Wow – Rhone sytle wines in Washington are blowing up!  Last  week at the Auction of Washington Wines with the Winemakers there was an entire tasting tent dedicated to Rhone Reds.

Brian Carter Byzance 2005 was one that I was able to try; a delicious Syrah/Grenache/Mourvedre blend.

According to Brian Carter: The Byzance blend is carefully crafted from Syrah and Grenache, almost all from the Outlook vineyard located high on the Rosa slope in the central Yakima Valley. Almost black in color, the wine has aromas of blackberries, truffles and spice. Seductively balanced, the wine has well-integrated tannins as dark fruit and spice linger on the palate.