Domaine La Bastide Syrah Vin de Pays d'Hauterive

Blind Tasting - Rhone Varieties (Weygandt Wines - Washington, D.C.) : Tasted blind: Dark ruby color. Aromas of red and black plums, pepper and anise. Medium tannins on the palate, with a kiss of oak to round out the raspberry and plum flavors. Mocha lingers on the finish. I guessed this as a Sonoma syrah based on its dark fruit profile and the use of oak, but was happy to see it was Domaine La Bastide. I've had this wine …

Decent wine. A bit of structure and a residual smokiness. Pleasant at the price point, but nothing special. Good bulk wine or weekday drinker to have on hand.

Another lovely bargain from Peter Weygandt. This wine has held up well and still shows a lot of structure and complexity. I served a half-case of this wine at my sister's wedding. My mom loved and dad loved it, as well as my sister. This wine definitely overdelivers for its $12 price point and I'm glad the wedding guests liked it.

Wine really hits above its weight - decanted for several hours. Bit tannic on first open, but very smooth and very pleasant later on. Impressed my unexpected guests. Didn't get the smoke mentioned by others, but very similar otherwise.

At roughly $12 this offers far more nuance and character than you'd expect at this price point. Good spice, nice density with smokey notes on the finish.

Saturday at Wegandt Wines (Weygandt Wines - Washington, D.C.) : Another solid bargain from a reliable bargain producer. Plummy, smoked nose. Smoke, blackberries and some solid grip on the palate. Dusty tannins.