Tasted over 2 hours -saturated purple -lovely deep dark berry and Kalamata olive juice -med acidity, med+ weight ripe dark berry licorice very faint medicinal heat on the finish med- tannins -very good and surprisingly well-balanced
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Not decanted, in Grassl 1855 stems. Were these wines made from stone, because they aren’t moving at all? Still so youthful. Expansive nose of rhubarb, boysenberry, licorice, and white pepper. Very rich on the palate and, while there are no tannins, the fruit density still indicates a LONG life. Absolutely delicious. I liked it on its own every bit as much as with burgers tonight.
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Big fan of Maggie Harrison and these Lillian wines. Wish she was still making the blue label version. It saw a bit more oak I believe and is a noticeable standout versus the other labeled Syrahs. These will age a LONG time. Beautiful ruby purple color. Aromas of blackberry, bacon fat, savory herbs, stone and a hint of garrigue. This is in a wonderful drinking window right now.
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Really nice bottle age at the moment. Decanted for 3 hours and was still going strong. Tasted blind and some thought it was CA cab, so the higher alc did not tip anyone off. A really great wine.
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Explosive pepper and meaty nose. Black fruited palate, silky smooth with some white pepper notes poking through. Lengthy finish with a racy spice quality and polished black fruits. Holding up well but there’s some heat on the finish.
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An exciting combination of sweet and savory with so much richness, but never losing its balance. So much ripe black fruit with just enough structure just off center. Still a baby.
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Wow, these things seemingly could age forever. This is seemingly in a very good window though. Still a ton of primary fruit and spice. Aromas of blackberry, black raspberries, Sage, peppercorn, cigar wrapper. Opaque purple. This bottling received a bit longer age in oak. The texture is so silky. Still vibrant acidity and gripping tanning structure. Drink now with a couple hour decant or continue to age a decade plus.
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Rich, dense and very concentrated blackberry jam, slightly sweet, mostly tart with so much power, while still well balanced. Very good now, with lots of life going forward.
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Cellared since release, open in bottle for an hour, cork crumbled, throwing a ton of sediment, 15.4...Blue Label is their extended barrel aged an extra year...the wine is in GREAT shape! Dark and extracted...very youthful liqueured blackberry/blueberry/bing cherry fruits...sweet, full bodied, jammy...yet plenty of refreshingly lifted acidity, graphite, creme de cassis to integrate well and offer wonderful dryness to the sweet. The wine is packed with everything...olive tapenade, white pepper, tar, cold smoked meats, red licorice, leather...more smoky oak spice and polish from the barrels...super pretty white flower and violet florals...so expressive with a finish for days! The SQN-ish feminine power and balance is sure evident here...amazing drink now, with plenty more left in the tank!
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Apparently I didn’t know I had a third bottle of this. Brought on our trip and drank in not the most ideal glasses or circumstances (picking up daughter from camp in Hancock NY) and it was shockingly good. Still so youthful, dark in color, very fruit forward, wonderful balance and long finish. My only regret is not holding this longer to gain some tertiary flavors, it still has enough fruit and backbone to hang in there for awhile!!
Magnum cellared since release. Medium bodied, silky smooth, blackberry, blueberry fruit that was wonderfully balanced with smoked meat, leather, licorice, spice, black olive. Nice!
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I’ve had two bottles of this in the past month. I didn’t like the first, so I decided to just clear it out of the cellar. This bottle was much better. I wonder if I just wasn’t unlucky with the last. The wine has developed nicely and is drinking well with minimal decant. The bottle has been cellar stored since its acquisition when the wine was released. The nose was still muted (like last bottle), but there was subtle blue fruit and a little spice on the palate. It held together a lot better. I don’t know that I would hold much longer.
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Similar to my last bottle but perhaps even better because I gave it some time to open up. Big fruity Syrah, held its own next to a 2006 SQN and was not dissimilar in style. And much better QPR ;-)
Very nice. Drinking much younger than the 07 and 09. Initial nose of savory and berries. Needs a bit of air to open up (at least 60 min). No rush to drink these.
Impossible to mistake this for anything other than New World Syrah, this is wonderfully fresh and rich with gobs of powerful black fruit, black pepper and savory spice with a long, balanced finish that comes across as near elegant for its weight and richness. Very impressive, especially with great BBQ.
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Consumed over two nights, this benefited from the extra air. Great on night one after an hour or so, it really opened up overnight. Paired perfectly with Flannery burgers.
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Smoking good right now. Needs about 20-30 min of air in the glass or a decanter to really open up. Didn't feel the heat was that out of line, the fruit and mellow tannins seemed perfectly in line for the age of this wine. Definitely in a good drinking window right now.
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From magnum. Big crowd pleaser at Christmas dinner. Big fruit, smooth, pepper and spice notes. Quite complex. A little fresher from from magnum than recent 750.
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Huge and jammy, but with nice pepper and spice character. Strong liquor profile and a bit of heat. Just a little too big for me. In retrospect, prefer these younger.
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Well integrated all around with a finish that just goes on. Elegant and not shy or overbearing. Deep, dark color with scant evidence of its age. Excellent!
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We had this with Filet mignon on 11/4/17. It had a spectacular, rich, deep and inviting bouquet of floral, smoked meat, mocha, pepper, clove, spice, blackberry and boysenberry aromas. The palate was rich, dense and dry with flavors of blueberry, blackberry, plum, toast, clove, pepper and spice.
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Decanted through the Menu decanter and back into the bottle. Another MASSIVE wine...huge black fruit, oak, asphalt, smoked meat, and still a touch of alcohol heat. Really well made. An extended barrel aged (1 additional year) version of the 'regular' 2008 Lillian Syrah. I think this could benefit from additional time, but it's enjoyable now with some air. Drink now (better in 2018+) - 2030.
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Finally revisiting this wine after the last bottle in 2013. No detailed notes - Decanted for 4-5 hours, drank over 2.5. Pre decant- A tight and tannic beast of a wine. Post decant - the wine was showing well, while still having what i would equate to the over richness of baby fat, making me think this wine is still too young. Overt nose of blueberry pie, chocolate, and darkness. The super rich palate showed more of the same, blueberry pie fruit, unsweetened cocoa, a little iron and a touch of smoke. One friend's WOTN, it was still too primary for me. Happy to have opened it for people who loved it, need to wait much longer to see what happens with this wine. Note to self - another 4-5 years. HOLD, or drink depending on your palate's desires.
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Quite spicy with a distinct white pepper note. Black fruits, quite smooth and meaty on the palate. Overall very solid with spicy nuance. In a good drinking place.
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Big, fruity and dominated by plum. Fading tannins. I'm a big fan of Maggie's wines in general but this bottle was a flabby fruit bomb on its way down. Disappointing.
I bought this at retail before buying directly from the winery for the 2009 vintage, so I am not rating it based on potentially poor storage and the difference between my experience with this bottle compared to other vintages bought directly from the winery as well as the notes below.
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Great nose of sweet black fruit and a hint of funk. Not jammy or heavy at all. Well balanced yet still has some punch of black raspberries and a small dose of red vine licorice. Just missing that blast of syrah spice/meat that I enjoy.
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Three hour decant. The followed for two hours. Outstanding California syrah. There is great balance with red fruit and spice. Cherry and maybe plum and a bit of dark berries. The spice is not classic syrah pepper but a lighter, more earthy component with a rustic backbone.
I have only had Lillian four or five times. The first bottle was awful - extremely bitter and rough - so I shied away, but it must have been a bad bottle because every bottle after that has been outstanding.
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Great showing. Drinking really well right now. Inky purple. Great lush nose of blueberries, black raspberries and black pepper. Great balance. Rich texture. No heat. Long finish.
