Gush Etzion Lone Oak Syrah 2009

The Gush Etzion Winery is located at the Gush Etzion Junction just south of Jerusalem, where climates and soils similar to both Bordeaux and Provence allow owners Shraga and Tamar Rosenberg to craft wines that are at once familiar and unique. The Lone Oak line comprises premium wines, symbolized by a single oak tree in the middle of the Etzion Bloc that early settlers would gaze at as they dreamed of a permanent return to the region. This high-altitude Syrah bursts with the fruity, spicy complexity that you might expect from Southern France, but contains unmistakable Israeli terroir at its core. A deep purple color and aromas of blueberry preserves, tea and spice forecast the intense flavor profile of plum and mocha with a long finish. Firm yet opulent structure makes this a hedonist’s delight, especially paired with a lamb stew, T-bone steak or fresh pasta in a wild mushroom cream sauce.