Dinner with Friends

Edwin's/Our Backyard by the Fire
Tasted Saturday, July 4, 2015 by Loren Sonkin with 332 views

Introduction

My wife and I were joined by two other couples for dinner at a local restaurant. Great food and conversation. As it was July 4th weekend, I tried to stick to American wines.

Flight 1 (6 Notes)

  • 2013 Groth Sauvignon Blanc 86 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    $40 off the restaurant menu. A bit of a mark up but it served its purpose. Light green/white gold in color. The nose has slight grassiness to it with a bit of tropical fruit. Pleasant, slightly fat texture. Decent acidity. This was refreshing and worked outside on a warm evening.

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  • 2004 Rhys Alesia Syrah Chileno Valley 91 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

    A couple of our friends love brett in wines. I was going to open an older Pegau, but being 4th of July weekend, American wines were called for. Then I remembered I still had a lone bottle of this. Pop and pour, there is plenty of stink on the nose. A slight dill note as well as a brine quality which to me were separate but someone said pickle juice. In any event, the later blew off with air, while the barnyard was intense. Our friends loved it. Also some black raspberries on the nose. Much cleaner on the palate. This took about 20 minutes to start to open and then kept improving all night. Nice texture. Good complexity. Nice fruit. I can see why some would hate this (my wife did), but I found it complex and intriguing. Not really sorry its my last bottle, but not sorry I opened it anyway.

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  • 2006 Pax Syrah Griffin's Lair 93 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

    Pop and pour, this is still young and needs time/air. It took at least an hour to really open but at the two hour mark, it was great. Very much a cooler climate Syrah in style. The nose has boysenberries, black olives and some bacon fat. Sinewy and austere but on a large frame. Air helped it fill out a bit, but never flamboyant or large. Nice acidity. Show complexity as it unwinds in the glass. Most of the table really found this wine way too much work though and went on to other wines. That ended up being good as when the other bottles were drained, I could go back to this after it had a lot of air.

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  • 2010 Carlisle Syrah Papa's Block 94 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

    I know this was young, but that's how my wife loves her wines. It turned out everyone else did too. Pop and pour, this showed great from the get go and kept improving until it was drained a short time later. Purple in color. The nose has black olives, black raspberries, black pepper and slight grilled meats. Great juicy, lush texture. Very easy to drink. Great with our food.

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  • 2011 Pott Wine Cabernet Sauvignon Her Majesty's Secret Service Stagecoach Vineyard 94 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    I really like how accessible the 2011's are from Pott. This bottle was no exception. Pop and let breathe for a bit. Purple in color. The nose has cassis and vanilla and spice. Juicy acidity. Great velourish texture. On the palate, there is depth here but the complexity unwinds with about an hour of air. Delicious wine.

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  • 2008 Saxum Heart Stone Vineyard 98 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

    Whoa. Gorgeous showing for this wine. This got a about a half hour to breathe and then consumed over a couple hours. Great nose. Complex with black raspberries, leather, grilled meats, bacon fat, slight floral notes and pepper. Wonderful smooth texture. No heat. Great balance. Lots of fruit layered tight on the palate. It unwinds in the glass, but tastes so good, its just not in the glass for long. Exceeded my high expectations.

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