Found a great little tasting shop in the Pike Place Market in downtown Seattle. The Tasting Room is a co-op winery tasting room dedicated to small boutique Washington State wineries. Many of the wines featured are limited production and hard-to-find.

It was a ridiculously cold day in Seattle–like 20 degrees or so and I had had enough walking around in this make-shift windy city. I bellied up to the bar at the Tasting Room and let proprietor Jen Doak take me on a tour of Washington State Syrah.

I am of the mind that Syrah could be the next big thing from our friends in the Pacific Northwest. The Syrah’s I sampled seem to straddle the bridge between the big, overripe California style and the more austere Northern Rhone style. Nice show.

Camaraderie Cellars ‘Clifton Vineyard’ Syrah 2004–rich and complex, with notes of dark plum, cassis, and vanilla. Medium bodied. Lingering black plum on the finish.

JM Cellars Syrah 2003–rich and brooding aromas of black plum, tobacco, leather. Full bodied with a velvety finish.

Latitude 46N Syrah 2004–cedar, black cherry and blueberry on the nose, hint of leather. Medium bodied with lighter tannins.

Wilridge ‘Elephant Mountain Vineyard’ Syrah 2004–my favorite of the lot! Floral notes, almost like white lillies. Cinnamon spice followed by dark plum, blueberry and a touch of vanilla. Medium body with silky tannins. Note: This wine just arrived at OYA Restaurant & Lounge in Washington, DC