May 20, 2021 - Shockingly good given age. On the nose red and black fruit, wonderfully smooth / lithe texture halfway towards Pinot noir but nice tannin/structure on the finish. Paired perfectly with some brisket. Mike Smith is the man and his syrahs are great value.
April 24, 2020 - I drank this wine with Mike and Leah at the Wineberserker Zoom meeting. My first experience with this vineyard was the 2007 back in 2010 in Napa.
I really enjoyed that wine. I was ‘saving’ the 2011 (yes, that vintage) for a non wine geek dinner.
I opened the bottle 4 hours before my first taste. It was slow ox’d. First taste the wine looked pretty. It didn’t have the full Syrah body I was expecting. It was more of a Pinot Noir feel. As the Zoom meeting ended (7 hours after opening), the wine put on a little more weight. If you own this wine > drink now.
Not much change on day 2.
November 9, 2018 - PnP. Dark. Brambly. Stemmy. Very nice.
September 23, 2018 - Pop and pour and tasted from a Govino cup while out on a boat on a lake.
Corked!
Slight musty smell. Too bad as it showed good acidity and some black cherry and woodsy notes but the flavors were muted and not expressive.
August 30, 2017 - Cork busted off while uncorking which was a red flag. However, it really opened up after an hour. Fleshed out with notes of smoked mead, bbq smoke, charred pit fruit, black sappy berries. Medium bodied and really came together nicely. Interested to see what the next bottle holds.
July 17, 2017 - Mellowed a lot since drinking the last bottle. Very yummy with pizza!
May 30, 2017 - Lighter than most Syrahs I drink; probably a result of the year. Really nice wine, and would buy more if I could find it.
December 4, 2016 - A little too astringent and tannin for me. Will try the next bottle in a year or so. Maybe it will mellow out more by then.
March 27, 2016 - Popped and poured, medium-plus youthful purple/ruby. Pronounced, extremely complex nose of red fruits, sage, fresh oregano, forest floor, conifer incense, olive brine, ham, clay, smoke...the list keeps going, absolutely fantastic. Medium to medium-plus body. Just as complex on the palate, this seamlessly combines savory with fruit in an absolutely gangbusters amalagam of both. Moderate-plus acidity works in perfect harmony with smooth, slightly astringent tannins on the lingering close.
An incredible juxtaposition of old world with new, this is benchmark CA Syrah. Drink now and over the next 8-10 years.
November 20, 2015 - I pnp'd this straight from the cellar and the nose and flavors are singing love songs to me. Another beauty that I just want to be alone with!