Oddly disappointing considering the vineyard source. Dark red with fading at the edges. The nose is a bit faint with plum and black cherry. Slightly muddy fruit, cherries, blackberries, sharp spice. Sharp tannins and acidity, bit out of balance. Finishes long with red fruits. Past prime but not DOA. Probably better a few years ago.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tasted blind. This is doing just fine at 15 years old. Has a cool aromatic mix of bacon fat, white flower and some jasmine. Boysenberry, blueberry, tangy and riper-styled but there is enough zesty energy in here to hold it together well. Finishes with rosemary and creosote. Enjoyed this, and shows the touch Wells had with Saxum's plot back in the early decade.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
FMIII called this out blind, I thought my jaw was going to drop when he said "taste like a James Berry with some age on it." Well, then. It comes across as fruit, no surprise, just pushing the edge of dark plum and a light jammy quality. Fascinating zesty component, maybe a secondary note?
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
One thing is not like the others on this table of mostly old world Syrahs. Good ripe fruit, strong acidity, holding quite well for its age and level of ripeness. No mistaking this for anything but a warmer region California Syrah, but it's well made and quite tasty.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Beautiful nose of blackberries and raspberries with hints of vanilla and spice that emerge with a bit more swirling. Medium body, this wine strives for elegance over power. Lovely soft mouthfeel. This has more of the structure I associate with Cote Rotie than Paso Robles. Very well balanced, it paired terrifically with roast lamb. Excellent wine, at peak. www.advinetures.ca
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Rich, luscious, with briar and great fruit (black currants, black berries, raspberries), with excellent structure and grip in the finish (dusty tannins). Still quite young; could easily be vibrant for another 3 or 4 years. I let this wine stand upright for about two weeks, and it decanted clear of a lot of tannins that had been thrown off over the years. Purchased in April 2006 for $89.95, which was substantial for a CA Syrah.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Appreciate my wine pal Rob Winn bringing this to dinner last night. It saw no decant and since last night it has been sitting under cork with about 1/2 bottle remaining. Drinking today at about 65 degrees. Listed alc is 14.6%. I was surprised I have no previous notes on this wine so 10 years past vintage, I finally got to writing one up, I guess. This is old era Copain, yet given the alc level, I could argue this is not nearly as big as what Paso made through the mid-decade, with dark fruit and big alcs, stuff I no longer enjoy nor buy. What's here? To some extent, this smells like a zin, reflecting a raisiny, bramble quality, along with white flower aromatics. There's is a touch of heat in the bouquet too. When the fruit rolls through the wine, it shows lots of blackberry, blueberry, again more zin like, what I often have found with mid-decade CA syrah that get too ripe for my tastes. Where that intersection to zin also is maintained is in the acidity, that the better zins can reflect against the richer fruit (think top flight Carlisle). In this Copain, I find the same comparison. That acidity, along with iron really maintains brightness in the wine and if you poured this for me blind, you'd fool me on syrah. In the finish, there is still astringence and acid. This isn't the template for Copain syrah now and even with the last vintages of Copain James Berry, 08 and 09, this would not be like those two wines. Yet, this wine is not falling apart, nor is it getting cocktail like with dark fruit and booze. While not in the mode of syrah I chase now, this is still interersting, with the blue and black fruits, a look into an era for CA that is long gone from my own cellar but I enjoy the memory through this wine. Aging window? You can drink this now, although I suspect there ain't much of it around anymore and not sure what more aging will gain the wine so hit it now and enjoy it while all the pieces are in step.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This one was unique. It had massive blackberry fruit on the nose, boysenberry pie like a young napa cab. Then it was very dry cherry on the midpallet with a quick, searing acidity and dusty, cocoa powder tannins. On day two the earth came out in the nose with the same structure as day 1. Very interesting.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
