The Dark Side

Yesterday, I went to "The Dark Side" and I may never come back. Why would I go to "The Dark Side?" Because this is a delicious place to be. What the frack is the Wine Muse musing about now? Be patient, wine friends, and I'll tell you the story.

It took about an hour and a half by car, and then by ferry, but I managed to go to and spend the day on an island yesterday. Vashon Island. Burton Bay on Vashon, to be specific. I know; the picture doesn't do it justice. It was much lovelier in person, but you get the idea.

I have family on Vashon so yesterday we decided to spend the day together, hang out in the country, barbeque some steaks, munch some chips and salsa, watch the kids play, and, one of my favorite reasons, to drink some really nice wine. I took two bottles of wine with me. A bottle of the 2003 Reininger Cabernet Sauvignon from Walla Walla Valley to go with the steaks (which we never got around to drinking because there were other bottles of wine open), and another bottle of wine, just to enjoy while we were hanging out and watching the kids jump on a trampoline outside and play with legos inside the house. This is when I went to "The Dark Side."

The other bottle of wine I took to share was a 2006 Syrah called "The Dark Side." All I can say is: I will be going back out to Woodinville to Darby Winery, located in the warehouse district, to pick up more of this amazing wine. "The Dark Side" is a new release by Darby Winery and the grapes are from the Walla Walla Valley in Eastern Washington. I opened the bottle of this juice and was rewarded with the beautiful perfume of a typical Pacific Northwest Syrah and the dark purple color that is oh so enticing. Every bit of the deep, jammy, plummy richness that I've come to expect and enjoy from wines made in the Napa of the Northwest is expressed in this wine, and then some. Although this wine is dry, I felt like I was having dessert before my dinner, that’s how wonderful and rich this wine smells and tastes. This wine was a pleasure to sip on throughout the afternoon. When it was all gone, I wanted more. Yes, I've gone to "The Dark Side" and I may never come back. It's a good place to be for a Wine Muse.

You might be able to get “The Dark Side” at a good wine shop but I say - don’t! Go directly to Darby Winery in Woodinville to pick up this wine so you can see that this is a small winery, with just a couple hundred cases of handcrafted wines. Darby also makes a delicious Viognier and a red blend called Chaos that’s a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, and Petite Verdot. I think we’ll be hearing a lot more about this winery in the near future.

Who knows? Perhaps you’ll find yourself going to “The Dark Side.”

The Stats:

What: Dry red – The Dark Side
Producer: Darby Winery
Vintage: 2006
Varietal: Syrah
Alcohol by volume: 14.6%
Location: Darby Winery located in the warehouse district in Woodinville, WA, grapes from Walla Walla Valley, Eastern WA
Cost: $28.00