| Community Tasting Notes (average 88.7 pts. and median of 89 pts. in 46 notes) |
| | Tasted by foobarski on 7/1/2014 & rated 89 points: Noticed a LOUD note of cedar when I first decanted it, but that faded pretty quickly. Still, a bright woodsy nose throughout. Just a hint of eucalyptus on the palate. Very enjoyable with a grilled steak. (2525 views) |
| | Tasted by BlackIce on 1/15/2013 & rated 88 points: Agree exactly with Richardhod. Thank goodness the forte is not very noticeable in this vintage. Very good especially given the QPR. (3869 views) |
| | Tasted by richardhod on 1/8/2013 & rated 88 points: With roast lamb, a Scott Harvey Syrah, his 06 Mountain selection. Not as complex as the Buena Vista Ramal Chard I had beforehand, but once it opened up after 30 minutes, it zinged and zipped around nicely, as Scott's picking a point tends to do. Still a little port-y, but only slightly, and that addition just mellows and keeps it relatively one-dimensional but very round and comforting. A good, deep fun winter wine. I think I prefer it with lamb stews and deep flavours like that, but it was lovely with the roast leg. (5003 views) |
| | Tasted by HitAnyKey on 3/11/2012 flawed bottle: Corked bottle, or at least flawed in some way similar. (4686 views) |
| | Tasted by Ann&Wayne on 1/22/2012 & rated 90 points: Everyone enjoyed this wine which we had with dinner; lasagna was served (4463 views) |
| | Tasted by desler on 12/27/2011 & rated 93 points: Great wine, no tannin, well balanced and a pleasure to drink. decanted (3113 views) |
| | Tasted by klezman on 9/29/2011: Initially it's coming off as kind of hot, lots of spice and alcohol. Clearly great acid, but an every-so-slightly perceptible touch of sugar. Probably there is a bit of Forte blended in here as Scott tends to do.
After a while open, it's getting better and better. Bigger, fuller body than I was expecting, but nice flavours and textures. This is a wine that needs time to show its strengths. (2654 views) |
| | Tasted by javadrinker on 7/15/2011 & rated 88 points: Think this one is still way too young but it's a big Syrah! Lots of dark fruits with some pepper on the back end. Full mouth feel and chewy as all heck. Beautiful fruit on the nose too. Drank it alone but think this one would pair nicely with food. (3229 views) |
| | Tasted by Ann&Wayne on 6/3/2011 & rated 85 points: Nice wine with eucalyptus hints. (2833 views) |
| | Tasted by richardhod on 4/27/2011 flawed bottle: Corked. (3807 views) |
| | Tasted by richardhod on 2/15/2011 & rated 90 points: The 06 Syrah is at a high and wonderful peak: a divine cassis-driven accessible wine, with perfect acid balance. Imperceptibly off-dry, it's not over-extracted fruity, it's lively, open and playfully fruity. Drink it next to a Wellington Syrah and you'll notice it's less tanniny. less stalwart and more fruit-forward with noticeable sweetness in comparison. Nonetheless on it's own or drunk with your godmother's deeply rich and warming chicken and mushroom slow-cooked Lancashire stew, parsnips and red cabbage during a cold winter's night at -11, it challenges any drink for perfection. With nice soft tannins, you can drink it now, or keep a couple of years or more and it'll still be good. (3998 views) |
| | Tasted by woodwardcellar on 1/28/2011 & rated 80 points: I wanted so much to enjoy Scott Harvey's mixed case from woot but unfortunately it's been a bit of a disaster. The forte in the blends make everything taste like dry port. On the one hand there's a richness there that I can certainly see would appeal to some palates, but unfortunately this just isn't my style. (3589 views) |
| | Tasted by rentmp3 on 1/18/2011 & rated 89 points: Typical syrah. Dark purple color. Tons of blackberries on the nose and palate and black pepper for days. Lacking the jammyness found in many California syrahs. Smooth, well integrated tannins. A by-the-book syrah. (3190 views) |
| | Tasted by richardhod on 12/17/2010 & rated 90 points: Off-dry but delicious Cassis-laden Amador Syrah. Populist style, but not just about he fruit. good acid balance, and some backbone. Great with lamb. (3766 views) |
| | Tasted by joannevicious on 11/26/2010 & rated 88 points: very nice and drinkable. A bit more fruit than I would have liked, but not jammy. Reasonably balanced, decent structure (though would've liked more assertion here). Definitely nice for the price (3513 views) |
| | Tasted by Ann&Wayne on 8/9/2010 & rated 88 points: No food; just the wine. It was nice. Good tannin structure carries the fruit. We noticed a slightly floral taste and anise. (4141 views) |
| | Tasted by Ann&Wayne on 6/25/2010 & rated 90 points: After dinner, we drank this bottle and enjoyed it very much. A little smoke and chocolate tiptoeing in the background and cherry pie stomping on my taste buds. I don't know when this wine is supposed t peak or when it will begin to decline. However, I do know it drinks beautifully right now. Looking forward to our next one. (4262 views) |
| | Tasted by PhilSandifer on 6/2/2010 & rated 93 points: Strawberries, subtle pepper, and mint, a bottle that shifts around beautifully with food, changing with each sip and glass. (4372 views) |