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From magnum, drank over 4 hours with beef tenderloin and mushrooms. Very nice wine for what it is and went well with the food. Very easy to drink. Similar notes as to last bottle - not great QPR though.
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Opened from mag due to some mild leaking cork. Never seemed to reach the expected heights of a prior bottle but was still enjoyable. Nice meat and pepper spice but was a little flat on the palate and fruit was more subtle than expected. probably lightly oxidized.
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Excellent nose and mouthfeel. Unfortunately, the mid section is now in hibernation and the finish is hot. Hold for a while longer otherwise you're wasting your money. Decanted all day for this result.
Really not sure what to add about a spectacular bottle of juice. New world and full throttle. Velvet in the glass. Settled beautifully. Fruit fully integrated. Long finish. Front, mid, and end of road are all wonderful. Seek and be rewarded (Haiku like in the best possible way)
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Decanted and drank over 4 hours. This is very well made, super modern style Syrah. Huge fruit, dark and brooding but it isn't messy and stewed like some others of this style. Still this just isn't so representative of Syrah but good when you want this style of wine - whether Syrah or Cab or a blend of some sort. Not great QPR.
Very nice effort. Still very young. Could stand to be a bit more balanced. This is loaded with big jammy fruits. A touch of smoke and more traditional Syrah notes, but I found those to be playing second fiddle to the primary and big dark fruits. Up against the Ovid Experiment and SQN, this felt inferior but that does not make it bad. The nits were highlighted, though, by the class of the other reds we drank.
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An absolutely lovely effort from Maggie Harrison. She has managed to create a full-bodied, yet balanced and quite intriguing expression of Syrah in the 2008 Blue Label. The nose expresses classy dark fruit and a lot of coffee and lovely luxurious oak. The fruit is massive and adds to the super structure of this effort. There are also tones of red berries and dried flowers, which nicely increase the overall complexity. The palate adds nicely to the overall experience with a lovely balance, but definitely a few hard edges. Time might help, but I am not sure seamless integration is a good preference for this style. I certainly love it for what it is!
(Tasted in a flight with 2000 Ojai Thompson Syrah Special Bottling, 2008 Lillian Blue Label Syrah, 2008 Saxum Broken Stones Syrah and 2008 Alban Patrina Syrah.)
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1-hour decant, consumed over 3 hours. absolutely stunning stuff. so much elegance, so much power, so much balance, so much finesse. the proverbial iron fist in a velvet glove. savory yet fruity, with beef carpaccio, luscious black cherry and blackberry, brine, and maybe some spicebox. gorgeous in the mouth, with a finish that was more about fruit than secondaries, suggesting this still has tons of life in it. for me, the alcohol started poking out in hour 3, but my dinnermates didn't perceive this, so i chalk that up to me more than the wine. i just loved this. if scoring, 97-99. will go for many more years.
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A true long ball home run. Like the deep cellar, the first inhale is dense, slightly overwhelming, and a bit hard to pin-point. Great depth and style. Dark earth and meat, worn leather (as in old not apparel). Blue fruit. Very enjoyable but tremendous future. Drank on the early side of her youth. Not clumsy. Damn fine juice.
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After 2 hours in the decanter, intense nose of black and blue fruit, floral undertones, and spicy wood notes. Great concentration on the palate that mirrors the nose. While more approachable than the other Syrahs from the evening, this wine is still too tightly wound to reveal all of its potential. I will revisit in a couple of years.
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Great texture, silky smooth. Classic american Syrah, meat, blood, gamey and loads and loads of medium red fruit. There is a bit of heat on the finish that keeps the score out of the mid 90's but it's damn good.
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tight tight tight. You can get a sense of what this will become as there are touches of that beautiful dark lillian fruit, spicebox and smoky earthiness yet this needs some serious time as it's not relenting much even after a couple hours in glass.
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Yummmm, got the clean dry hit to your palate with a trail of dry fruit and a need for another hit. Clean finish makes this wine go down easy
Second date, 8/6/2023 D-Mag taken to family reunion. Not wine lovers, but those that had a glass enjoyed. I was pleased, mellow, rich, not a hint of old age. Loved the easy smooth drink of aged wine. Tannins held up their end, holding the fruit in a delicate grasp. A wine to enjoy, does not blow your socks off, but could not want more. easy 95 pts
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Neon black & blue color with nose of tart cherry and vanilla cookies. Decanted for 4 hours. Uber thick mouth coating texture with insanely rich finish. Palate of black/blueberry, leather, menthol, pepper, alcohol, and grilled meat. Paired with cheese, cured meat, dried fruit, candied pecan and assorted olives. Meshed perfectly with the Five Spoke Creamery Tumbleweed Cheese, Ferrari Prosciutto, and candied pecans. Will develop into amazing wine in 5 or so years.
See more detail at http://maximumsatisfaction.tumblr.com/post/43278751427
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Very expressive nose of black and blue fruit. Luxurious texture backed by blackberry, black cherry, and raspberry, leading to a long and detailed finish. This strikes that rare refinement between balanced weight, concentration, and length.
This is no doubt a top-tier New World Syrah of the highest regard.
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From memory the morning after. Decanted an hour before tasting. This was concentrated, opulent, and explosive in the glass. The nose oozed red berries and black currants, with just suble hints of meat and spice. Palate was layers of complex seamless fruit, mostly purple, transitioning to a fruit filled finish where a little vanilla comes in. The slightest hint of heat was present upon entry, but quickly dissipated--and the wine was near room temp. A massive, seamless wine, but I missed some of the typical syrah character (meat, iodine, pepper)i usually get from Maggie's wines. Probably just consumed too young. Still a great wine. 93-94
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Hugely extracted, much better than the regular '08. Huge spice, dark fruit and some hints of meat but not as prevalent as the massive fruit. Kinda like an imaginary blend of SQN and Hillside Select
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4/13/2024 - Cote d'Or Likes this wine:
Tasted over 2 hours
-saturated purple
-lovely deep dark berry and Kalamata olive juice
-med acidity, med+ weight ripe dark berry licorice very faint medicinal heat on the finish med- tannins
-very good and surprisingly well-balanced
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2/4/2024 - BRR wrote:
Not decanted, in Grassl 1855 stems. Were these wines made from stone, because they aren’t moving at all? Still so youthful. Expansive nose of rhubarb, boysenberry, licorice, and white pepper. Very rich on the palate and, while there are no tannins, the fruit density still indicates a LONG life. Absolutely delicious. I liked it on its own every bit as much as with burgers tonight.
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7/25/2023 - TMOVino2 wrote: 95 Points
Big fan of Maggie Harrison and these Lillian wines. Wish she was still making the blue label version. It saw a bit more oak I believe and is a noticeable standout versus the other labeled Syrahs. These will age a LONG time. Beautiful ruby purple color. Aromas of blackberry, bacon fat, savory herbs, stone and a hint of garrigue. This is in a wonderful drinking window right now.
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7/12/2023 - sayward Likes this wine: 93 Points
Really nice bottle age at the moment. Decanted for 3 hours and was still going strong. Tasted blind and some thought it was CA cab, so the higher alc did not tip anyone off. A really great wine.
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2/25/2023 - Nutty08 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Explosive pepper and meaty nose. Black fruited palate, silky smooth with some white pepper notes poking through. Lengthy finish with a racy spice quality and polished black fruits. Holding up well but there’s some heat on the finish.
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12/7/2022 - Burgundy Al wrote: 92 Points
An exciting combination of sweet and savory with so much richness, but never losing its balance. So much ripe black fruit with just enough structure just off center. Still a baby.
