”  Call this luxurious, call it a banana, call it “rich, creamy, silky, “dirty,” delicious, yummy, and/or fabulous,” this is one fantastic GSM blend (Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre).  Once again, Brian Carter Cellars steps up to the plate and hits one out of the park!

Arthur and I belong to five wine clubs.  Living in California, there are obviously hundreds/thousands of wonderful wineries that we would love to belong to their wine clubs.  Because The Golden State offers so many wonderful wines, we’ve never considered belonging to a non-California wine club (we prefer to eat and drink locally whenever possible).  But Brian Carter Cellars is now at the top of our list of non-California wineries that we would very seriously consider joining.  The 2008 Abracadabra just might be the deciding factor.  Stay tuned……

PAIRING SUGGESTIONS

We paired this beauty with simply-spiced lamb chops (Kosher salt and black pepper) and like most/any other GSM blend, this wine would just about pair beautifully with any red meat dish (meat loaf, pot roast, any/all steaks, lamb shanks/chops/racks, etc.).

AGING POTENTIAL

This wine is drinking beautifully right now and will probably continue to age, mature, and develop nicely for another 10 to 20 years.

SCORE (on a 100-point scale)

92

Q.P.R. (QUALITY-TO-PRICE RATIO) (POOR, FAIR, GOOD, EXCELLENT)

GOOD – EXCELLENT

WINERY WEBSITE

http://www.briancartercellars.com/