Pours deep ruby in the glass with a brooding nose of olive tapenade, dark fruits and candied orange peel. Crushed lavender and lead pencil shavings round out a lovely bouquet. Fresh, youthful, and utterly massive palate of ripe red fruits on the attack that quickly dissipates with 30+ minutes of air leaving hints of roast game, sawdust, dried cherries. A mouthfeel that comes and goes as tannic structure seems to assert itself then balance with the vibrant acid, alcohol, and fruit. 60+ second finish and an easy 5+ years of age worthiness ahead.
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Lavender and rosemary aromatics, jammy plums with a bit of tangerine peel on the palate. Thick texture with a little heat evident on the finish. Ok with braised short ribs, but I can’t see it with anything less rich. Just beginning to show some secondary development, so no rush at all.
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Deep purple/red. Gamey, blackberry aromas with a backdrop of herbaceous notes. Additional leather on the palate. Good structure with soft but quite present tannins. Solid b
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Very meaty nose, with dense blackberry predominating. Rich, with the blackest of fruit and some leather on the finish. Lots of sediment and did not open up over the evening. Actually less complex than when it was young. Will try to decant and air out my last bottle - thanks to others reviewers' suggestions...
I can't believe it - I had this wine with - the same recipie leg of lamb and au gratin potatoes as 4 years ago ! (Not with any forthought.)
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Just kinda meh. Nothing wrong with this, but at this price point I expect more complexity. Touch of meat, dried berries, and rough tannins on the finish. On a side note, my wife (tasting blind) did nail this as a 2009 California syrah. Paired well with chicken thighs, so a $45 food wine?
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Chili, BBQ, Syrah and Other Things With River Rat (Brian Tuite's Backyard): Poured blind as part of a 6 wine syrah flight. Rich and modern with some whole cluster. Flavors of cooked sausage (this is what my notes describe as the meatiness), bitter chocolate, black olive, iron, tarry with a tannic, youthful finish. Plenty of life left in this wine at nearly 10 years so I'd think this would go for a lot longer.
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Once again this wine is performing really well. Decanted for about 90 minutes and similar to last time - this tastes very Northern Rhone in style. Lots of black olive tapenade and grilled meats here - just very savory with dark fruit and spices - really aging beautifully!
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Damn this is really drinking well right now - blinded I would have definitely guessed northern rhone. PnP - consumed over two nights. Nose is smokey grilled meats. Palate is lots of savory goodness, meaty, black olive tapenade and mature dark fruits, nice lift from the acid. For all the savory goodness it still feels light and airy on the palate. Glad there are 3 more in the cellar.
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Classic Griffin's Lair iodine and grilled meat were somewhat flattened by the powdery tannin on the back end. A bit out of balance without food on the table right now, there's still enough energy and savory fruit for this to last a while yet. Although this would be interesting to check on in 5+ years I think the odds favor more immediate consumption.
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Honestly, just not for me. In it's youth it was too tannic but had a wealth of primary fruit. The fruit has faded faster than the tannins, so what's left is not a lot of fun.
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showed a bit of age in the color and on the palate. dark red fruit, intense with some great balance from tannins. a lingering touch of sweetness on the finish, prune flavors, hints of leather and smoke. usually i find dried fruit flavors off-putting, but there is something compelling about this wine that keeps bringing back to the bottle. Wish i had more.
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Tasted blind. Deep ruby with a garnet rim, showing a little age. The nose is clean and intense, leading off with smoked meat, medicinal herbs, black olives, and then some oak-induced sweet baking spices. The black and blue fruit does not come through until the palate, which is dry, with medium (+) acidity, medium alcohol (13.6%) and tannins which are still medium (+) to pronounced. An interesting wine, but perhaps a little unbalanced with the tannins at this point overpowering the fruit. I would say drink now, after a vigorous decant, or hold it for another five years and see what happens with the tannins.
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I loved this - my wife was not a fan (too "inky").
Dark black color. Great nose - black olives, iron, mesquite, violets, blackberry. On palate, medium+ body, high acidity, stout tannins (great with grilled tuna steaks). Flavor profile consistent with nose (dark fruits / iron / mesquite). Despite tannins, the fruit was bright enough to provide balance although my wife would disagree with that. Long finish.
A polarizing wine, but I really enjoyed and would buy again. This should age well.
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PnP. This has a huge attack of olive, meat, and tar. It calms done to black fruit which is still tannic and has good acidity. I thought it had more alcohol than listed. I agree with Jeff that there is no hurry if you have more. I don't.