sat opened for about a 1/2 hour before drinking , and drank over 2 hours. nose of meat, dark fruit, spice, pepper. had great balance on the palate with fruit, pepper, and herb with a nice medium length finish and some soft tannin. the nose definitely reminded of me of a cote rotie. if i had more would definitely let age a few more years, or have let it open for a little longer before drinking.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Make sure that you decant this wine for at least an hour. Don't make the same mistake I made doing a pop and pour. I got a lot of olive upon opening but this seemed to blow off over the hour we consumed the whole bottle. Evolved into a much more balanced bottle that I really liked
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
What a lesson in complexity. Lots of mineral Fennel and dry herbs on the nose. Pomegranate and Menthol. Strong structure. Give this one a few more years. Continues to soften and evolve.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very nice -- reminiscent of a Cayuse En Cerise in its smokiness, with some meat and nice forward fruit. I think that this wine will continue to develop for at least the next 2 or 3 years, as it needed two hours in the decanter for the flavors to sort themselves out and the tannins are fairly big. Fantastic finish that goes on and on.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Pretty and classic syrah nose of black pepper, black plums and spices. This is elegant and quite ready to drink with a beautiful spice-laden finish and a soft, open texture. Quite restrained for a Cali syrah and drinks more like a mature Cote Rotie with a slightly roasted character. I wouldn't wait much longer to open this.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Still very primary but the most fruit forward of the '03 Copain Syrahs. Deep purple in color, with a smooth nose of cassis, fig, tar and a touch of bacon fat. A focused, fresh palate with intense berry and herbs. Bright acidity on the long finish. Already a wine of balance and depth. Lots of upside - will be excellent in 2-3 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
2/18/2022 - Charlie C wrote: 83 Points
Oddly disappointing considering the vineyard source. Dark red with fading at the edges. The nose is a bit faint with plum and black cherry. Slightly muddy fruit, cherries, blackberries, sharp spice. Sharp tannins and acidity, bit out of balance. Finishes long with red fruits. Past prime but not DOA. Probably better a few years ago.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/7/2019 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Tasted blind. This is doing just fine at 15 years old. Has a cool aromatic mix of bacon fat, white flower and some jasmine. Boysenberry, blueberry, tangy and riper-styled but there is enough zesty energy in here to hold it together well. Finishes with rosemary and creosote. Enjoyed this, and shows the touch Wells had with Saxum's plot back in the early decade.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/6/2019 - brigcampbell wrote:
FMIII called this out blind, I thought my jaw was going to drop when he said "taste like a James Berry with some age on it." Well, then. It comes across as fruit, no surprise, just pushing the edge of dark plum and a light jammy quality. Fascinating zesty component, maybe a secondary note?
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/6/2018 - alanr wrote: 89 Points
One thing is not like the others on this table of mostly old world Syrahs. Good ripe fruit, strong acidity, holding quite well for its age and level of ripeness. No mistaking this for anything but a warmer region California Syrah, but it's well made and quite tasty.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/19/2015 - Stirling Likes this wine: 93 Points
Beautiful nose of blackberries and raspberries with hints of vanilla and spice that emerge with a bit more swirling. Medium body, this wine strives for elegance over power. Lovely soft mouthfeel. This has more of the structure I associate with Cote Rotie than Paso Robles. Very well balanced, it paired terrifically with roast lamb. Excellent wine, at peak. www.advinetures.ca
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/28/2014 - Bruce 1er Likes this wine: 92 Points
