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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 92.8 pts. and median of 93 pts. in 20 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Rollerball on 12/25/2014 & rated 93 points: In good form. A good time to be drinking these. Our syrah-loving host Natasha was quite pleased! (2350 views) | | | Tasted by pjhr on 2/20/2014 & rated 92 points: Wonderful blackberry aromas with rich dark berry, pepper and oak flavors on a rich palate with tasty tannins on a delicious finish (2623 views) | | | Tasted by jbro on 12/25/2013 & rated 92 points: Last sips on the third day. Medium purple-fading at the edges. Nose has dulled since opening, and is now left with some raisiny fruit and a hint of chocolate. Purple fruits on the palate with balanced tannin and acidity--more fruit yesterday and even more on opening. The finish is moderately sweet, pleasing of the sides of the tongue, and is quite long. (2625 views) | | | Tasted by Frank Murray III on 12/7/2013: My last of 4 bottles that I bought in 2009, and have not drank one since 2011. So, sentimental memory here with a winery that helped me cut my path early on into CA syrah. I still have on 2008 Rosella's left, and suspect that wine will be better for my palate these days, given the vintage. As to this 2007, I opened it about an hour ago. Dark, but not opaque. Purple dried flower, what I sometimes call potpourri in my syrah notes, as well as a hint of smoke and pepper, but these are minor aromatic players. The fruit here carries with it what I would expect from Garys', showing a peppered jerky, with a mix of red and black fruit that has some sweet edges to it, medium plus weight. Finishes with licorice, sweet leather, tar with a syrah funk note and some acid to freshen all the parts. Alcohol? Listd at 15.4% and while this initially did not show, with a few hours of air, the heat does come out, mainly in the aromatic and also consumption. Drink window? With a little air, ths sofetened fine, and so I think the wine is ready to go. (2858 views) | | | Tasted by brianngibson on 3/31/2012 & rated 95 points: Almost two years later, and this wine is wonderfully in balance. Definitely one of the better Syrahs I have probably ever had. Great fruit of blackberries and cassis, with perfumed floral aromas still shining through. The tannins are comfortably resolved, though still firm enough to indicate this could have gone longer in the cellar. Sad it is my last one. (3388 views) | | | Tasted by Frank Murray III on 5/9/2011: Pretty well consistent with my note from June 2010. Stems, garrigue, graphite, cooked meat, citrus, black cherry. Lots of verve and rusticity, along with some heft but a wine with good energy. Can rest another 2 years, I bet and drink well through 2015. (1762 views) | | | Tasted by norsktorsk on 8/8/2010 & rated 92 points: great (1732 views) | | | Tasted by norsktorsk on 7/12/2010 & rated 93 points: Killer with lamb. (1891 views) | | | Tasted by Frank Murray III on 6/16/2010: Last bottle was around XMAS 2009 so another six months of bottle age. Recognizing this to be a 2007, I expected it to be larger framed, plush and more dark than the 2005 Roar Rosella's I drank a few weeks back and this Garys' is all of what I expected. Listed alcohol 15.4%. The aromatics at this point are largely dominated by both metal shavings and stems, and I am fairly certain that Ed Kurtzman has the whole cluster on this wine dialed up a fair amount so that makes sense aromatically. Add some sage, brush and a litle bit of heat to that mix, too. The palate drinks plush, with lots of charcoal, black cherry, tar, sage and plush blue and black fruit, with a finishing mix of citrusy acid, teriyaki, sage and tarry funk. I believe Ed is getting this wine to be more complex, more rugged in quality as the vintages move forward, as evidenced by this bottle. I won't mistake this for french, as the fruit and palate weight say more about CA syrah then Cote Rotie but I do like this wine, as I often do with the Roars, as it satisfies my desire for some rustic notes with the mix of CA fruit.....and with 24 hours of bottle time and while watching Game 7 of the Lakers/Celt game, this wine is fleshed out. Ed did a nice job with this wine as it shows the range of pepper, teriyaki, plum, char and good acidity and tension. I think this wine will be best in 2011 when the fruit and tannin curves intersect at their prime points and the wine is in its prime window. (1873 views) | | | Tasted by inkana on 5/20/2010 & rated 92 points: Popped and poured. A bit of a sulfurous odor that blew off after several minutes. Then, the aromas really started to evolve - initially dark berry, coffee and pepper, which merged into sweeter spice and cola notes later. Full palate, moderately complex flavors of blackberry, forest floor, spice, mocha and vanilla. Moderately long finish. Would give this some aeration next time for best showing. (2012 views) | | | Tasted by brianngibson on 4/26/2010 & rated 94 points: Inky and thick; made my teeth stick together just a little. Beautiful floral and sage notes on the nose. Blackberry, forest floor, white pepper and oak on the palate. This wine is singing. Tannins still have a little bite, but not too mouth puckering. The finish is exquisite and long. It goes down much easier than you would expect for 15.4% alc. Glad I have another bottle to hold on to for a while. (1877 views) | | | Tasted by kennyg on 3/19/2010 & rated 93 points: Dense, velvety, peppery syrah. Nice tannins and heat is not overpowering. Better on day 2 and best on day 3. Had to leave it with a couple fo glasses left-- bummer (2156 views) | | | Tasted by geneswine on 1/9/2010 & rated 94 points: This is a big and thick wine with loads of sweet fruit. It is exhibiting really nice ballance now. Finish is just average. I suspect that it is the kind of wine that is great in its youth, and is likely to be near its peak. It is great now and there is no reason to even attempt to keep for any time. (1967 views) | | | Tasted by Frank Murray III on 12/12/2009: Drinking from a bottle open overnight. A different expression for Garys', and I can see Ed's hand in this bottling. More tobacco, iron, a hint of new wood, and no alcohol evident (listed @ 15.4%). Black fruit, showing a crushed earthy element to it. More restrained than the 2006 and 2005, the 2007 is really balanced and with enough depth and dark notes, it shows very well. Age another year, drink through 2013. (2029 views) | | | Tasted by SPK on 12/11/2009: There is lots going on with this wine: chocolate, cherry, a hint of pepper, smoke, currant and a touch of tar. Sits very even on the palate and balanced throughout. The finish still shows signs of being young, but expected of course, as I am drinking it as a youngin'. FCMIII would be proud. This is drinking so well right now that it is hard to say don't open one and try it, but discipline is the key as it will be mind blowing to see where this wine goes over the years to come. (2258 views) | | | Tasted by mmurry on 12/7/2009 & rated 93 points: The nose had black currant and cherry, pepper, tar, smoke, cake spice, and a touch of vanilla and flowers. The palate was soft and juicy, and had pepper, tar, cherry, black currant, spice, and a very nice oak and floral finish. (2201 views) | | | Tasted by kennyg on 11/26/2009 & rated 92 points: Very inky and super concentrated. Complex peppery Syrah. Benefited from long decant and significant aeration. Lovely drink alone wine (2306 views) | | | Tasted by Rollerball on 11/24/2009 & rated 94 points: Dark chocolate brownie with black cherry veins. Near-perfect weight on a touchable, penetrable shape. Complex nuances of smoke, carpaccio, ash, and flowers. 94-95. (2415 views) |
| Roar Producer website 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. Garys' VineyardAppellation: Santa Lucia Highlands
Planted: 1997
Total Vineyard Acreage: 50 acres
Varietals: Pinot Noir, Syrah
Clone/ Rootstock: Pisoni Clone planted to 3309 and 5C
Exposure: Southeast
Trellising: VSP Bilateral
Spacing: 6x8 and 5x8
Vines per acre: 1089 and 908
Soils: Arroyo Seco Sandy loam
Climate: A marine climate highlighted by strong coastal winds blowing off Monterey bay make for foggy mornings, breezy afternoons and a long, drawn out growing season. Average summertime high temperatures are in the mid 70's.
The Garys’ Vineyard is a joint venture between two
native growers of the Santa Lucia Highlands. Gary
Pisoni and Gary Franscioni planted this 50-acre
vineyard to Pinot Noir and Syrah in 1997. Its location
on a sloping hillside in the center of the 16-mile long
appellation offers a true representation of the Santa
Lucia Highlands.
From Club Testarossa June 2013 tasting notes:
In the hierarchy of great California vineyards, it doesn't get much better than Garys' - the eponymous
collaboration of winegrowers Gary Pisoni and Gary Franscioni - one of the most famous estates on the
West Coast. The Wine Enthusiast designates Garys' vineyard as the closest vineyard to an "American Grand
Cru."
Just off of Highway 101 about 80 miles south of San Jose takes you to the heart of the Santa Lucia
Highlands Appellation - home to Garys' Vineyard. Owned jointly by the Pisoni and Franscioni families and
managed by Mark Pisoni and Gary Franscioni, this is one of the crown jewels for Pinot Noir collectors.
"We view our vineyard as multi-generational commitments to growing grapes that can produce the most
remarkable and balanced wines."
Testarossa has one of the longest running, closest relationships with the vineyard - the 2011 vintage marks
our thirteenth release from Garys' The Highlands close proximity to Monterey Bay's cool climate make for
one of California's longest growing seasons. The vineyard's sloping orientation on the southeast facing
bench on sandy, gravelly loam soils provides just the right mix of sun, wind, and fog. Testarossa's section of
Garys' Vineyard is three pristine acres of the famous "Pisoni Clone" Pinot Noir, originally planted in 1997.
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 Central Coasthttp://www.ccwinegrowers.org/links.html
http://www.discovercaliforniawines.com/regional-wine-organizations/
http://beveragetradenetwork.com/en/btn-academy/list-of-winegrowers-association-in-central-coast-california-274.htm
Central Coast AVA WikipediaSanta Lucia HighlandsAppellation: Wine Artisans of Santa Lucia Highlands | Winegeeks article
AVA Website
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