Montes Alpha, 2002 Syrah, Colchagua Valley, Apalta Vineyard

I pulled this wine off the rack because I have been drinking a lot of white lately and needed to give my tastebuds something heavier.

Color: Dark purple with browning edges.
Nose: Ripe berry characters with walnuts and a dark chocolate bouquet and peppercorns.
Palate: Very ripe, over-extracted, lots of tannin.
Overall: This wine is falling apart early. The fruit in the nose is nice but the tell-tale sign of not holding its age is in the mouth. The tannin is sticking around but the body and flavors are diminished. This is common with overly ripe wines that are popular among today's consumers. The wine would have been better a year ago perhaps. I give it a B.
(sorry for the bad quality of the picture)