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6/10/2022 - TMOVino2 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wow, these things seemingly could age forever. This is seemingly in a very good window though. Still a ton of primary fruit and spice. Aromas of blackberry, black raspberries, Sage, peppercorn, cigar wrapper. Opaque purple. This bottling received a bit longer age in oak. The texture is so silky. Still vibrant acidity and gripping tanning structure. Drink now with a couple hour decant or continue to age a decade plus.
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1/17/2022 - Burgundy Al wrote: 92 Points
Rich, dense and very concentrated blackberry jam, slightly sweet, mostly tart with so much power, while still well balanced. Very good now, with lots of life going forward.
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10/28/2021 - Mrbuzz Likes this wine: 95 Points
Cellared since release, open in bottle for an hour, cork crumbled, throwing a ton of sediment, 15.4...Blue Label is their extended barrel aged an extra year...the wine is in GREAT shape! Dark and extracted...very youthful liqueured blackberry/blueberry/bing cherry fruits...sweet, full bodied, jammy...yet plenty of refreshingly lifted acidity, graphite, creme de cassis to integrate well and offer wonderful dryness to the sweet. The wine is packed with everything...olive tapenade, white pepper, tar, cold smoked meats, red licorice, leather...more smoky oak spice and polish from the barrels...super pretty white flower and violet florals...so expressive with a finish for days! The SQN-ish feminine power and balance is sure evident here...amazing drink now, with plenty more left in the tank!
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7/17/2021 - Decanting Queen Likes this wine: 94 Points
Apparently I didn’t know I had a third bottle of this. Brought on our trip and drank in not the most ideal glasses or circumstances (picking up daughter from camp in Hancock NY) and it was shockingly good.
Still so youthful, dark in color, very fruit forward, wonderful balance and long finish. My only regret is not holding this longer to gain some tertiary flavors, it still has enough fruit and backbone to hang in there for awhile!!
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1/25/2021 - Elkcims Likes this wine: 94 Points
Magnum cellared since release. Medium bodied, silky smooth, blackberry, blueberry fruit that was wonderfully balanced with smoked meat, leather, licorice, spice, black olive. Nice!
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11/13/2020 - Troon wrote: 91 Points
I’ve had two bottles of this in the past month. I didn’t like the first, so I decided to just clear it out of the cellar. This bottle was much better. I wonder if I just wasn’t unlucky with the last. The wine has developed nicely and is drinking well with minimal decant. The bottle has been cellar stored since its acquisition when the wine was released. The nose was still muted (like last bottle), but there was subtle blue fruit and a little spice on the palate. It held together a lot better. I don’t know that I would hold much longer.
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11/2/2020 - Decanting Queen Likes this wine: 94 Points
Similar to my last bottle but perhaps even better because I gave it some time to open up. Big fruity Syrah, held its own next to a 2006 SQN and was not dissimilar in style. And much better QPR ;-)
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7/24/2020 - Decanting Queen Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very nice. Drinking much younger than the 07 and 09. Initial nose of savory and berries. Needs a bit of air to open up (at least 60 min). No rush to drink these.
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7/4/2020 - Burgundy Al wrote: 93 Points
Impossible to mistake this for anything other than New World Syrah, this is wonderfully fresh and rich with gobs of powerful black fruit, black pepper and savory spice with a long, balanced finish that comes across as near elegant for its weight and richness. Very impressive, especially with great BBQ.
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6/19/2020 - Fugu Me Likes this wine:
Consumed over two nights, this benefited from the extra air. Great on night one after an hour or so, it really opened up overnight. Paired perfectly with Flannery burgers.
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6/14/2020 - Hollowine wrote:
Smoking good right now. Needs about 20-30 min of air in the glass or a decanter to really open up. Didn't feel the heat was that out of line, the fruit and mellow tannins seemed perfectly in line for the age of this wine. Definitely in a good drinking window right now.
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5/2/2020 - Sonoma-W Likes this wine: 94 Points
Outstanding! Dark fruit, intense, notes of thyme.
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12/26/2018 - Nutty08 Likes this wine: 94 Points
From magnum. Big crowd pleaser at Christmas dinner. Big fruit, smooth, pepper and spice notes. Quite complex. A little fresher from from magnum than recent 750.
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9/4/2018 - Nutty08 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Huge and jammy, but with nice pepper and spice character. Strong liquor profile and a bit of heat. Just a little too big for me. In retrospect, prefer these younger.
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7/29/2018 - MWes wrote: 92 Points
Really nice. Lots of time left; easily 5 more years.
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2/1/2018 - Mtnmd1 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Well integrated all around with a finish that just goes on. Elegant and not shy or overbearing. Deep, dark color with scant evidence of its age. Excellent!
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12/31/2017 - spidersva Likes this wine: 93 Points
Silky amazing goodness.
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11/4/2017 - garambler Likes this wine: 94 Points
We had this with Filet mignon on 11/4/17. It had a spectacular, rich, deep and inviting bouquet of floral, smoked meat, mocha, pepper, clove, spice, blackberry and boysenberry aromas. The palate was rich, dense and dry with flavors of blueberry, blackberry, plum, toast, clove, pepper and spice.
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10/15/2017 - Stumpy wrote: 90 Points
This was very good, but at end of the day didn't bowl me over.
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5/14/2017 - RPerro Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted through the Menu decanter and back into the bottle. Another MASSIVE wine...huge black fruit, oak, asphalt, smoked meat, and still a touch of alcohol heat. Really well made. An extended barrel aged (1 additional year) version of the 'regular' 2008 Lillian Syrah. I think this could benefit from additional time, but it's enjoyable now with some air. Drink now (better in 2018+) - 2030.
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2/12/2017 - PDX-S wrote:
Finally revisiting this wine after the last bottle in 2013. No detailed notes - Decanted for 4-5 hours, drank over 2.5. Pre decant- A tight and tannic beast of a wine. Post decant - the wine was showing well, while still having what i would equate to the over richness of baby fat, making me think this wine is still too young.
Overt nose of blueberry pie, chocolate, and darkness. The super rich palate showed more of the same, blueberry pie fruit, unsweetened cocoa, a little iron and a touch of smoke. One friend's WOTN, it was still too primary for me. Happy to have opened it for people who loved it, need to wait much longer to see what happens with this wine. Note to self - another 4-5 years.
HOLD, or drink depending on your palate's desires.
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12/24/2016 - Nutty08 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Quite spicy with a distinct white pepper note. Black fruits, quite smooth and meaty on the palate. Overall very solid with spicy nuance. In a good drinking place.
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11/27/2016 - MV2007 wrote:
Big, fruity and dominated by plum. Fading tannins. I'm a big fan of Maggie's wines in general but this bottle was a flabby fruit bomb on its way down. Disappointing.
I bought this at retail before buying directly from the winery for the 2009 vintage, so I am not rating it based on potentially poor storage and the difference between my experience with this bottle compared to other vintages bought directly from the winery as well as the notes below.
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9/30/2016 - etc Likes this wine:
Great nose of sweet black fruit and a hint of funk. Not jammy or heavy at all. Well balanced yet still has some punch of black raspberries and a small dose of red vine licorice. Just missing that blast of syrah spice/meat that I enjoy.
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8/20/2016 - J @ y H @ c k wrote: 94 Points
Three hour decant. The followed for two hours. Outstanding California syrah. There is great balance with red fruit and spice. Cherry and maybe plum and a bit of dark berries. The spice is not classic syrah pepper but a lighter, more earthy component with a rustic backbone.
I have only had Lillian four or five times. The first bottle was awful - extremely bitter and rough - so I shied away, but it must have been a bad bottle because every bottle after that has been outstanding.
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7/25/2016 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 94 Points
Great showing. Drinking really well right now. Inky purple. Great lush nose of blueberries, black raspberries and black pepper. Great balance. Rich texture. No heat. Long finish.
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3/20/2016 - cpsmith33 Likes this wine: 92 Points
From magnum, drank over 4 hours with beef tenderloin and mushrooms.
