2006 Geo Wines Chono Reserva Syrah (Chile, Coquimbo, Elqui Valley)

Deep dark purple with black hues. The nose is full of spice, blackberry, dark roast coffee and a touch of smoke. The palate has plenty of juicyblack cherry and blackberry fruit with tobacco and mineral notes that mix well with the minty herb flavors at the end. The tannins are well integrated and hang on through the medium length finish. Very good. The Elqui Valley is located 500 kilometers north of Santiago, Chile and close to the Pacific Ocean which makes for cooling breeze and longer hang time for ripeness.  The yields are only 9 tons per hectare and the fruit shows a very high concentration.  The grapes were handpicked according the ripe levels. 10% of the wine was racked in new French and American oak barrels for 6 months with the remainder in stainless steel barrels. Overall very enjoyable and a extremely good value at $11.