Château Oumsiyat Syrah 2018
- Wine Scoffer
- Apr 12
- 2 min read
Updated: Apr 15
A Saucy Little Sinner from Lebanon
If you think all good Syrah must be birthed from the misty Rhone Valley like a Victorian novel heroine in a corset, allow Château Oumsiyat to politely punch you in the palate. Hailing from Lebanon, the country that gave us the alphabet and confusingly good spelling of hummus, this wine is here to remind you Syrah doesn’t have to wear a beret.
First, the grapes. 100% Syrah, and not the moody, brooding kind that smells like a leather armchair in a thunderstorm. This one's more like a velvet blazer worn over a Slayer T-shirt. Grown high in the Bekaa Valley, the grapes soak up sun by day and get a chill from mountain breezes at night, giving them a bit of a personality crisis, in the best way of course.
The nose... oh, it’s got one, and it’s sticking it right in your business. Smoky, spicy and just a touch feral, like someone grilled blackberries over an open flame and then made you sniff their scarf. There’s also a cheeky whiff of cracked pepper, a bit of violet perfume, and something faintly meaty lurking in the shadows akin to an ex who still follows you on Instagram.
The palate is big, bold, and juicy enough to make your molars high five. Expect a riot of dark blackberry, plum, maybe even some mulberry if you're feeling fancy, mingling with espresso bitterness, a hit of smoked paprika, and just enough tannin to make your gums sit up straight. It finishes long and a little flirty as if it’s daring you to pour another glass, which you will, because you’re weak.
The terroir here is pure drama with rocky soils, extreme temps, and winemakers with more patience than a cat stalking a pigeon. The result? A wine with swagger and a dash of Mediterranean madness. It doesn’t behave like a polite French Syrah. It’s louder, riper, a little more rebellious. Basically its the wine equivalent of a punk band playing at a wine and cheese soirée.
Does it need food? You choose however we think it does and it pairs beautifully with red meat, grilled things, charred vegetables or just you in your underwear yelling at the dog. You get my drift.
RRP $60
LEBANON |2018 |Bekaa Valley | 14%
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