The 2009 Martue Syrah sees 15 months in 80% French and 20% American new oak. It has a boisterous, ripe, ostentatious bouquet with iodine-scented black fruit. The palate is sweet and ripe on the entry with firm grip. Notes of fruitcake, black currant, dark chocolate and tobacco inform the middle and second half, which needs more edginess and complexity at this price point. Not a bad Syrah at all, but I suspect that other vintages are superior. Drink now-2016. Importer: Aviva Vino. www.avivavino.com