Happening Now Tasting 36: Grover Zampa Vineyards Zampa Syrah 2010, Nashik Valley

Time for another Halloween „Happening Now Tasting“ post! Like every year I'd like to sacrifice conk and tongue to pure and unadulterated wine-adventure'ism. This time my potentially „thrilling“ wine comes from Maharashtra in India. Absolutely not the first Indian wine on this blog. There've been quite a few surprises from the country which is quite dear to my heart. However, today I am going for a Zampa Syrah 2010 from Grover Zampa Vineyards in Nashik Valley north-east of Mumbai. Some might remember … I am not so much of a Syrah fellow. This combined with the heat of India!? Anyway … I hope for the best. Let's go for it …

5:46 pm (sundown, popped and poured)

Colour: reddish-black, pretty radiant, mostly opaque

Nose: a lot of bramble, juicy and slightly jamy ones, black pepper, maybe some red and very ripe bell pepper, hints of Thai oyster-sauce, some dry foilage, musk, slight touch of alcohol; overall a bit hot and really straightforward - let's wait

Taste: very straightforward fruitful, not all too rich – but very ripe and warm; besides that some black pepper and red bell pepper – I'll give it some time to breath, at the moment a bit too exhausting for me

7:04 pm

Nose: is getting more perfume, more musk, a bit more alcohol and emerging smoke; so far it isn't going into a direction which I am fond of, in any way

Taste: fruit punch is setteling a bit - just a bit, alcohol seems to be more evident and occupying and sharp cutting, now a bit more peppery too, a bit green herbal spice is lurking around the corners of my tongue as well; quite difficult at the moment, so far not me at all, let's give it more time

10:03 pm

Nose: very much the same, perhaps a bit more settled and a bit less nervous and alcoholic

Taste: feels a rounder and settled - the fruit, unfortunately the alcohol is very dominant and "burning" at the moment, the rest is very much the same; still not me ...

7:02 pm (the Day After - you remember the movie?)

Nose: seems more settled and not as fruit-erratic as yesterday, now I got heavyly smoked beef, still quite a lot of bramble plus some plum wine, some earth, still quite a lot of musk, not as alcoholic as yesterday; I am surprised, it is getting a bit more interesting after all

Taste: still quite alcoholic and intensly fruit-driven, but I am getting the beef-earth dimension here as well; right now I enjoy the nose much more, but I do not loose my faith in this one, it appears pretty young ...

7:19 pm (the day after the day after)

Nose: loosing more and more of its fruit characteristics, smoked beef is turning into beef jerky, black pepper is still very vital, red bell pepper not so much anymore, now I am getting salty liquorice and eathy moss; nose appears different but still very interesting ... much more than the taste

Taste: smoky characteristics are getting stronger, I really getting BBQ sauce right now - a perfume'y musk'y one in McDonald style, some charcoal, kardamon, in addition to that more herbal characteristics, alcohol ist still very present, bramble fruit is on retreat and the once intense fruitfulness is turning much more in direction kitchen garden (especially overripe tomatoes and red bell peper); now there is more complexity and attractiveness to this Syrah, still not really balanced ... but it is getting more interesting after all.

10:51 pm (one more day)

Getting overall super difficult and morbid. I think it is loosing basic cohesion. Nose appears pretty oxidized, let's say fairly oxidized. Same for the palate ... or even more.

All in all an entertaining wine which I most definitely would recommend with spicey dishes. I enjoyed it after two days of setteling the most. Fo me something inbetweed drinkable** ( on the first and second day) and so la-la*** on the third day.