A bruiser when I was looking for a finesser. Too much internal battle going on here for my tastes, but oddly the wife was enamored. I haven't had much luck with MBs over recent years; perhaps I was wrong that their house style suited my ageing tastes. 89-he | 93-she
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Cork had bled through...tasted cooked or oxidized. Lots of heavy plum/prune fruit. Raisins. Overly sweet and lacking the lovely pepper and funk I got on the first bottle. Sad it was my last 2009 MB.
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Nose of cedar and sweet red/blue fruit. Palate followed the nose; very sweet, more cedar, blue fruit, and mild-to-non-existant tannins. If tasted blind, I would have called this a Grenache. Typicity is way off; never would have guessed Syrah, and certainly no Boushey funk.
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Decanted 1 hour. Huge wine, with big blackberry and plum fruit, tobacco, oak and pepper. Acid became much more prominent with air, tannins very soft and integrated. Really nice wine; paired with red chicken curry & lentils. Could use more cellar time...drink now with ample decant, or preferably hold for 2-3+ years.
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Patience was rewarded here. A very exciting wine. Decanted for an hour before drinking. Somewhat subdued aromas of red fruit. On the palate, however, deep flavors enveloped the palate including boysenberry, cranberry jam, orange peel and clove. Long finish. The brightness and freshness of the wine were perhaps the most impressive part, and it showed very, very well with food. Can go for quite a while yet (5-7 years) before any decline I think.
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Stellar Washington Syrah, unabashedly in the new world style, but this isn't a bruiser either. The fruit is excellent with good depth of flavor, and the oak treatment is somewhat aggressive but it works very well. All other elements suit this well. Medium finish with structure to go another five plus year. Wish I'd held this longer.
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Wow, incredibly rich and singing on popping, and only got better. Pomegranate, Bing cherry, huckleberry, black walnut, violet, black tea, purple florals, damp earth, meats, just lots of stuff going on and evolving over time. On the palate it shows fantastic concentration of rich, vibrant layers of fruits. This was a thrilling and delicious bottle. I'm a big fan of MB and of anything Boushey, but even my high expectations were exceeded with this stunning bottle. 95-96
Brought to my work holiday party so couldn't decant but still came out drinking beautiful and got better from there. Mix of red and blue fruits with some earthy and savory mixed in.
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Starting to enter it's drinking window, this Syrah is delightful. Day 1, it was savory dark fruits with some Syrah spice, and day two it's even better, with deep/rich dark fruits and smooth and satisfying finish. On of the better WA State Syrahs to come out in the past few years. Bravo!
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Medium to heavy body, blue/black fruit, spice, earth, some lingering tannins along with good acidity. This really has a lot going on. Very complex, with power, but also subtlety.
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Opened on Thanksgiving, but didn't taste/drink until next day. Well worth the wait and the wine benefitted. Black raspberry, smoke, earth, clarity. Sharply focused wine with purity of fruit. Always a hallmark of MB wines.
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One of the best WA Syrahs of the past couple of years. This wine has miles to go, but it's showing nicely now, with a substantial amount of air under it. Stout structure and solid acidity balanced by great classic Syrah dark fruit flavors from a warm vintage. Near perfect. Glad I have a few more.
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Portland CellarTracker offline (Sauvage et Fausse Piste Winery, Portland, Oregon): Showing a bit closed down at the top. With a bit of air: cherries, dark dried fruits, caramel and desert earth imparted. Bright cranberries, pomegranate, and vanilla spice with masculine overtones coax the palate. Smooth as cream with a bit of tannic grip on the hind palate. Give this another couple years to fully unify. This syrah is pure and breathtakingly beautiful.
First impressions: Will give this more time in the decanter, but overall smell initially reminds me of CdP. Raspberry, blueberry, hints of butterscotch, mint.
Opened up nicely over the next few hours, and brought more ripe fruit forward as it did. Has a nice tart edge that tempers some of the ripe fruit. Tannins are present and grab pretty hard. After some time, I don't get the CdP nose that I did before though.
