First impression is that the hue of this pour is not the classic inky black Syrahs of other countries. But this is S. Africa so let's see... Aromas are big with lats of dark fruit and a unique aroma of some kind of stinky cheese and spruce... Interesting...
Palate--in the mouth this is a bit tart, with a solid back bone of acid with bold black berry flavors but over shadowed by the other "stuff" going on... This wine will have to breathe for a while before a fair evaluation can be given.
After some air time: It settles down and has a lightly spicy, dark fruit presentation.
Excelsior piqued my interest about 2 decades ago with its very inexpensive cabernet Sauvignon ($7) but after a few years their Cabs develop[ed an awkward note of bandaids in bouquet usually indicative of what is a mold contaminant called Brettanomyces. But after several years of it continuing, I thought perhaps it was "terroir" instead of a contaminant in which case I didn't want that experience. This is the first Excelsior I have had in a long long time.
Bottom line--$9 is not a lot of money but there are so many other Syrahs and Sirahs (spelling depends on the country) out there I would pass on this!
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