Last Wednesday I cooked Alli a home-made dinner for her birthday 😉  So naturally, I chose wines to pair with it.

I was looking forward to trying the 2004 Qupe Bien Nacido Hillside Estate syrah from the Santa Maria valley.  Unfortunately, when I opened the bottle well in advance of dinner, it smelled dead ;(  I still decanted it for a solid hour to make sure, but it was dead beyond a doubt.  Too bad, as I would have liked to try it, especially after the assorted awards it won.

I went to my second choice, a Molly Dooker 2007 “Two Left Feet.”  This wine was awesome!  It’s an unusual blend of syrah and “sparky Marquis” grapes.  The result is an unusual taste, with a huge, blunt front end but balanced on the back end with the lingering sophistication of a nice syrah.  It might be a little early to drink this wine, or maybe the front end will stay that bouncy for a while, I don’t know.

Unfortunately that Molly Dooker is tough to get, not just here in the states, but everywhere I ask.  Limited production, sold out…  But I’d love to try it again.