Yalumba, Barossa Valley (Australia) Cabernet Sauvignon – Syrah 2018

 I have long been a fan of including Syrah in Bordeaux-grape blends ever since I first tasted such combos from Australia in the early 1980s.  That love was further cemented more recently by Château Palmer’s Thomas Duroux’s blending of Rhône and Bordeaux grapes in his simply labeled, but premium priced, vin de pays.  As we all know, the rule-makers that be in Bordeaux frown upon the use of Syrah in its blends, especially when it is done illegally by calling the resultant wine “Bordeaux.”  This wine has a lot of energy – ripe, yet tangy, blackberry and black raspberry flavors with some blueberry notes, some herbal aspects and finish dusty tannins.