At a dinner at Mise en Place in Tampa, and through a mutual mistake by the waiter and by me (in not carefully noticing the wine lable) instead of the Flowers 2000 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, I ended up having the Flowers 2000 Perennial.

According to the menu it was a Pinot Noir/Zinfandel blend. However, the Flowers web site (www.flowerswinery.com) says that its 49% Pinot Noir, 22% Syrah, 26% Pinot Meunier, 3% Chardonnay. Sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. Happily, I was quite pleased with the blend (although I would still prefer to try the wine I meant to order).

The wine had a nice dark ruby color. A good nose that smelled a bit of violets, but really had a more fruits rouge, green pepper overtone. On the palate it was strong, tasting more like a Syrah than a Pinot Noir. Red fruits mingled with green pepper and a tad bit of sous bois. It was in need of a few more years in the bottle, and as the meal wound on, it got a good bit less tanic. Neither fish nor fowl, it was still a nice wine. I don't know if I'd lay in a case in the cellar, but I'm not sorry that I tasted it. I'd give it an 86 or an 87.