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With grilled burgers and sautéed collard greens. We once found the Wind Gap wines on the leaner side of what we prefer but now this is on the more decadent side. There is a slight sweetness that detracts but I like the tar and olive notes. There is some fine tannin left and plenty of acid so I won't rush to open the last bottle.
This held up well for several days and was the best on day two.
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This started out inky and singular, but with ample air this shows very nice fruits - plums, mulberry, blackberry - enough tannic finish to keep it alive. A touch of acidity. not much. still a nice wine. definitely time to drink up.
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Deep and expressive blueberry, blackberry nose. Medium to full body, with low to medium acidity. Has gobs of dark fruit, really coats the mouth with a good wall of tannin toward the back, leaving a slight raisin note with some oak. From magnum, over the first hour opened with no decant.
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Big fruit, but a bit gritty, either from tannins, or perhaps, a sauvage approach to winemaking with regard to filtering and fining. Sweet cherry, not much earth and spice. But a pleasant bottle.
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Friday Night Tasting in Toronto (VinT's Place): Still going strong, though I think at this stage the aromatics aren't quite as punchy as when I tasted this a couple years ago. This nose is of blueberry, violets, smoke, black olive, iodine and caper brine. A great, retrained, cooler climate example, though with loads of blueberry fruit as well. The palate is lush and blueberry driven with hints of darker fruit and a slight marzipan note on the medium plus finish. Moderate tannin and a strong acid presence indicate this should have a long life ahead of it. I really like this profile.
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A bit closed on day 1. Overall, has lost some of its pliancy and tilted toward a narrower range of savory while remaining a classy Syrah. Not sure about the arc on this one from here.
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A bit subdued nose of dark fruit and some spice, dark purple in color. A medium to full bodied single vineyard red, with black cherry, plum, some chocolate and spice on finish, an easy drinker. www.winelx.com
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A year between notes, and while this is my last 750, I have a mag left so wanted to check in on the progress. Opened y/day, left under cork in the fridge. Tasting today with a cool temp to allow wine to evolve towards room temp. First off, the color is dark so there is no mixing this up as a color light wine--it is not. Same aromatics as last year's bottle, with the purple flower and whole cluster signature, both qualities to syrah that I seek and really enjoy. Texturally, lot to appreciate here. It's got a big brush stroke of inky, dark black cherry and raspberry, tar, iron, lots of black olive, bitter licorice and chalk (which fades off as the wine warms) and with a warmer profile, emerges a bloody, meaty quality. Having tasted the 2010 Pax Griffin's Lair a few months ago, it doesn't reach the qaulity level of this 2009. I had trouble enjoying the 2010 and while I am not sure what Pax did different and whether the vintage played a role in that difference, I'd seek this 2009 again and buy a few more to lay down with my mag as this is high quality. This 2009 is big and inky, yet savory and really delicious, one of the best 2009 CA syrahs I have had yet.
Just out of the bottle thought it was corked. Really just needed 30 min to open up. Lots of pure fruit and significant tannin. Based on tannin, probably needs another 2-3 years. My favorite component is a significant savory/saline note on the entry to the palate. Really nice wine from a great vineyard. Drink or hold
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My wife and I very much enjoyed. Big blackberry, licorice, dark cherry and slightly herbal finish. Ready to drink, but should have years in front of it.
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I had this a year ago and said then it needed a further year - and I was right! This is now starting to drink beautifully with both red and fruit flavours and huge depth. Just how a love a Syrah. V highly recommended
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The best and most complex wine of the 140 that I have rated so far! Decanted over half an hour and slowly enjoyed over the next two hours. Nose of mesquite smoke, olives, blueberry, bacon and a high end sweet note (I don't want to sound like a flake) of BBQ potato chips, with the flavors and palate evolving over time. A robust body with strong fruit, plentiful but soft tannins and balanced acidity to match all of the previously mentioned strengths. More fruit than sweetness on the palate, especially well matched with homemade herbed, peppered, butterflied, broiled leg of lamb, potatoes au gratin and sweet lemon glazed carrots. Great now, should easily last five or more years. Bottle 2754.
Poured through a Vinturi. Wow!!! This is a great wine Deep and full but balanced throughout. Lots of dark fruit, layer of spice with great blue on the finish.
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Decanted about an hour. Layered, brooding, savory aromatics from the start. Beef jerky coupled with dark cherry compote and charred wood. Palate is in your face and lacking some of the elegance the aromatics display. Liqueured black fruit, bacon fat and sweet baking spice. Finish is almost there but needs a few more years to achieve more balance.