Rich, luscious, with briar and great fruit (black currants, black berries, raspberries), with excellent structure and grip in the finish (dusty tannins). Still quite young; could easily be vibrant for another 3 or 4 years. I let this wine stand upright for about two weeks, and it decanted clear of a lot of tannins that had been thrown off over the years. Purchased in April 2006 for $89.95, which was substantial for a CA Syrah.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/9/2013 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Appreciate my wine pal Rob Winn bringing this to dinner last night. It saw no decant and since last night it has been sitting under cork with about 1/2 bottle remaining. Drinking today at about 65 degrees. Listed alc is 14.6%. I was surprised I have no previous notes on this wine so 10 years past vintage, I finally got to writing one up, I guess. This is old era Copain, yet given the alc level, I could argue this is not nearly as big as what Paso made through the mid-decade, with dark fruit and big alcs, stuff I no longer enjoy nor buy. What's here? To some extent, this smells like a zin, reflecting a raisiny, bramble quality, along with white flower aromatics. There's is a touch of heat in the bouquet too. When the fruit rolls through the wine, it shows lots of blackberry, blueberry, again more zin like, what I often have found with mid-decade CA syrah that get too ripe for my tastes. Where that intersection to zin also is maintained is in the acidity, that the better zins can reflect against the richer fruit (think top flight Carlisle). In this Copain, I find the same comparison. That acidity, along with iron really maintains brightness in the wine and if you poured this for me blind, you'd fool me on syrah. In the finish, there is still astringence and acid. This isn't the template for Copain syrah now and even with the last vintages of Copain James Berry, 08 and 09, this would not be like those two wines. Yet, this wine is not falling apart, nor is it getting cocktail like with dark fruit and booze. While not in the mode of syrah I chase now, this is still interersting, with the blue and black fruits, a look into an era for CA that is long gone from my own cellar but I enjoy the memory through this wine. Aging window? You can drink this now, although I suspect there ain't much of it around anymore and not sure what more aging will gain the wine so hit it now and enjoy it while all the pieces are in step.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/5/2012 - Thirsty1 wrote:
This one was unique. It had massive blackberry fruit on the nose, boysenberry pie like a young napa cab. Then it was very dry cherry on the midpallet with a quick, searing acidity and dusty, cocoa powder tannins. On day two the earth came out in the nose with the same structure as day 1. Very interesting.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/22/2010 - pchubb wrote:
sat opened for about a 1/2 hour before drinking , and drank over 2 hours. nose of meat, dark fruit, spice, pepper. had great balance on the palate with fruit, pepper, and herb with a nice medium length finish and some soft tannin. the nose definitely reminded of me of a cote rotie. if i had more would definitely let age a few more years, or have let it open for a little longer before drinking.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/28/2009 - Screameagle wrote: 90 Points
Make sure that you decant this wine for at least an hour. Don't make the same mistake I made doing a pop and pour. I got a lot of olive upon opening but this seemed to blow off over the hour we consumed the whole bottle. Evolved into a much more balanced bottle that I really liked
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/16/2009 - nfafoglia wrote: 95 Points
What a lesson in complexity. Lots of mineral Fennel and dry herbs on the nose. Pomegranate and Menthol. Strong structure. Give this one a few more years. Continues to soften and evolve.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/15/2008 - pgordon62 wrote: flawed
Corked. Crap!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/16/2007 - mreinitz wrote: 92 Points
Very nice -- reminiscent of a Cayuse En Cerise in its smokiness, with some meat and nice forward fruit. I think that this wine will continue to develop for at least the next 2 or 3 years, as it needed two hours in the decanter for the flavors to sort themselves out and the tannins are fairly big. Fantastic finish that goes on and on.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/15/2007 - dream wrote: 88 Points
Pretty and classic syrah nose of black pepper, black plums and spices. This is elegant and quite ready to drink with a beautiful spice-laden finish and a soft, open texture. Quite restrained for a Cali syrah and drinks more like a mature Cote Rotie with a slightly roasted character. I wouldn't wait much longer to open this.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/22/2006 - pgordon62 wrote: 92 Points
Still very primary but the most fruit forward of the '03 Copain Syrahs. Deep purple in color, with a smooth nose of cassis, fig, tar and a touch of bacon fat. A focused, fresh palate with intense berry and herbs. Bright acidity on the long finish. Already a wine of balance and depth. Lots of upside - will be excellent in 2-3 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment