2006 Pelerin Monterey Syrah

2006 Pelerin Monterey Syrah

I’ve seen Pelerin bottles before but never had the chance to taste their wines; that is until we had our recent white melt-down at Coi. Our waiter took mercy on us around the sixth course and offered the delightful 2005 Pelerin Les Violettes Syrah.

The labels are quite distinctive with the cartoon of the older man with a walking stick in a robe. He’s a pilgrim, or “pelerin” in French. I couldn’t find any Les Violettes at K & L so settled instead for this Monterey County syrah blend. Make no mistake! This is not a “sloppy second.” It is exciting and almost profound in its depth and complexity.

The grapes get sourced from Mesa del Sol Vineyard in Arroyo Seco and Paraiso Vineyard in Santa Lucia Highlands. The notes on the site suggest the idea was to blend the characteristics of both, but since I’m still relatively ignorant about Monterey, that went way over my head. What I do know is that this is excellent juice!

In the glass it was a deep burgundy color with an electrifying nose of tobacco, mocha, coffee, mushroom, cola and a hint of banana leaf. Medium to full bodied with a long finish, we noted black plum and other dark fruit with loads of earthy notes. This wine is thick, chewy and intense. This is not for the faint-hearted. I bought the last two in the K & L inventory. Sorry for you out there for having to do without 😉