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Trialto New World Classics Catalogue Tasting (Fine Wine Reserve): Right off the bat it is evident that this resembles the Northern Rhone with quite an old world nose. Black pepper, caper, olive brine, tar, and light touches of saline start things off. A bit of a rubber/plastic/diesel note detracts from the overall aromatic spectrum but you can't deny this wine is massively complex. There is also loads of blueberry fruit hiding under there. Palate is quite fat, almost a bit creamy and finishes on fine grained tannin. Unfortunately the diesel fuel note replays on the finish, again holing back the score for me. Overall it's a bit much for me right now, give it some time to integrate and maybe something beautiful will come out on the other end.
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Decanted and drank over 3 hours. Had a bit of funk on the nose, but has some earthy and dark fruit aroma. The taste has some slight dark fruit along with hints of tobacco, but the taste really kinda falls short for me. It seems to really die on the mid-palate.
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Oh mercy, has this wine evolved in the last couple years. 30 mins of aeration. 13.7% listed alc on label. Purple flower, inky dark, earthy, intense blue fruit with iron, bitter chocolate and metal shavings. This is a knock out. I saved more than 1/2 the bottle for tomorrow, look forward to enjoying more......a day later, this is just as good. The aromatics reflect the purple flower, but also the signature of whole cluster when it complements a wine, in this instance, pepper and smoke. Where this wine really gets jazzed up is in the texture, which is silky when cool, fleshy and yet there is still some structure here that hangs in the background as it warms, giving the wine some time to go. Finishes with lots of the blue fruit and an olive note. This is really a delicious syrah, leaning towards the forward and richer camp of syrah, yet posessing the stuffing and nice complex markers to keep it exciting and classy. Drink now (with air) or through 2017.
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nose: there is a real savory quality to this that strikes right off the bat. The nose shows classic cool climate california with good dark fruits along with spices, mineral rich tones, black and dark red cherries, and some black pepper tones as well.
taste: full bodied with sneaky tannins. There is good medium acidity to this as well along with meaty tones of black cherries, black peppers, spice tones, minerals with some crushed rocks and some black currants.
overall: this received a 2 hr decant. This is extremely enjoyable right now. Yes, it can age and has the structure to do it, but it's very sexy right now.
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Not quite what I was expecting. Much more bitterness than the more usual sweet fruits from a big Cali syrah and perhaps the alcohol is not quite so well integrated yet. I think this needs more time to develop in the bottle but I really did not enjoy this anywhere near as much as I was expecting. I've 5 more and will wait a least a year before opening the next
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Awesome wine. Nose of black cherry, plum, forest floor, morels, fresh beef, black pepper and a nice briny note. On the palate this wine showed more of the meaty character with a really interesting briny flavor, dried blueberries, some soy, umami, great acidity and tannins. Super long finish with more black pepper, beef and almost a peaty end.
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After ordering some of these from Wind Gap, I found an auction lot of this wine online and snagged 6 bottles at half price. This is one of those bottles. Showing very well out of the gate, violets and kirsch on top with complementary aromas of meat, savory blue fruits, earth, and herbs. Some woodsmoke appears on the palate, which is starting to show more tannic by glass 2. Now in a decanter and we'll see if it keeps cinching up or unfolds further. A great Griffin's Lair. For those of you with professional reviews available, I'd say both the Tanzer and Parker notes do a good job describing the wine but I agree with Tanzer that this is one of the better Syrah wines of recent years. 93+
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Tasting with Pax Mahle (Domaine Wine Storage): A meaty Californian syrah with elegant dark fruit, dark spices, and iodine on the nose. The palate was thinner than I expected, but still had exotic dark fruits, smoked meats, mushroom, and dark spices. Compared to the Pax syrah's I had back from the 2004-2006 vintages, this was far more lithe and elegant. For me, a more balanced syrah.
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Decanted for 2 hours prior to dinner with grilled pork chops. Meat / blackberry, black raspberry on nose & palate. Gained weight with air time. High acids & very long finish. 92-93 range. [edit] Stronger on night 2 - mesquite / iron / blackberry on nose & improved mouthfeel with excellent persistence on the finish. I'll buy a few more to cellar. Great value around $45.00.
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Decanted about 2 hours. Raspberry and black currant on the nose, with some pepper and leather, and little meat juice, and a touch of lavender at the end. Rich and juicy on the palate, with lots of red fruit, some pepper and game on the mid-palate, and a nice leather finish.
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After a disappointing experience with the 2009 Arnot-Roberts from the same vineyard, I thought I'd give this one a try, and I'm glad I did.
