Have your Layer Cake and drink it, too!

Layer Cake Shiraz

This was the first wine I got to pick off of wine list at a restaurant and feel good about knowing what I was getting. It was a totally random pick for me, because I haven't really enjoyed a lot of Shiraz.

Shiraz is the exact same thing as Syrah. The difference is location. Australia and New Zealand typically call it Shiraz, and here in the US we call it Syrah. But it's essentially the same.

This is a full bodied red wine. The density and the weight in the mouth is full. Its aroma is amazing. Like berries and chocolate and oak and tobacco. Yes, tobacco. Does that sound gross? It did to me at first, too. But if you've ever been into a cigar shop or smelled an old cigar box or a good pipe, it's like that. It's subtle, but it's there.

The first thing I noticed was the feeling in the mouth. It's so rich and silky. The name alone reminded me of a chocolate silk layer cake, specifically, and I think that's appropriate enough just for the mouth feeling. The kind that is like how good angora feels to your skin.

The flavor was a little spicy, peppery, even Christmas-Spice like. There was also black cherries, blackberries, and strawberries. It was dry, it parched my mouth, but the contrast of the initial sweetness left me wanting more. I did wish that I had something to eat with it, because it would have been fabulous with a decadent dark chocolate dessert. I definitely had a hard time finishing the bottom of the glass by itself.