Going to go get more of this, and give it a bit more time in the cellar.
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I'm less enthusiastic about this bottle than the last one I opened.
Still has great acidity (especially for what you'd typically find in WA), but I found the fruit to be a little too jammy this time. Didn't have that nice earthiness to balance it out.
Still good, but not great.
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I had this at the 7/26/12 Wicked Cellars, Maison Bleue dinner. It had a dense, complex and expressive bouquet of floral, smoked meat, blackberry, blueberry, plum, pepper, licorice and spice aromas. The palate was dense, layered and delicious with flavors that followed the nose.
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Terrific syrah! Awesome pepper, floral, and dark fruit on the nose. Full bodied palate that is full of fruit, but manages to stay deft. Definitely new world, but never feels overripe. Strong acidity brightens everything.
I'm not usually a new world syrah fan, but this is a tremendous bottle of wine. Well done!
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Similar to before. I didn't take my own advise and drank too soon but at end it was rockin'. Clarity of fruit always comes to mind with Jon's wines. Paired it with bbq ribs and beside a CdP. On quality both wines equal, but this one may have more to come later in its life.
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Opened and decanted for two hours. I picked up some meat and game upon opening, but opened to primarily bramble fruits. I expect will age into more complexity, but too young yet from my vantage point.
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EXCELLENT ! Very dense & ripe yet retains some old world character. Almost pitch black color and closed on the palate. This will need time to prove itself 92+
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Popped and followed a glass over a couple hours, then revisited on day 2. Extremely dark magenta/ruby color, >95% opaque and slow, relatively clear legs. The nose was huge at first with a smack of bramble and yeast, but it steadily transitioned into a very floral bouquet with lavender, rose, jasmine, cracked pepper, fresh paint, tar, and mulch. The palate has the typical Syrah flavors but I also get great tropical fruit and distinct banana bread notes. Wonderfully round body with strong supporting acidity and plush, but young tannins. The finish is very long and leaves behind a clean and pure image of what preceded. Maybe the most delicious Syrah I've tasted outside Oz. 5+12+18+8 = 93
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Hard to fault this wine, not that I'm trying to, its quite good. However, there is an everyman sense to it in that it has no unique signature/angle, less memorable. Bottle has almost drunk itself yet I am finding it hard to describe distinct qualities in this wine. A food wine. Popped and poured sans food. A nice but restrained nose. Full on the palate and on the heavier side. 14.7% alcohol is nicely balanced but minutely evident on the nose and palate. Easily manageable tannins. Blueberries kept coming to mind on the palate though it is an undercurrent, perhaps blackberries as the trump card. No noticeable wood, but I am a wood whore so perhaps I am just missing it. Oxymoronic to some perhaps, but though the finish is not long, somehow the mid-palate lingers on. This bottle disappeared which is never a bad sign. I'd go 92 but $40 is a touch steep.
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Old World tones of tar and cracked black pepper show initially on the nose, while notes of herbs and violets seem to grow out of a solid core of black stone.
Amazingly deep and multidimensional on the palate, this wine spins with a constantly evolving flavor profile of dark fruits like pomegranate and blueberry, dark stone mineral notes, subtle dried floral tones, and a variety of earthy notes that appear and disappear playfully around the edges. This is a bold wine with lots of body and concentration, and although it’s fantastic now, it could cellar beautifully for many years into the future.
Popped and poured and followed over the course of 2.5 hours. This wine needs at least 1.5-2 hours to fully show itself now. Huge nose of lavendar, rose petals, tar, raspberry. Palate is bright red fruits with an underpinning of asphalt, and smoke. Finish is bright crisp acid and peppers. Amazing clarity of fruit. Obviously still very young but shows tremendous promise.
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Dark fruit and earthy nose. Great minerality and acidity. More dark berries and smoke on the palate. Shows all of the desirable qualities of Old and New world syrahs. Smooth long finish
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Dark, inpenetrable maroon with a lighter rim. The nose shows black pepper with some dark berry fruit. Full bodied Syrah. Layers of red and black fruit attack the mid palate. High acidity and intensity accentuate and brighten the fruit. Youthful tannins all over the long finish. Promising, but nowhere near ready at this point.