Aromatics were a little muted, but wonderful on the palate. A great core of dark fruit surrounded by walls of structure. Strong acid and tannins that follow through to the finish. This one clearly has the stuffing to last for a while, but is enjoyable now as long as you don't mind heavy tannins.
Very nice wine.
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Wish I could've spent more time with this, but it was opened at a close friends b-day party and was consumed pretty quickly. I do remember it being more approachable than expected with ripe, dark fruit, black pepper, and some meatiness. Full-bodied and dense with structure that should let it age for at least a decade. More modern-styled than other Wind Gap wines I've tried, but I like the balance of fruit with the more Rhone-like characteristics.
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Wind Gap Tasting (Bar'rique in NYC): Favorite wine of the tasting, surprised how approachable it was now. Black wine, deep, layered and complex. Meaty, earth and smoke. Olive. Some floral elements on the nose. Very very nice already, 3-5 years would be amazing for it.
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Wow! What a beauty! It walks this great line between a northern Rhone Syrah and a Cali Syrah. As of right now its aromatics are much further along than its flavors (to be expected for a baby). Currently it is showing layers of black/red currents, black raspberries, anise, crushed rocks, olive tapenade, meat and a dense structure. The finish is med-plus/long and showcases its great balance. This is how Cali Syrah should be. If your smart you'll hold this for a bit longer and let the tannins release some more of its magic. Stoked that I have one more of these!
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Rhone-like, with lots of ripe plum, blackberry, raspberry and olive notes, backed by fresh pepper and salty mineral. Very expressive, the tannins are well-rounded and the layers of fruit are rich deep and layered. Approachable now, but give it some time. (Drink 2011 - 2022)
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Rhone Rangers San Francisco 2010 (Fort Mason): Huge, deep, dark blackberry fruit, very structured, quite tannic, will need several years to start coming around. Massive wine, but in a well controlled style.
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Poured at Falltacular 2011. Solid richness, very young still with oak tannin. Olive, dark fruit, crushed rocks, bright and yet still stemmy so it will need some time. I realize this wine is not yet released so judge this note accordingly.
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10/25/2023 - matthyson wrote: 93 Points
Pours deep ruby in the glass with a brooding nose of olive tapenade, dark fruits and candied orange peel. Crushed lavender and lead pencil shavings round out a lovely bouquet. Fresh, youthful, and utterly massive palate of ripe red fruits on the attack that quickly dissipates with 30+ minutes of air leaving hints of roast game, sawdust, dried cherries. A mouthfeel that comes and goes as tannic structure seems to assert itself then balance with the vibrant acid, alcohol, and fruit. 60+ second finish and an easy 5+ years of age worthiness ahead.
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4/24/2020 - winchester-xi wrote:
Lavender and rosemary aromatics, jammy plums with a bit of tangerine peel on the palate. Thick texture with a little heat evident on the finish. Ok with braised short ribs, but I can’t see it with anything less rich. Just beginning to show some secondary development, so no rush at all.
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9/29/2019 - MJMorris55 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Nice Cali Syrah...
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3/12/2019 - Ghoulardi wrote: 85 Points
Deep purple/red. Gamey, blackberry aromas with a backdrop of herbaceous notes. Additional leather on the palate. Good structure with soft but quite present tannins. Solid b
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12/30/2018 - Zoomin Z Likes this wine: 89 Points
Very meaty nose, with dense blackberry predominating. Rich, with the blackest of fruit and some leather on the finish. Lots of sediment and did not open up over the evening. Actually less complex than when it was young. Will try to decant and air out my last bottle - thanks to others reviewers' suggestions...
I can't believe it - I had this wine with - the same recipie leg of lamb and au gratin potatoes as 4 years ago ! (Not with any forthought.)
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11/24/2018 - GoBlue2002 wrote: 89 Points
Just kinda meh. Nothing wrong with this, but at this price point I expect more complexity.
Touch of meat, dried berries, and rough tannins on the finish.
On a side note, my wife (tasting blind) did nail this as a 2009 California syrah.
Paired well with chicken thighs, so a $45 food wine?
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7/28/2018 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Chili, BBQ, Syrah and Other Things With River Rat (Brian Tuite's Backyard): Poured blind as part of a 6 wine syrah flight. Rich and modern with some whole cluster. Flavors of cooked sausage (this is what my notes describe as the meatiness), bitter chocolate, black olive, iron, tarry with a tannic, youthful finish. Plenty of life left in this wine at nearly 10 years so I'd think this would go for a lot longer.
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7/13/2018 - retired_and_roving Likes this wine:
Once again this wine is performing really well. Decanted for about 90 minutes and similar to last time - this tastes very Northern Rhone in style. Lots of black olive tapenade and grilled meats here - just very savory with dark fruit and spices - really aging beautifully!
