Dinner at Suze with Harry K

Suze Restaurant, Dallas
Tasted Wednesday, March 31, 2010 by OneLastSyrah with 1,691 views

Introduction

The esteemed Chateauneuf du Pape author Harry Karis came through town and Howard was kind enough to arrange a tasting for us to meet him and enjoy a few wines. The theme was Rhone varieties, not from the Rhone, but we had some stunning actual Rhone wines thrown in as well.

Flight 1 - Starters (2 Notes)

Flight 2 - Reds (7 Notes)

  • 1998 d'Arenberg Shiraz The Dead Arm 87 Points

    Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale

    Blind red 1 - Dark garnet in the glass, translucent garnet at the edges. Sweet smelling with a touch of licorice and sweet oak. Medium full bodied with tangy sweet dark fruit and a bit of sour oak. The acidity on this is jacked up. Started off okay, but fell into a sour mess. I guessed late 90's Aussie, and was contemplating naming D'arenberg. I'll give myself a quick pat on the back for that. Disappointing.

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  • 2004 Familia Nin-Ortiz Priorat Nit de Nin Mas d'en Cacador 91 Points

    Spain, Catalunya, Priorat

    Blind Red 2 - Translucent dark ruby in the glass. Reticent nose of wax, smoky earth and a rubbery tar quality. Sweet-tart attack of red fruit. Medium bodied with red fruit. A bit vague. I was guessing a Priorat with some age on it - say a 98 or an 01. 15% ABV. Pretty good, but didn't really wow me.

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  • 2007 Domaine la Barroche Châteauneuf-du-Pape Signature 93 Points

    France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

    Red 2 (non blind) - 15% ABV. Translucent ruby in the glass. Aromas of mineral, concrete (no corked), dark berry fruit, and cinnamon. Ripe berry cherry fruit on the palate. Fruit forward with a long finish. Youthfully exuberant. Mid palate this tastes a little less concentrated and more like a cotes du rhone, but the overall effect is nice. 93+

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  • 2007 Arnot-Roberts Syrah California 92 Points

    USA, California

    Blind Red 4 - one of my contributions. Opaque in the glass. Meaty iodine on the nose. Smells a lot like a Northern Rhone wine, maybe St. Joseph or Cornas. Somewhat tart black cherry fruit with a complex pepper quality. This is showing better than my previous bottle with enough fruit to balance out the savory. Still didn't get much love from the group and no one was fooled as to its place of origin.

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  • 2007 Mas de Boislauzon Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée du Quet 95 Points

    France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

    Blind Red 5 - Dark somewhat translucent garnet in the glass. Initially reticent with an herbal garrigue note. Rich dark fruit that turned into sweet kirsch with air. Secondary balsa wood. Finishes a little bit hot. This is tasty. I guessed it was a Saxum - way off, but I still see some similarities. 94-95. Thanks for bringing this Howard.

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  • 1998 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Flawed

    France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

    Red 6 (non blind) - Dark garnet with a hint of tawny. Funky nose of horse and bark. Medium full bodied with funky rusty flavors over high toned red fruit. Not great. I thought this might be flawed, but Harry and John did not. I'd say drink up and hope your bottles have a bit less brett. I hope my one remaining bottle shows better. Update 9/08/10: Having tasted another bottle, I believe this was indeed a flawed bottle.

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  • 2006 Ramey Syrah Shanel Vineyard 93 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

    Blind Red 7 - my other contribution, for what it is worth. Sweet apricot nose with red berry fruit and cinnamon spice. Rich on the palate with ripe black fruit and a suggestion of lavender. Great nose. I really like this wine, but I don't think the rest of the group enjoyed it as much as I. At least I got a nod from Harry K that he liked the nose.

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Flight 3 - Dessert (1 Note)

This paired fairly well with a caramel bread pudding.

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