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4/13/2019 - fitchbuck wrote: 91 Points
A bruiser when I was looking for a finesser. Too much internal battle going on here for my tastes, but oddly the wife was enamored. I haven't had much luck with MBs over recent years; perhaps I was wrong that their house style suited my ageing tastes. 89-he | 93-she
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2/26/2017 - Fugu Me Likes this wine:
PnP. Unexpectedly tannic on opening, this really smoothed out over the course of an hour. Easily has another few years before it tops out.
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12/19/2016 - Bluffan wrote: 93 Points
Rich, complex with notes of black cherry and licorice. Outstanding.
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12/15/2016 - markcic Likes this wine: 91 Points
PNP'd at dinner. Dark fruit on the nose, dark berries, plums and a touch of spice on the palate. A nice smooth finish.
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10/23/2016 - RPerro wrote: flawed
Cork had bled through...tasted cooked or oxidized. Lots of heavy plum/prune fruit. Raisins. Overly sweet and lacking the lovely pepper and funk I got on the first bottle. Sad it was my last 2009 MB.
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11/23/2015 - DavidDay Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very attractive aroma, and plenty of fruit left on the palate, this wine is drinking great, and should have another 5+ years left
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11/9/2015 - f22nickell wrote: 88 Points
Nose of cedar and sweet red/blue fruit. Palate followed the nose; very sweet, more cedar, blue fruit, and mild-to-non-existant tannins. If tasted blind, I would have called this a Grenache. Typicity is way off; never would have guessed Syrah, and certainly no Boushey funk.
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7/25/2015 - RPerro Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted 1 hour. Huge wine, with big blackberry and plum fruit, tobacco, oak and pepper. Acid became much more prominent with air, tannins very soft and integrated. Really nice wine; paired with red chicken curry & lentils. Could use more cellar time...drink now with ample decant, or preferably hold for 2-3+ years.
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3/8/2015 - BRR Likes this wine: 93 Points
Patience was rewarded here. A very exciting wine. Decanted for an hour before drinking. Somewhat subdued aromas of red fruit. On the palate, however, deep flavors enveloped the palate including boysenberry, cranberry jam, orange peel and clove. Long finish. The brightness and freshness of the wine were perhaps the most impressive part, and it showed very, very well with food. Can go for quite a while yet (5-7 years) before any decline I think.
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2/5/2015 - khmark7 wrote:
Funky. Suspect slight cork taint. Inexplicably sealed with the bark of some tree, in 2015. Frustrating...
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12/31/2014 - Robert Pavlovich Likes this wine: 92 Points
Stellar Washington Syrah, unabashedly in the new world style, but this isn't a bruiser either. The fruit is excellent with good depth of flavor, and the oak treatment is somewhat aggressive but it works very well. All other elements suit this well. Medium finish with structure to go another five plus year. Wish I'd held this longer.
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12/17/2014 - Stumpy wrote:
Moderately corked so will not rate.
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12/14/2014 - MindMuse Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wow, incredibly rich and singing on popping, and only got better. Pomegranate, Bing cherry, huckleberry, black walnut, violet, black tea, purple florals, damp earth, meats, just lots of stuff going on and evolving over time. On the palate it shows fantastic concentration of rich, vibrant layers of fruits. This was a thrilling and delicious bottle. I'm a big fan of MB and of anything Boushey, but even my high expectations were exceeded with this stunning bottle. 95-96
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12/14/2014 - Jamesgold wrote: 95 Points
Brought to my work holiday party so couldn't decant but still came out drinking beautiful and got better from there. Mix of red and blue fruits with some earthy and savory mixed in.
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8/24/2014 - ewsds wrote: 93 Points
Starting to enter it's drinking window, this Syrah is delightful. Day 1, it was savory dark fruits with some Syrah spice, and day two it's even better, with deep/rich dark fruits and smooth and satisfying finish. On of the better WA State Syrahs to come out in the past few years. Bravo!
