DATE CONSUMED
Sunday, November 11, 2012
VINTAGE
2007
WINERY/PRODUCER
Brian Carter Cellars
WINE NAME
Byzance
TYPE OF WINE
Red blend
COMPOSITION
51% Grenache, 25% Syrah, 20% Mourvedre, 2% Counoise, 2%
Cinsaut
SUBNAME/NICKNAME
N/A
VINEYARD DESIGNATION
N/A
REGION/A.V.A. (American Viticultural Area)
ALCOHOL CONTENT
14.5%
PRICE PAID
$30
WHERE/WHEN BOUGHT AND/OR HOW PROCURED
We got this bottle at Total Wine & More when we
exchanged a couple of bottles of overpriced and underperforming Napa Valley
Cabernets in October, 2012.
BOUQUET
This wine has a GORGEOUS bouquet, exhibiting floral
elements, dark fruit, earth, spices, and just a hint of a suggestion of a rumor
of oak. I don’t know what it is about
red wines that have fantastic floral characteristics, but when I pop a cork and
the first thing that hits my nasal sensory receptors is a bouquet of flowers, I
just can’t wait to taste that Bad Boy!
Needless to say, I mostly look forward to a wine’s flavor profile, but
every once in a while, I sample a wine that has such a beautiful bouquet that
I’d almost be satiated by simply sniffing and quaffing a glass of wonderfully
odoriferous wine; this wine comes JUST that close..........
TASTING NOTES
Upfront disclosure: I’ve had quite a few wines from Washington , but I’ve
NEVER had a Southern Rhone-style blend from The Great Northwest. I’ve had dozens/hundreds/thousands? of
Rhone-style blends from California (not to
mention France ), but for
being my first Rhone-style experience from Washington , I was blown away by how good
this red blend is.
This red is FANTASTICALLY well-balanced, showing 25%
wonderful fruit, 25% fantastic structure, 25% perfect spice and
depth-of-flavor, and 25% faultless terrior/earth, not to mention 100%
deliciousness! This red is almost
full-bodied (leaning ever so slightly left to medium-bodied) and exhibits
fantastic red/dark fruit flavors like plums, black cherries and berries, along
with wonderfully savory herbs like sage and rosemary. After the fruit and spice elements, there’s a
PERFECT essence of terrior; I had never even heard of Brian Carter Cellars, but
I’m assuming, based on the quality of this wine, the full-retail price, and the
quality-to-price ratio, that this is one of Washington ’s best bargains. Like any self-respecting French or Spanish or
Italian red wine, there’s an earthiness that reveals where this wine came from
and how well-made the wine was assembled both in the vineyard and in the
cellar.
We all know that Washington can produce fantastic Cabs,
Syrahs, Bordeaux-style blends, Rieslings, and Chardonnays, but who knew that
the Columbia Valley could produce Southern Rhone-style blends that could actually
compete with (and in many cases, surpass) Chateauneuf-du-Pap from France?!?! This is a tasty, creamy, earthy, spicy,
(slightly) oaky, fruity, GORGEOUSLY well-made red blend that impressed me
beyond belief. Bottom line: this is one
of the best American-made Southern Rhone-style blends I’ve ever had.
What truly blows me away about this wine is that not only is
it delicious-beyond-belief but that it also is beautifully well-structured, well-balanced,
well-priced, well-earthed, and well-spiced with an elegant, lingering
finish. Brian Carter: I don’t know who
you are and I’ve never heard of you until 20 days ago or so, but I love you
beyond belief! After just 1/2 a bottle
of your Byzance, I have become one of your biggest fans and I look forward to
experiencing more of your wines in the very near future. Worse case scenario, I’ll be enjoying your
2007 Byzance over and over and over again in the near future, thanks to Total
Wine & More.
PAIRING SUGGESTIONS
We paired this wine with a marinated lamb loin (balsamic
vinegar, orange juice, Dijon
mustard, and a variety of fresh/dried herbs), along with a mushroom medley and
fresh Brussels sprouts. This wine paired
PERFECTLY with the lamb loin and would also pair well with just about any other
red beef dish (grilled steaks, prime rib, lamb shanks/chops, pot roast,
etc.).
AGING POTENTIAL
This wine could probably not drink much better than it is
drinking right now, but for another five to ten years this wine will probably
continue to age, develop, mature, and mellow beautifully. It’s drinking GORGEOUSLY right now but may even
get better over the next five years or so.
Only if I had that kind of patience.......
SCORE (on a 100-point scale)
92
Q.P.R. (QUALITY-TO-PRICE RATIO) (POOR, FAIR, GOOD,
EXCELLENT)
GOOD – EXCELLENT
WINERY WEBSITE
Hello Dave
ReplyDeleteBrian Carter here. Thanks for your kind words and glad you have made this discovery. Yes, Washington State is a great place for Rhone wines from Syrah to Grenache, and of course blends. Need to get you to try our other great blends as well.
We are tired but inspired after a great harvest in 2012, lots of good wine in the barrels.
Brian
Brian, I just discovered that Total Wine & More has quite a few of your other offerings. I'll definitely find-out what other acts of oenophilic magic you've been conducting up there!
DeleteCongrats on a great 2012 harvest. According to one of my favorite California wineries (Tablas Creek in Paso Robles, who also specialize in Rhone wines), they also had a fantastic 2012 harvest. Looks like we'll be enjoying wonderful 2012 wines in a few years. Can't wait!
Dave... loved your review of Brian Carter's 2007 Byzance. My wife and I live in Washington State, and are club members of Brian Carter Cellars His '07 Byzance is one of our very favorites. We purchased a case once we'd tasted a bottle and knew that we were going to want more of this delicious Rhone blend. Byzance has gone head to head with expensive French Rhones in blind tastings, and always holds it's head up proud.
ReplyDeleteWe also purchased a case of Brian's 2007 Spanish style red blend, Corrida. I can't tell you how many Tempranillo based blends Corrida has taken down in multi-person, blind tastings.
And while I'm praising his wine I have to toss out that his white Rhone blend, Oriana, is also to die for... and that his Abracadabra Rosé is indeed magical.
I'm not being paid to say this... but if you read this Brian and want to reward me with a few bottles of your wine, I certainly won't complain. =^)
Thanks for the heads-up! After falling in love with the '07 Byzance, I obviously went to Brian Carter's website to see what other wines were coming from the winery and was indeed intrigued by the Spanish-style Temp blend. I'm also a big fan of white Southern Rhone-style blends, so I'll probably give Oriana a try as well. And I also love a well-made rose, so I'll probably have to try Abracadabra too!
DeleteThanks for the insider info. I was impressed as hell with Byzance and will definitely try a few other Brian Carter bottles. Stay tuned for some follow-up reviews/musings.....