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5/21/2018 - retired_and_roving Likes this wine: 92 Points
Damn this is really drinking well right now - blinded I would have definitely guessed northern rhone. PnP - consumed over two nights. Nose is smokey grilled meats. Palate is lots of savory goodness, meaty, black olive tapenade and mature dark fruits, nice lift from the acid. For all the savory goodness it still feels light and airy on the palate. Glad there are 3 more in the cellar.
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10/1/2017 - silton Likes this wine: 90 Points
Classic Griffin's Lair iodine and grilled meat were somewhat flattened by the powdery tannin on the back end. A bit out of balance without food on the table right now, there's still enough energy and savory fruit for this to last a while yet. Although this would be interesting to check on in 5+ years I think the odds favor more immediate consumption.
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9/14/2017 - ducster72 Does not like this wine: 75 Points
Honestly, just not for me. In it's youth it was too tannic but had a wealth of primary fruit. The fruit has faded faster than the tannins, so what's left is not a lot of fun.
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8/26/2017 - Quiet Lion Likes this wine: 92 Points
Super nose of mentholated mountain herbs. Easy to drink, not too funky. These wines are a great value.
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8/18/2017 - bularry Likes this wine: 92 Points
showed a bit of age in the color and on the palate. dark red fruit, intense with some great balance from tannins. a lingering touch of sweetness on the finish, prune flavors, hints of leather and smoke. usually i find dried fruit flavors off-putting, but there is something compelling about this wine that keeps bringing back to the bottle. Wish i had more.
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7/29/2017 - TannicBeast Likes this wine: 89 Points
Tasted blind. Deep ruby with a garnet rim, showing a little age. The nose is clean and intense, leading off with smoked meat, medicinal herbs, black olives, and then some oak-induced sweet baking spices. The black and blue fruit does not come through until the palate, which is dry, with medium (+) acidity, medium alcohol (13.6%) and tannins which are still medium (+) to pronounced. An interesting wine, but perhaps a little unbalanced with the tannins at this point overpowering the fruit. I would say drink now, after a vigorous decant, or hold it for another five years and see what happens with the tannins.
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2/25/2017 - lolo66 wrote:
Blue fruit with coffee notes. Some nice acidity on the end. Clean fruit. Excellent.
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2/22/2017 - pjhr wrote: 92 Points
As tasty as the last bottle.
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12/29/2016 - CWilliam wrote: 92 Points
92-93+
I loved this - my wife was not a fan (too "inky").
Dark black color. Great nose - black olives, iron, mesquite, violets, blackberry. On palate, medium+ body, high acidity, stout tannins (great with grilled tuna steaks). Flavor profile consistent with nose (dark fruits / iron / mesquite). Despite tannins, the fruit was bright enough to provide balance although my wife would disagree with that. Long finish.
A polarizing wine, but I really enjoyed and would buy again. This should age well.
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12/27/2016 - pjhr Likes this wine: 92 Points
Tasty dark berry, pepper, and spice on the nose and palate with chewy tannins on the moderate finish. Delicious whole cluster syrah. Drinking well!
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12/10/2016 - 560 B&W Likes this wine: 90 Points
Seeming like the tannins are going to outlast the fruit. 13.6%
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9/29/2016 - PSUSteve wrote: 92 Points
PnP. This has a huge attack of olive, meat, and tar. It calms done to black fruit which is still tannic and has good acidity. I thought it had more alcohol than listed. I agree with Jeff that there is no hurry if you have more. I don't.
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9/22/2016 - Outplaying wrote:
With grilled burgers and sautéed collard greens. We once found the Wind Gap wines on the leaner side of what we prefer but now this is on the more decadent side. There is a slight sweetness that detracts but I like the tar and olive notes. There is some fine tannin left and plenty of acid so I won't rush to open the last bottle.
This held up well for several days and was the best on day two.
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8/18/2016 - lolo66 wrote:
This started out inky and singular, but with ample air this shows very nice fruits - plums, mulberry, blackberry - enough tannic finish to keep it alive. A touch of acidity. not much. still a nice wine. definitely time to drink up.
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6/5/2016 - danielbleier Likes this wine: 93 Points
consistent with notes of 2/23/2014 - drink up as this will not get any better
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4/26/2016 - Rico100 wrote: 93 Points
Excellent - get more!
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2/20/2016 - Robert Pavlovich Likes this wine:
Deep and expressive blueberry, blackberry nose. Medium to full body, with low to medium acidity. Has gobs of dark fruit, really coats the mouth with a good wall of tannin toward the back, leaving a slight raisin note with some oak. From magnum, over the first hour opened with no decant.