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2/27/2014 - stevenjstein Likes this wine: 93 Points
Medium to heavy body, blue/black fruit, spice, earth, some lingering tannins along with good acidity. This really has a lot going on. Very complex, with power, but also subtlety.
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12/29/2013 - ddmhunter Likes this wine: 93 Points
Solid syrah and the reason I love them!
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11/29/2013 - ChrisinCowiche wrote: 94 Points
Opened on Thanksgiving, but didn't taste/drink until next day. Well worth the wait and the wine benefitted. Black raspberry, smoke, earth, clarity. Sharply focused wine with purity of fruit. Always a hallmark of MB wines.
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11/9/2013 - ewsds wrote: 93 Points
One of the best WA Syrahs of the past couple of years. This wine has miles to go, but it's showing nicely now, with a substantial amount of air under it. Stout structure and solid acidity balanced by great classic Syrah dark fruit flavors from a warm vintage. Near perfect. Glad I have a few more.
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1/11/2013 - VinLancaster wrote:
Portland CellarTracker offline (Sauvage et Fausse Piste Winery, Portland, Oregon): Showing a bit closed down at the top. With a bit of air: cherries, dark dried fruits, caramel and desert earth imparted. Bright cranberries, pomegranate, and vanilla spice with masculine overtones coax the palate. Smooth as cream with a bit of tannic grip on the hind palate. Give this another couple years to fully unify. This syrah is pure and breathtakingly beautiful.
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11/24/2012 - wineberg Likes this wine: 92 Points
Double decanted, drank after about 6 hours.
Big, tasty Syrah. Consistent with my last note...Raspberry/blueberry, meats, and I still get a hint of butterscotch.
Needs a couple more years in the cellar, or long decant.
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10/21/2012 - DavidDay wrote: 92 Points
Same notes as earlier, four hours of decanting seemed to be about right for opening the wine up.
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10/13/2012 - wineberg Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted 1+ hours, consumed over the next 6.
First impressions: Will give this more time in the decanter, but overall smell initially reminds me of CdP. Raspberry, blueberry, hints of butterscotch, mint.
Opened up nicely over the next few hours, and brought more ripe fruit forward as it did. Has a nice tart edge that tempers some of the ripe fruit. Tannins are present and grab pretty hard. After some time, I don't get the CdP nose that I did before though.
Going to go get more of this, and give it a bit more time in the cellar.
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10/12/2012 - Michael Davidson wrote:
I'm less enthusiastic about this bottle than the last one I opened.
Still has great acidity (especially for what you'd typically find in WA), but I found the fruit to be a little too jammy this time. Didn't have that nice earthiness to balance it out.
Still good, but not great.
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9/8/2012 - ClubTerry wrote: 91 Points
I did not give it enough airtime. Still tight and rough around the edges.
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7/26/2012 - garambler wrote: 92 Points
I had this at the 7/26/12 Wicked Cellars, Maison Bleue dinner. It had a dense, complex and expressive bouquet of floral, smoked meat, blackberry, blueberry, plum, pepper, licorice and spice aromas. The palate was dense, layered and delicious with flavors that followed the nose.
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7/24/2012 - Michael Davidson wrote:
Terrific syrah! Awesome pepper, floral, and dark fruit on the nose. Full bodied palate that is full of fruit, but manages to stay deft. Definitely new world, but never feels overripe. Strong acidity brightens everything.
I'm not usually a new world syrah fan, but this is a tremendous bottle of wine. Well done!
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7/8/2012 - ChrisinCowiche wrote: 92 Points
Similar to before. I didn't take my own advise and drank too soon but at end it was rockin'. Clarity of fruit always comes to mind with Jon's wines. Paired it with bbq ribs and beside a CdP. On quality both wines equal, but this one may have more to come later in its life.
