K Vintners Motor City Kitty Syrah

"Does anybody else like smelling that stuff you spit out?" This, the first question of the night, with the first wine of the night, is where my wine-appreciating companions lost me. Because 1) A lewd and unprintable reply immediately popped into my head, and 2) Why would anyone voluntarily spit out an alcoholic beverage?

Whenever undigested (or semidigested) alcohol has come out of my mouth, it has been in a particular form—the smelling of which is not conducive to learning anything except the acid content of my stomach.

But then someone says something intelligent about enzymes and I have to admit that there may be some noncomedic merit to the question. I watch as the other five people at the table sip, gargle, spit, swish and swirl the contents of their glasses. They are using words like "nose" (not the thing on your face) and being appreciative of the color, texture and technical attributes of the Syrah.

My complete tasting notes, taken on company letterhead from my real job, are as follows:
• Strong alcoholic scent.
• Saliva-inducing.
• More red, less purple.
• Borderline spicy.
• A little bit of ick at the end.

That last one was the real surprise of the evening. I really liked the MCK until I stopped drinking it. Then there was a certain aftertaste in the back of my throat that I really didn't care for. Luckily, I had three more wines to go that night, so the pain was short-lived.

PRICE: $40 at Walla Walla Wine Cellar
DRINKABILITY: Pretty easygoing, especially for a Syrah. I'm impressed.
SNOB VALUE: I suppose this hinges on whether your audience has met Charles personally.
WHERE TO FIND IT: K Vintners, Walla Walla Wine Cellar
FAMOUS LAST WORDS: Cat got your tongue? Lucky you.