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2/5/2016 - GlenviewGSW Likes this wine: 88 Points
A sweet , oaky wine that has a nice balanced finish although slightly alcoholic. Good fruit
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10/13/2015 - FLI Likes this wine: 89 Points
Big fruit, but a bit gritty, either from tannins, or perhaps, a sauvage approach to winemaking with regard to filtering and fining. Sweet cherry, not much earth and spice. But a pleasant bottle.
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8/19/2015 - 560 B&W Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decanted. Showing a little better than the last bottle, but still very closed. 13.6%
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7/30/2015 - danielbleier Likes this wine: 93 Points
consistent with notes of 2/23/2014
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4/24/2015 - Wine Canuck wrote: 91 Points
Friday Night Tasting in Toronto (VinT's Place): Still going strong, though I think at this stage the aromatics aren't quite as punchy as when I tasted this a couple years ago. This nose is of blueberry, violets, smoke, black olive, iodine and caper brine. A great, retrained, cooler climate example, though with loads of blueberry fruit as well. The palate is lush and blueberry driven with hints of darker fruit and a slight marzipan note on the medium plus finish. Moderate tannin and a strong acid presence indicate this should have a long life ahead of it. I really like this profile.
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2/1/2015 - silton Likes this wine: 90 Points
A bit closed on day 1. Overall, has lost some of its pliancy and tilted toward a narrower range of savory while remaining a classy Syrah. Not sure about the arc on this one from here.
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1/15/2015 - 560 B&W Likes this wine: 90 Points
Decanted but still very, very closed. Needs at least a few years. I suspect it will emerge strong, but so hard to say. 13.6%
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11/26/2014 - corkscrews Likes this wine: 90 Points
A bit subdued nose of dark fruit and some spice, dark purple in color. A medium to full bodied single vineyard red, with black cherry, plum, some chocolate and spice on finish, an easy drinker. www.winelx.com
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9/7/2014 - Frank Murray III wrote:
A year between notes, and while this is my last 750, I have a mag left so wanted to check in on the progress. Opened y/day, left under cork in the fridge. Tasting today with a cool temp to allow wine to evolve towards room temp. First off, the color is dark so there is no mixing this up as a color light wine--it is not. Same aromatics as last year's bottle, with the purple flower and whole cluster signature, both qualities to syrah that I seek and really enjoy. Texturally, lot to appreciate here. It's got a big brush stroke of inky, dark black cherry and raspberry, tar, iron, lots of black olive, bitter licorice and chalk (which fades off as the wine warms) and with a warmer profile, emerges a bloody, meaty quality. Having tasted the 2010 Pax Griffin's Lair a few months ago, it doesn't reach the qaulity level of this 2009. I had trouble enjoying the 2010 and while I am not sure what Pax did different and whether the vintage played a role in that difference, I'd seek this 2009 again and buy a few more to lay down with my mag as this is high quality. This 2009 is big and inky, yet savory and really delicious, one of the best 2009 CA syrahs I have had yet.
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8/15/2014 - Baggio wrote: 91 Points
Still kinda young. I don't see the complexity that would cause Tanzer to give this a 94.
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4/19/2014 - danielbleier Likes this wine: 93 Points
consistent with notes of 2/23/2014
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3/14/2014 - Mrp2008 wrote: 92 Points
Just out of the bottle thought it was corked. Really just needed 30 min to open up. Lots of pure fruit and significant tannin. Based on tannin, probably needs another 2-3 years. My favorite component is a significant savory/saline note on the entry to the palate. Really nice wine from a great vineyard. Drink or hold
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3/4/2014 - DonDon Likes this wine: 93 Points
Stunning. Continuing to improve
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2/23/2014 - danielbleier Likes this wine: 93 Points
My wife and I very much enjoyed. Big blackberry, licorice, dark cherry and slightly herbal finish. Ready to drink, but should have years in front of it.
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2/2/2014 - DonDon Likes this wine: 93 Points
I had this a year ago and said then it needed a further year - and I was right! This is now starting to drink beautifully with both red and fruit flavours and huge depth. Just how a love a Syrah. V highly recommended
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1/3/2014 - Zoomin Z Likes this wine: 94 Points
The best and most complex wine of the 140 that I have rated so far! Decanted over half an hour and slowly enjoyed over the next two hours. Nose of mesquite smoke, olives, blueberry, bacon and a high end sweet note (I don't want to sound like a flake) of BBQ potato chips, with the flavors and palate evolving over time. A robust body with strong fruit, plentiful but soft tannins and balanced acidity to match all of the previously mentioned strengths. More fruit than sweetness on the palate, especially well matched with homemade herbed, peppered, butterflied, broiled leg of lamb, potatoes au gratin and sweet lemon glazed carrots. Great now, should easily last five or more years. Bottle 2754.