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4/24/2012 - dgriffin3480 wrote: 90 Points
Opened and decanted for two hours. I picked up some meat and game upon opening, but opened to primarily bramble fruits. I expect will age into more complexity, but too young yet from my vantage point.
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4/13/2012 - LelouchViBritannia wrote: 92 Points
EXCELLENT ! Very dense & ripe yet retains some old world character. Almost pitch black color and closed on the palate. This will need time to prove itself 92+
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1/29/2012 - DavidDay wrote: 92 Points
Cranberry, blueberry, and pepper on the nose, medium bodied, with excellent acidity in the finish
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1/21/2012 - theyvin Likes this wine: 94 Points
Epic Blind Syrah Tasting (Home): Nose: blackberry and licorice
Palate: Juicy raspberry, bright fruit, nice acid, hints of blueberry
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1/15/2012 - fingers wrote: 93 Points
Popped and followed a glass over a couple hours, then revisited on day 2. Extremely dark magenta/ruby color, >95% opaque and slow, relatively clear legs. The nose was huge at first with a smack of bramble and yeast, but it steadily transitioned into a very floral bouquet with lavender, rose, jasmine, cracked pepper, fresh paint, tar, and mulch. The palate has the typical Syrah flavors but I also get great tropical fruit and distinct banana bread notes. Wonderfully round body with strong supporting acidity and plush, but young tannins. The finish is very long and leaves behind a clean and pure image of what preceded. Maybe the most delicious Syrah I've tasted outside Oz. 5+12+18+8 = 93
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12/22/2011 - samiamx_1999 wrote: 91 Points
Hard to fault this wine, not that I'm trying to, its quite good. However, there is an everyman sense to it in that it has no unique signature/angle, less memorable. Bottle has almost drunk itself yet I am finding it hard to describe distinct qualities in this wine. A food wine. Popped and poured sans food. A nice but restrained nose. Full on the palate and on the heavier side. 14.7% alcohol is nicely balanced but minutely evident on the nose and palate. Easily manageable tannins. Blueberries kept coming to mind on the palate though it is an undercurrent, perhaps blackberries as the trump card. No noticeable wood, but I am a wood whore so perhaps I am just missing it. Oxymoronic to some perhaps, but though the finish is not long, somehow the mid-palate lingers on. This bottle disappeared which is never a bad sign. I'd go 92 but $40 is a touch steep.
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12/9/2011 - Tyler_at_WWD Likes this wine: 95 Points
Old World tones of tar and cracked black pepper show initially on the nose, while notes of herbs and violets seem to grow out of a solid core of black stone.
Amazingly deep and multidimensional on the palate, this wine spins with a constantly evolving flavor profile of dark fruits like pomegranate and blueberry, dark stone mineral notes, subtle dried floral tones, and a variety of earthy notes that appear and disappear playfully around the edges. This is a bold wine with lots of body and concentration, and although it’s fantastic now, it could cellar beautifully for many years into the future.
Source: What's Worth Drinking: http://whatsworthdrinking.com/2011/12/09/post-189-greatest-hits-maison-bleue/
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10/15/2011 - ChrisinCowiche wrote: 93 Points
Popped and poured and followed over the course of 2.5 hours. This wine needs at least 1.5-2 hours to fully show itself now. Huge nose of lavendar, rose petals, tar, raspberry. Palate is bright red fruits with an underpinning of asphalt, and smoke. Finish is bright crisp acid and peppers. Amazing clarity of fruit. Obviously still very young but shows tremendous promise.
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10/13/2011 - WenatcheeWine wrote: 95 Points
Dark fruit and earthy nose. Great minerality and acidity. More dark berries and smoke on the palate. Shows all of the desirable qualities of Old and New world syrahs. Smooth long finish
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9/13/2011 - Anthony Lombardi wrote:
Dark, inpenetrable maroon with a lighter rim. The nose shows black pepper with some dark berry fruit. Full bodied Syrah. Layers of red and black fruit attack the mid palate. High acidity and intensity accentuate and brighten the fruit. Youthful tannins all over the long finish. Promising, but nowhere near ready at this point.
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