Savvy wine buy: Indian Springs '97 Syrah

This elegant, deep and dark Rhone-style varietal is estate-grown, with just a touch of the Cabernet Franc varietal, 8 percent, added to give the wine a lighter finish. This beautiful, 450-acre estate has belonged to the Ball family since 1983, and its members are just coming into their own as top producers. The wine is barrel-aged for 15 months in a combination of French and American oak, so it will stand up to very strong foods, such as game and red meat. It's also a wine that seems to improve when it has been open for an hour or two.

Available at Spirits Plus, $12.39. (Spirits Plus will go out of business next month, so buy this soon.)

-- Max Jacobson

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