July 8, 2013 - Assumed I'd be pouring it down the sink, but this was still a gem, soft, long on palate, raspberry, cherry, coffee, tobacco, beautiful color but a bit past prime I can tell.
April 19, 2013 - Wine of the 2001 Vintage at Matt B's House (New Canaan, CT): Mineral and espresso nose jumped out of the glass. Dark roasted fruit, menthol, root vegetable. Very complex wine with superb depth and richness. Finish seemed to go on for minutes.
Drinking wonderfully now but after an hour it started to degrade. Drink up.
This received one second place vote.
January 23, 2013 - This bottle was purchased locally and survived a trip from Cape Town to Seattle and another from Seattle to Washington, D. C. Popped and poured 11 years after release. Pristine cork, inky dark purple. Nose of blackberry, garrigue, black pepper, peat. Layers of spicy black currant and licorice on the viscous palate, with plenty of pepper and satisfying sweet grip at the end. Moderate acidity and rounded-off tannins. Nice finish with waves of red fruit and a bit of mineral. An enjoyable drink with leg of lamb - who knew this Shiraz would age so well?
February 11, 2011 - Non blind tasted. Temperature service 15°C. Deep black color with brown borders. Nose hyper expressiv, jamy, like black and red fruits boilling with sugar; blackberry, rasberry, blueberry, ending with vanilla a touch, a bit of graphite and perhaps a light sappy touch. Mouth full bodied, hyper fruity according to the nose, soft tannins, good alcohol, and still some acidity. A modern wine at his peak. A pure mature feminin style with a flashy gala dress. No way to wait a day more, my dear, it is this night or never !
I was thinking a year ago that "she" was on the way down. In fact just about ! This bottle has been stored in better conditions than othe ones.
October 4, 2007 - This was very good. A little too much smoke, but it wasn’t bothersome. Nice floral and sweet fruit. Starting to brick.
July 7, 2006 - Dark, rich, luscious. Pepper and some raw meat notes but the fruit is the star. Full bodied and a wonderful Syrah.
December 12, 2005 - Dark purple. Nose was enticing with scents of dark fruits and a little char. Burnt notes picked up on the palate as well but I found it to be a positive, mixed in with licorice, blueberry, and blackberry flavors. Rounded and fruit forward, with substantial tannins. I liked it. Nice with Indian curry!
November 26, 2005 - Dark colour. No sign of ageing. Very primary on the nose. Palate similar. Very rich with some oak evident.Slightly sweet too. Tannins fully resolved. Somewhat hot though - a significant 15% alcohol that you can really feel and which spoils it a bit. Outclassed by the 1998 Raymond Usseglio CNDP drunk alongside.