Cycles Gladiator Syrah 2010

by J.T.

Ladies and gentlemen,

We've all had a long week. Today is Friday, the day we long to cut through the clutter, tidy our inboxes, wrangle the week's remaining cats, and go home and watch Netflix.

I'm all for that. Especially today.

So without further ado, I give you today's wine:

the delicious Cycles Gladiator Syrah 2010.

This Californian syrah's got some nice fruity, earthy notes with soft, mild tannins. On the nose, I picked up plum, raspberry, leather, and topsoil. These notes transferred nicely to the palate filled with earth, plummy berries, and black pepper. I'd say the alcohol level is pretty middling, but the wine does have a nice zing that lingers on the back of your tongue, a tantalizing tease that says, See? You know you want some more . . . 

I'll bet this would taste pretty fine next to a spring dish laden with strawberries—savory or sweet (some crostini with goat cheese, strawberries, balsamic vinegar, and basil, perhaps?). And, because I always think ahead, this syrah would pair spectacularly with flavors of fall: apples, sage, sweet potatoes.

You can't go wrong with a perennial pairing, y'all.

I think this one's a steal at $9.99.

Go forth, and get thee some wine and Netflix. You deserve it!