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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 91.7 pts. and median of 92 pts. in 58 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by EvanJB on 5/12/2018 & rated 93 points: Has aged wonderfully. Still has plenty of fruit, but has mellowed (948 views) | | | Tasted by drrobvino on 12/27/2016 & rated 89 points: Rich and creamy, this wine shows charred wood, dark black cherry and ripe blueberry jam fruit, and some decent spiciness.
Drinking well now, I think it should ideally be consumed now through 2017. (1381 views) | | | Tasted by Bob & Sue Atlanta on 9/22/2016 & rated 93 points: Good structure, typical HS wine. Never would have guessed this was from 2009. Tasted much younger. highly enjoyable... (1444 views) | | | Tasted by bjamesclark on 7/26/2015 & rated 93 points: Viscous, with a dark red color bordering on oven brick with black plum hues. the thick legs show medium/medium+ staining.
Decanted 1.5 hours+
Hugely complex and impeccably well developed. This shows the progression that Russell's wines take with a little bottle age.
A complex blend of scents waft up from the glass with intensity including violets, blueberry, brambly blackberry, sun baked strawberry, red meats, sarsaparilla, black licorice, roses, spices of cardamom and white pepper, freshly rained forrest floor and wood notes that encompass cedar, cigar box and pencil shavings.
The palate is full bodied with medium-plus acid, medium ripe tannins and higher alcohol levels though the perception is not as high as the actual. Flavors are well blended showing violets and blueberries with bramble, strawberry compote, vanilla, baking spice, dark cherry, blackberry, sarsaparilla, licorice, shisha tobacco, oak and a hint of brown sugar. The finish is long and lingers.
Overall, classy and elegant. A spectacular showing. (1838 views) | | | Tasted by armchairsommelier on 7/12/2015 & rated 93 points: Time has been kind to this bottle. Rich and brooding (the hallmark of HS wines, really). But this is slowly shifting to a lively softness and elegance. Love. Salud! (2147 views) | | | Tasted by fredman on 7/12/2014 & rated 92 points: One hour decant. Dark fruit, spice, and dark chocolate. Drinking wonderfully at this time but should be fine for another 3-5 years. (1917 views) | | | Tasted by Reno-Rhone on 6/4/2014 & rated 92 points: Great wine with a deep ruby color. Upfront fruit and great finish. We are disappointed that this is our last bottle. We love HS! (1685 views) | | | Tasted by Bob & Sue Atlanta on 2/3/2014 & rated 93 points: Typical HS - great value - awesome wine.... (1853 views) | | | Tasted by michal on 1/22/2014: Delicious as always. The wine has settled down over the past couple years since my last tasting. One more left. We'll see how long I can keep my hands off of it. (1671 views) | | | Tasted by Ltomanek on 1/6/2014 & rated 92 points: We opened the bottle three hours before we poured. Nice berry fruit with some spice and very smooth tannins. Held up nicely against a kale salad and a rice curry dish. (1939 views) | | | Tasted by drrobvino on 12/14/2013 & rated 89 points: Big and burly. Oak a bit more integrated, less "char" on the nose and palate. Blue fruit with syrupy richness, but ample acidity to keep the wine from being clunky and cloying. Will likely continue drinking well for another 2 years or so. Very nice overall, a crowd pleaser for sure, but a bit ripe for my liking. (1302 views) | | | Tasted by DarinC on 10/12/2013 & rated 88 points: Big, hedonistic fruit bomb. Serve it below 70F and allow it a few minutes to breath in the glass and it's quite enjoyable, if you're in the mood for this style of wine. Drink now-2015 (1122 views) | | | Tasted by lushlife on 9/3/2013 & rated 88 points: disappointing, all I got was alcohol (1406 views) | | | Tasted by vino nut on 4/20/2013 & rated 94 points: I thought the syrahs were my favorites from Herman Story but man was this good. We opened the bottle 1 1/2 hours before our friends arrived. It was a great bottle. (1659 views) | | | Tasted by Redguy on 3/21/2013 & rated 93 points: Decanted 1 hr then consumed over the next 5 minutes (well, it was more like an hour but it was so good it felt like 5 minutes).
