It’s not very often I get stumped when I Google a wine. I was amazed that I could not find out anything about this wine. When it was presented to me I was told that Charles Smith was one of the Charles but for the life of me I cannot remember who the other Charles is. While writing this review, it was too late to call the sales rep to ask, so I will just have to say that one of the wine makers behind this label is the cult wine dude... Charles Smith of K Vintners and Charles Smith Wines. This particular wine is 50% Syrah and 50% Cabernet Sauvignon. If I were to try this bottle in a blind format I would be hard-pressed to guess that there was syrah in it. This is an incredibly delicious red, with rich fruit. Dark fruit on sweet tannins with an excellent balance of acidity that drives the fruit flavors through the mid-palate into an excellent and lingering finish. I am sure that if I really sucked the air through this wine and gave it some intensive thought I would detect some Syrah notes but at first taste I did not get any smoke or bacon fat flavors, mostly boysenberry and plum notes with hints of anise and mocha. This wine stands out as a wine that would go for, let’s say fifteen bucks or more. At twelve dollars it is a steal. A perfect solo, it also is structured enough to match up with grilled meats or a bowl of hearty stew. I love this wine despite the very ugly label, a perfect example of the saying, "Do not judge a book by it’s cover." 91 points