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12/28/2013 - PSUSteve Likes this wine: 93 Points
Poured through a Vinturi. Wow!!! This is a great wine Deep and full but balanced throughout. Lots of dark fruit, layer of spice with great blue on the finish.
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10/8/2013 - beezer6 wrote: 91 Points
Decanted about an hour.
Layered, brooding, savory aromatics from the start. Beef jerky coupled with dark cherry compote and charred wood.
Palate is in your face and lacking some of the elegance the aromatics display.
Liqueured black fruit, bacon fat and sweet baking spice. Finish is almost there but needs a few more years to achieve more balance.
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9/25/2013 - Wine Canuck wrote: 91 Points
Trialto New World Classics Catalogue Tasting (Fine Wine Reserve): Right off the bat it is evident that this resembles the Northern Rhone with quite an old world nose. Black pepper, caper, olive brine, tar, and light touches of saline start things off. A bit of a rubber/plastic/diesel note detracts from the overall aromatic spectrum but you can't deny this wine is massively complex. There is also loads of blueberry fruit hiding under there. Palate is quite fat, almost a bit creamy and finishes on fine grained tannin. Unfortunately the diesel fuel note replays on the finish, again holing back the score for me. Overall it's a bit much for me right now, give it some time to integrate and maybe something beautiful will come out on the other end.
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8/23/2013 - Wine Sparty wrote: 88 Points
Decanted and drank over 3 hours. Had a bit of funk on the nose, but has some earthy and dark fruit aroma. The taste has some slight dark fruit along with hints of tobacco, but the taste really kinda falls short for me. It seems to really die on the mid-palate.
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7/23/2013 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Oh mercy, has this wine evolved in the last couple years. 30 mins of aeration. 13.7% listed alc on label. Purple flower, inky dark, earthy, intense blue fruit with iron, bitter chocolate and metal shavings. This is a knock out. I saved more than 1/2 the bottle for tomorrow, look forward to enjoying more......a day later, this is just as good. The aromatics reflect the purple flower, but also the signature of whole cluster when it complements a wine, in this instance, pepper and smoke. Where this wine really gets jazzed up is in the texture, which is silky when cool, fleshy and yet there is still some structure here that hangs in the background as it warms, giving the wine some time to go. Finishes with lots of the blue fruit and an olive note. This is really a delicious syrah, leaning towards the forward and richer camp of syrah, yet posessing the stuffing and nice complex markers to keep it exciting and classy. Drink now (with air) or through 2017.
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6/2/2013 - Mike Dildine Likes this wine: 91 Points
Rich, deep, meaty, smoky and good!
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12/15/2012 - KeithAkers wrote: 92 Points
nose: there is a real savory quality to this that strikes right off the bat. The nose shows classic cool climate california with good dark fruits along with spices, mineral rich tones, black and dark red cherries, and some black pepper tones as well.
taste: full bodied with sneaky tannins. There is good medium acidity to this as well along with meaty tones of black cherries, black peppers, spice tones, minerals with some crushed rocks and some black currants.
overall: this received a 2 hr decant. This is extremely enjoyable right now. Yes, it can age and has the structure to do it, but it's very sexy right now.
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12/11/2012 - DonDon wrote: 90 Points
Not quite what I was expecting. Much more bitterness than the more usual sweet fruits from a big Cali syrah and perhaps the alcohol is not quite so well integrated yet. I think this needs more time to develop in the bottle but I really did not enjoy this anywhere near as much as I was expecting. I've 5 more and will wait a least a year before opening the next
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12/10/2012 - Wrmcbratney wrote: 95 Points
Awesome wine. Nose of black cherry, plum, forest floor, morels, fresh beef, black pepper and a nice briny note. On the palate this wine showed more of the meaty character with a really interesting briny flavor, dried blueberries, some soy, umami, great acidity and tannins. Super long finish with more black pepper, beef and almost a peaty end.
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11/28/2012 - Mike Dildine Likes this wine: 92 Points
Excellent young syrah - rich, deep, complex and meaty.
