Catching up, Lots of Syrah and others from the week

Around town
Tasted Thursday, April 23, 2015 - Monday, April 27, 2015 by Loren Sonkin with 309 views

Introduction

Just catching up on my notes from the weekend. Dinners with friends plus cool but sunny spring days made for a lot of yard work followed by more wine with friends.

Flight 1 - Dinner with Tom and Kathy (2 Notes)

  • 2014 Apsara Cellars Sauvignon Blanc Rivers Reach 88 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    (4/23/2015)

    Very nice wine. I may have served it too cold on this 32F April evening. It took some time for the aromatics to come out. It looks very pretty in the blue/green transparent bottle. Golden in color. The nose has some melons, slight grapefruit notes. Very solid, but I would like to see a bit more depth. Perhaps air might have helped it. I liked the profile very much, just would have liked to turn the volume up ever so slightly. I am looking forward to comparing this to the Sonoma SB they make.

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  • 2011 Booker Vineyard Syrah Fracture Extended Age 22 Months 93 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

    (4/23/2015)

    Pretty consistent with a lot of the SoCal 2011's I have had. Its very good, but lacks the depth of other vintages. Nice black raspberry fruit. Grilled meat underlay. Nice acidity. Worked just fine with my veggie burger.

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Flight 2 - Dinner with Laura and Charlie (2 Notes)

Also had a bottle of our wine off the list as L'Albatross has just started to carry it.

Flight 3 - At home (2 Notes)

The local PBS station had its auction. As part of that, Saturday night was Wine. We bid on a few things but did not win. We did, however, donate some SonkinCellars wine which cam in at an over bid (150%), so that was good. Of course, we drank some wine while watching.

  • 2009 Epoch Estate Wines Sensibility Paderewski Vineyard 95 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

    (4/26/2015)

    Wow, this was an exceptionally good showing, far above what I was expecting. The nose is great with raspberries, milk chocolate, strawberries and slight grilled notes. What a texture. So smooth. It goes down so easily. Lots of great fruit. A slight gap in the mid-palate is only noticeable by how good everything else is. Perfect balance. Long finish. Was above my expectations.

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  • 2013 Carlisle Zinfandel Sonoma County 91 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County

    (4/26/2015)

    This is delicious. Great value. A nose of black raspberries, bramble, c
    charred oak. Luscious texture. Great fruit. Just as good on day 2. Again, I know I should wait a bit on these, but my guess is they won't see autumn.

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Flight 4 - At home (2 Notes)

After watching the Cavs beat the Celtics with some Quivet, Chris & Renee stopped by, so we opened the Saxum.

  • 2006 Saxum Heart Stone Vineyard 95 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

    (4/27/2015)

    Friends stopped by for a quick visit so I opned this as we sat outside on a cool but sunny day. Drinking great right now. Very smooth. Purple in color. Slightly flat. The nose has black raspberries, black pepper and just a bit of grilled meats. Great texture. Quite smooth. No heat, the wine goes down quickly and easily. Nice finish. The bottle was quickly drained. These wines age so beautifully. Still young with years left on it. Perhaps getting close to peak.

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  • 2010 Quivet Cellars Syrah Kenefick Ranch 91 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    (4/27/2015)

    Pop and pour, the nose is odd, like sour cherries with balsamic. It only take about 10 minutes and that blows off. The remaining wine is beautiful. The nose has black raspberries, damp earthiness, grilled meats and black pepper. On the palate, there is a firm streak of acidity and firm tannins. Lots of black raspberry fruit. This needed plenty of air as the last glass is the best. Outstanding.

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