Black and blue fruits along with smoky, gamey, meaty, savory elements showcase the syrah and mourvedre while raspberry type red fruits and licorice show up from the Grenache. But rather than individuals these work as a collective to form such a well integrated pleasure bomb. Over-analyzing this just feels wrong. It's delicious, it's interesting, it's compelling, ... it's Herman Story. It's also 93. (1865 views) | | | Tasted by tc from santee on 2/24/2013 & rated 93 points: There just in not a wine that Russel Story holds back on. His expressions of density and power is unreal. He is driven to make powerful wines with deep fruit intensity driven by the terrior there grown on. I would drink this with Pot Roast or Short Ribs if I were eating but, Just a glass is terrific. (1758 views) | | | Tasted by Azbearoh on 1/2/2013 & rated 93 points: Big red fruit forward wine. Popped and poured for New Year party. Was hit compared to other wines opened. Very easy and great to drink. Nice strong finish with medium tannins. (2135 views) | | | Tasted by caeleric on 12/18/2012: pnp consumed over 4 hours
initial aromas of stemmy Grenache fruit and meaty Mourvèdre. these morphed over the course of the evening into sappy foresty aromas and pure fruit expressions with density and power. driven and focused in the mouth, where the balance and texture were perfect. the finish was long, complex and exciting with loads of raspberry, blackberry, spiced meat, baking spice, and earth. this was wonderful. if scoring, 94-96. I drank the whole thing by myself and it only got better with each sip. drink over the next 3-5 years. (1897 views) | | | Tasted by The Wine Write on 10/21/2012 & rated 93 points: Popped and poured, shared with friends. A big hit as expected. Notes in line with last night's. Spectacular. (1844 views) | | | Tasted by The Wine Write on 10/20/2012 & rated 93 points: Popped and poured at restaurant, paired with steak au poivre. Explosive nose with bright red fruit, pepper and licorice notes. Opened up quickly on the palate. Creamy mouthfeel. Plenty of fruit up front, with coffee and dark chocolate notes on the finish. May be my favorite HS. (1682 views) | | | Tasted by philipmac on 9/20/2012 & rated 93 points: 2 hour decant. Priceless. Russell (and Hank) rocks! (1858 views) | | | Tasted by Redguy on 9/19/2012 & rated 93 points: Greedily consumed immediately after an HS 2009 Larner Syrah. Great wine but the cool thing about these Story 09's is each one is directly reflective of the winemaker Russel... a big, fleshy, friendly, rich, expressive, open, enjoyable teddy bear of a wine.
............. Sorry bout that "fleshy" thing Russel. (1890 views) | | | Tasted by wendyinwlv on 8/5/2012 & rated 90 points: Another great bottle from Russell. Still young, but wanted to share a Herman Story with everyone (1579 views) | | | Tasted by rdf58 on 8/5/2012 & rated 93 points: 2 hour decant. Very dark in color. Plush and full bodied with plum and leather aromas. Shows both up front fruit and earthy notes. Very similar to previous bottle. Plenty of aging potential, but why wait? (1665 views) | | | Tasted by lushlife on 6/12/2012 & rated 93 points: rich and concentrated with deep black fruit. acid and tannins balanced, smooth finish. (1814 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, California's Central Coast: Better than Ever (Aug 2012)
(Herman Story Casual Encounters California) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous. (manage subscription channels) |
| Herman Story Producer websiteRed Blend.USAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson CaliforniaNapa Valley.http://www.stagecoachvineyard.com/vineyards/our_vineyards.php
Santa Ynez.http://www.everyvine.com/org/Camp_Four/vineyard/Camp_Four/ |
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