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7/18/2012 - silton wrote: 93 Points
After ordering some of these from Wind Gap, I found an auction lot of this wine online and snagged 6 bottles at half price. This is one of those bottles. Showing very well out of the gate, violets and kirsch on top with complementary aromas of meat, savory blue fruits, earth, and herbs. Some woodsmoke appears on the palate, which is starting to show more tannic by glass 2. Now in a decanter and we'll see if it keeps cinching up or unfolds further. A great Griffin's Lair. For those of you with professional reviews available, I'd say both the Tanzer and Parker notes do a good job describing the wine but I agree with Tanzer that this is one of the better Syrah wines of recent years. 93+
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6/28/2012 - tooch wrote: 90 Points
Tasting with Pax Mahle (Domaine Wine Storage): A meaty Californian syrah with elegant dark fruit, dark spices, and iodine on the nose. The palate was thinner than I expected, but still had exotic dark fruits, smoked meats, mushroom, and dark spices. Compared to the Pax syrah's I had back from the 2004-2006 vintages, this was far more lithe and elegant. For me, a more balanced syrah.
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6/18/2012 - CWilliam wrote: 92 Points
Decanted for 2 hours prior to dinner with grilled pork chops. Meat / blackberry, black raspberry on nose & palate. Gained weight with air time. High acids & very long finish. 92-93 range. [edit] Stronger on night 2 - mesquite / iron / blackberry on nose & improved mouthfeel with excellent persistence on the finish. I'll buy a few more to cellar. Great value around $45.00.
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5/13/2012 - Baggio wrote: 93 Points
Really good. Drinking now is nothing less than infanticide, though. All kinds of complexity going on.
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3/6/2012 - mmurry Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decanted about 2 hours. Raspberry and black currant on the nose, with some pepper and leather, and little meat juice, and a touch of lavender at the end. Rich and juicy on the palate, with lots of red fruit, some pepper and game on the mid-palate, and a nice leather finish.
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11/22/2011 - Michael Davidson wrote:
After a disappointing experience with the 2009 Arnot-Roberts from the same vineyard, I thought I'd give this one a try, and I'm glad I did.
Aromatics were a little muted, but wonderful on the palate. A great core of dark fruit surrounded by walls of structure. Strong acid and tannins that follow through to the finish. This one clearly has the stuffing to last for a while, but is enjoyable now as long as you don't mind heavy tannins.
Very nice wine.
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10/30/2011 - pete s. wrote: 92 Points
Wish I could've spent more time with this, but it was opened at a close friends b-day party and was consumed pretty quickly. I do remember it being more approachable than expected with ripe, dark fruit, black pepper, and some meatiness. Full-bodied and dense with structure that should let it age for at least a decade. More modern-styled than other Wind Gap wines I've tried, but I like the balance of fruit with the more Rhone-like characteristics.
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10/4/2011 - cpsmith33 wrote: 94 Points
Wind Gap Tasting (Bar'rique in NYC): Favorite wine of the tasting, surprised how approachable it was now. Black wine, deep, layered and complex. Meaty, earth and smoke. Olive. Some floral elements on the nose. Very very nice already, 3-5 years would be amazing for it.
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8/7/2011 - DLCampbell wrote: 93 Points
Wow! What a beauty! It walks this great line between a northern Rhone Syrah and a Cali Syrah. As of right now its aromatics are much further along than its flavors (to be expected for a baby). Currently it is showing layers of black/red currents, black raspberries, anise, crushed rocks, olive tapenade, meat and a dense structure. The finish is med-plus/long and showcases its great balance. This is how Cali Syrah should be. If your smart you'll hold this for a bit longer and let the tannins release some more of its magic. Stoked that I have one more of these!
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7/21/2011 - InternationalWineReport wrote: 94 Points
Rhone-like, with lots of ripe plum, blackberry, raspberry and olive notes, backed by fresh pepper and salty mineral. Very expressive, the tannins are well-rounded and the layers of fruit are rich deep and layered. Approachable now, but give it some time. (Drink 2011 - 2022)
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4/2/2011 - alanr Likes this wine: 92 Points
Rhone Rangers San Francisco 2010 (Fort Mason): Huge, deep, dark blackberry fruit, very structured, quite tannic, will need several years to start coming around. Massive wine, but in a well controlled style.
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3/27/2011 - aagrawal wrote: 85 Points
Rhone Rangers 2011 (San Francisco): Not showing much on the nose today. Palate has big tannins.
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1/24/2011 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Poured at Falltacular 2011. Solid richness, very young still with oak tannin. Olive, dark fruit, crushed rocks, bright and yet still stemmy so it will need some time. I realize this wine is not yet released so judge this note accordingly.
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1/22/2011 - brigcampbell wrote:
Falltacular 2011 (FMIII in the OC): wow... tannic bomb. too young.
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