Very nice wine for what it is and went well with the food. Very easy to drink. Similar notes as to last bottle - not great QPR though.
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2/6/2016 - rwstorer wrote: 93 Points
Similar note to previous
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12/24/2015 - Mtnmd1 Likes this wine: 92 Points
A little bit of a harder edge than last time. Improved over second night
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12/24/2015 - Nutty08 wrote: flawed
Opened from mag due to some mild leaking cork. Never seemed to reach the expected heights of a prior bottle but was still enjoyable. Nice meat and pepper spice but was a little flat on the palate and fruit was more subtle than expected. probably lightly oxidized.
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9/20/2015 - jmprusko wrote: 88 Points
too big, not balanced
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12/2/2014 - MAXIMUM SATISFACTION wrote: 91 Points
Excellent nose and mouthfeel. Unfortunately, the mid section is now in hibernation and the finish is hot. Hold for a while longer otherwise you're wasting your money. Decanted all day for this result.
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10/2/2014 - sbfireman wrote: 97 Points
Really not sure what to add about a spectacular bottle of juice. New world and full throttle. Velvet in the glass. Settled beautifully. Fruit fully integrated. Long finish. Front, mid, and end of road are all wonderful. Seek and be rewarded (Haiku like in the best possible way)
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9/19/2014 - cpsmith33 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted and drank over 4 hours.
This is very well made, super modern style Syrah.
Huge fruit, dark and brooding but it isn't messy and stewed like some others of this style. Still this just isn't so representative of Syrah but good when you want this style of wine - whether Syrah or Cab or a blend of some sort. Not great QPR.
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8/31/2014 - jrobs7777 wrote:
Very nice effort. Still very young. Could stand to be a bit more balanced. This is loaded with big jammy fruits. A touch of smoke and more traditional Syrah notes, but I found those to be playing second fiddle to the primary and big dark fruits. Up against the Ovid Experiment and SQN, this felt inferior but that does not make it bad. The nits were highlighted, though, by the class of the other reds we drank.
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6/27/2014 - Christoffer78 Likes this wine: 95 Points
An absolutely lovely effort from Maggie Harrison. She has managed to create a full-bodied, yet balanced and quite intriguing expression of Syrah in the 2008 Blue Label. The nose expresses classy dark fruit and a lot of coffee and lovely luxurious oak. The fruit is massive and adds to the super structure of this effort. There are also tones of red berries and dried flowers, which nicely increase the overall complexity. The palate adds nicely to the overall experience with a lovely balance, but definitely a few hard edges. Time might help, but I am not sure seamless integration is a good preference for this style. I certainly love it for what it is!
(Tasted in a flight with 2000 Ojai Thompson Syrah Special Bottling, 2008 Lillian Blue Label Syrah, 2008 Saxum Broken Stones Syrah and 2008 Alban Patrina Syrah.)
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3/24/2014 - caeleric Likes this wine:
1-hour decant, consumed over 3 hours. absolutely stunning stuff. so much elegance, so much power, so much balance, so much finesse. the proverbial iron fist in a velvet glove. savory yet fruity, with beef carpaccio, luscious black cherry and blackberry, brine, and maybe some spicebox. gorgeous in the mouth, with a finish that was more about fruit than secondaries, suggesting this still has tons of life in it. for me, the alcohol started poking out in hour 3, but my dinnermates didn't perceive this, so i chalk that up to me more than the wine. i just loved this. if scoring, 97-99. will go for many more years.
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3/7/2014 - sbfireman wrote: 96 Points
A true long ball home run. Like the deep cellar, the first inhale is dense, slightly overwhelming, and a bit hard to pin-point. Great depth and style. Dark earth and meat, worn leather (as in old not apparel). Blue fruit. Very enjoyable but tremendous future. Drank on the early side of her youth. Not clumsy. Damn fine juice.