| | Tasted by klezman on 2/5/2010 & rated 93 points: Excellent wine! Complex nose of blueberries and mint, just as the bottle said, surprisingly. Subtle fruit flavours, nice tannins, went well with steak. I wish I had more bottles. (4777 views) |
| | Tasted by dsm0721 on 2/1/2010 & rated 87 points: Bottle was better after sitting an additional 6 months. Nice fruuit forard but not over the top Syrah. Would def. buy again (4879 views) |
| | Tasted by merryberry on 1/2/2010 & rated 88 points: Purple, thinning toward the edge. Almost jammy blueberry nose. Deeply fruited blackberries and dark cherries, decent acid, smooth tannins, all nicely balanced, with a medium finish. Not complex, but very good, and well worth the price. (4728 views) |
| | Tasted by boatman72 on 12/13/2009: Very nice cherry and touch of spice (4733 views) |
| | Tasted by Ann&Wayne on 11/11/2009 & rated 90 points: We were surprised that his wine would be so flavor rich at this date. It was berry rich and not as dense as I expect from a Syrah. Though the tannins were present, it left an oak flavor on the palate rather than a stringent finish. We loved it. (4841 views) |
| | Tasted by jwink on 8/6/2009 & rated 88 points: Had at a winemaker road show. Well made, good balance; spice, pepper, blackberry (5078 views) |
| | Tasted by RossR on 6/20/2009 & rated 91 points: Wow! This is so smooth & easy drinking. Better notes later. Talk about fighting out of your weight class! (5097 views) |
| | Tasted by ajfranke on 5/27/2009 & rated 88 points: Lots of Bing cherry and black raspberry. Very enjoyable, competes above its price point. (5300 views) |
| | Tasted by houtx on 5/16/2009 & rated 86 points: Very good. Solid nose with deep purple grape, some earth/leather/must. An explosion of flavor in the mouth, with good "structure," but absolutely pleasant as a sipping wine; no need to eat with this. There was a bit of the nasty purple grape soda flavor that haunts the Inzinerator, but here it was a complement to the overall flavor profile, not make you think you're drinking cough syrup. Big fan. (5068 views) |
| Scott Harvey Producer website
Winemaker, Scott Harvey
Growing up in California’s Sierra Mountains Region, Scott developed a keen interest in winemaking as a high school exchange student in the Rhineland Pfalz region of Germany. Scott attended California State University at Sacramento before beginning practical Enology training at Montevina Winery in Amador County. Back to Germany in 1975, he apprenticed at K. Fitz-Ritter Winery while attending the Weinbau Schule in Neustadt. Once again returning to Montevina Winery, Scott focused on all aspects of winemaking and running a winery. From farming the grapes to effectively marketing the wine, Scott solidified his knowledge and experience. In 1978, at the age of twenty-three, Scott took over as Head Winemaker for Story Winery, also in Amador County. In 1979 Scott developed an ambitious winery plan for the Santino family. As Winemaker and General Manager of Santino Winery, Scott is credited with placing Amador County firmly on the California wine map. Crafting the best wines possible from the soils and climatic conditions of the region, Santino and later Renwood benefited from Scott’s German training and innovative style. Becoming one of the leading wineries in Amador County, and garnering critical acclaim, the wine world was paying attention. Amador County was now recognized as a world-class wine-growing appellation. In 1996, Scott was recruited as Partner, Winemaker & President for newly purchased, Folie a Deux Winery in Napa Valley. Combining forces with Lead Partner and renowned Winemaker, Richard Peterson, Ph.D, a formidable winemaking team was launched. Scott pursued his commitment to award-winning Cabernets made from the Estate Vineyards in Napa Valley while continuing his passion for Amador County Zinfandel. Access to Scott’s original Grandpère vineyard in Amador County and close relationships with premier Amador County growers, resulted in award-winning wines all around for Folie a Deux. In addition, Scott’s creation, the “Menage a Trois” line of wines, was an instant commercial success. In 2004, Folie a Deux, now a respected brand, was sold to Sutter Home/Trinchero Winery. Scott was finally positioned and ready to start his own venture, and he had the ideal partner - his wife, Jana, a wine industry veteran. Scott Harvey Wines, the initial line of wines in the “Creative Wine Concepts” portfolio, was created out of market demand for Scott’s wines - “niche wines that over deliver.” The Scott Harvey line focuses on Scott’s roots - Zinfandel, Syrah and Barbera from the Sierras. Approachable, food friendly and full of luscious fruit, these wines have struck a cord in the marketplace. Scott has hit his stride with his new mantra.2006 Scott Harvey Syrah Mountain SelectionVarietals: 94% Syrah, 6% Mixed Ports (using his Forte wine)Syrah Varietal article (Wikipedia) | (Wines Northwest)
Note that some producers in the Northern Rhone distinguish between simply Syrah and "Serine", the latter described as ‘an ancient clone of Syrah, the berries of which are more oval-shaped and less deeply pigmented than Syrah’ by producer Tardieu-Laurent. 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 Sierra FoothillsAmador |