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12/28/2013 - pakabear Likes this wine: 95 Points
This is really singing right now, complex flavors of red fruits, spices and meaty goodness. Really great structure and balance.
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12/14/2013 - Pikkle Likes this wine: 93 Points
Rich blue fruits on the palate. Hint of lilacs, baking spice, star anise, and a touch of wood on the nose. Needs some time.
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11/11/2013 - PDX-S wrote:
After 2 hours in the decanter, intense nose of black and blue fruit, floral undertones, and spicy wood notes. Great concentration on the palate that mirrors the nose. While more approachable than the other Syrahs from the evening, this wine is still too tightly wound to reveal all of its potential. I will revisit in a couple of years.
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9/28/2013 - Knicksfan wrote: 93 Points
Big and delicious - need time and age but decanted a few hours and wow
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9/12/2013 - pakabear Likes this wine: 93 Points
Great texture, silky smooth. Classic american Syrah, meat, blood, gamey and loads and loads of medium red fruit. There is a bit of heat on the finish that keeps the score out of the mid 90's but it's damn good.
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7/5/2013 - twelch wrote:
tight tight tight. You can get a sense of what this will become as there are touches of that beautiful dark lillian fruit, spicebox and smoky earthiness yet this needs some serious time as it's not relenting much even after a couple hours in glass.
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5/18/2013 - shadow wrote: 95 Points
Yummmm, got the clean dry hit to your palate with a trail of dry fruit and a need for another hit. Clean finish makes this wine go down easy
Second date, 8/6/2023
D-Mag taken to family reunion.
Not wine lovers, but those that had a glass enjoyed.
I was pleased, mellow, rich, not a hint of old age.
Loved the easy smooth drink of aged wine.
Tannins held up their end, holding the fruit in a delicate grasp.
A wine to enjoy, does not blow your socks off, but could not want more.
easy 95 pts
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3/2/2013 - Mtnmd1 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Massive yet completely integrated wine
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2/16/2013 - MAXIMUM SATISFACTION Likes this wine: 94 Points
Neon black & blue color with nose of tart cherry and vanilla cookies. Decanted for 4 hours. Uber thick mouth coating texture with insanely rich finish. Palate of black/blueberry, leather, menthol, pepper, alcohol, and grilled meat. Paired with cheese, cured meat, dried fruit, candied pecan and assorted olives. Meshed perfectly with the Five Spoke Creamery Tumbleweed Cheese, Ferrari Prosciutto, and candied pecans. Will develop into amazing wine in 5 or so years.
See more detail at
http://maximumsatisfaction.tumblr.com/post/43278751427
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2/14/2013 - fine137 wrote: 93 Points
At this point in its evolution, I like the ordinary bottling above this blue label, perhaps that will change with time in the bottle.
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1/12/2013 - SevenDayMile wrote: 96 Points
Very expressive nose of black and blue fruit. Luxurious texture backed by blackberry, black cherry, and raspberry, leading to a long and detailed finish. This strikes that rare refinement between balanced weight, concentration, and length.
This is no doubt a top-tier New World Syrah of the highest regard.
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12/24/2012 - Nutty08 wrote: 94 Points
From memory the morning after. Decanted an hour before tasting. This was concentrated, opulent, and explosive in the glass. The nose oozed red berries and black currants, with just suble hints of meat and spice. Palate was layers of complex seamless fruit, mostly purple, transitioning to a fruit filled finish where a little vanilla comes in. The slightest hint of heat was present upon entry, but quickly dissipated--and the wine was near room temp. A massive, seamless wine, but I missed some of the typical syrah character (meat, iodine, pepper)i usually get from Maggie's wines. Probably just consumed too young. Still a great wine. 93-94
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12/21/2012 - pakabear Likes this wine: 95 Points
Hugely extracted, much better than the regular '08. Huge spice, dark fruit and some hints of meat but not as prevalent as the massive fruit. Kinda like an imaginary blend of SQN and Hillside Select
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