Not sure if it's just past prime or prematurely oxidized, but it was certainly in the pruney/raisiny part of the spectrum and the colour had started to brick. Given that it was still a fairly good showing with some of the more expected fruit and meat coming out, but I'd hoped it had more life left in it.
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Undrinkable. Too old and got worse as the evening progressed. This was part of a 6 bottle library wine grouping purchased on Berserker Day. I'm hoping for better from the other bottles...
Quite fresh still with only hints of maturity. Smokey BBQ and boysenberry nose. That plus some redwood on the palate. Still fleshy. The wood shows obviously but in check with generous fruit. Medium bodied. I like the way this carries strong fruit without pushing ripeness and extraction.
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PnP through Nuance Wine Finer. Dark purple color. Little meaty, somewhat big fruit on the nose. On the palate, meaty berry, a little dirt, still young and tannic. Nice finish. 90pts. Aloha!
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My notes are unchanged from 2016 except it drank best on day two. Still a touch oxidized(?) on day one that was completely gone on day two. Drinking well now but no rush.
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Last bottle and I wish I had waited longer, still young, not much development from 3.5 years ago, coarse. Lots of cool Syrah character but still seems like a surly youngster.
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Last of our 08's. Still lovely with smoky iron, cured meats, blackberry, and pepper. Drinking very well. Congrats to those who have held off you have a stunner on your hands.
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This drinks younger than I might have expected. The fruit is still bright and fresh. I like the core spine of acidity underneath. There is still some astringent grip here. A rare sort of Syrah from California and of a kind we need more of. No rush.
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Tartness dominated the palate initially but with some air, a complex flavor profile revealed itself. Agree with previous reviewers who noticed smoked meats, olives, brine and dark fruits. Savory, medium bodied wine with a plus finish and grippy tannins. Still has plenty of life although the fruit has either faded into the background somewhat or was never really prevalent in the first place. Drank over 2 days. Surprisingly it did not pair especially well with a hamburger (adorned with cheese, lettuce, tomato and mayo) on day 1 but went nicely with honey ham and American cheese on day 2.
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Olive, dark fruit, pepper, smoke, briney aromas invite you in for what is to come. Delicous, savory white pepper, olive, grilled herbs, blackberry, iodine flavors frame the lithe yet lush body. Tannins are still hanging in there but nothing obtrusive and the snappy acidity keeps everything fresh and compact. Excellent bottle, sad to see the last one go, but we don't buy them to look at!
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Dark and very savory. Olive juice, cured meats, earthy, pepper, blackberry and smoke. Tannins have softened since last bottle 3 years ago but are still prevalent. Very hearty Syrah. Love it.
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Interestingly three years later and it still shows best on day three. Not quite as impressed with this bottle as the last but it's still a nice syrah. Tasted a touch oxidized initially but that entirely blew off. Aromas of olive, meat and blackberry. The matches with the olive showing especially strong and adds a bit of bbq sauce, black pepper and licorice. The structural notes are integrating; medium tannins & acid. Drink one now but should continue to age a bit.
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Blackberries, olive, smoke nose. Medium bodied, savory flavors of olive, brine, blackberry, pepper and a medium length finish of pepper and blackberry held up by a nice acidic spine. Could use another couple years for tannins to soften, but don't be shy about opening now if you have more than one.
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Love Cabot. Only buy it on Berserkers day, but I love the stuff. I'm not sure there is a better Cali Syrah value than Cabot. Not overly fruit forward. In fact, not fruit forward at all. Good stuff. I don't think I'd identify this as Cali. Also has some funk on it.
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I just don't really like California Syrah, and I think its as simple as that. It had a pleasant spice note too it, but it had too much cedary oak and was too ripe. None of the blood-iron-game-olive-lavender that I really love in Syrah, nor even the blackberry juice note one can get in younger or riper French Syrah. Just monolithic California fruit. But it isn't hot, and I think that the spice is nice, and that a Cali-centric palate would really enjoy this wine, it just isn't my style. From this producer my favorite wine remains the single vintage Pinot, which was quite nice, but the Syrah is not to my liking.
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P&p; pretty open right from the bottle. Dark fruit, restrained but with some nice depth; black pepper; mild smoke; some general savoriness; clean earth. Similar elements on the palate, with excellent acidity; fresh and lively, with depth and savoriness as well. Drinking well; drink or hold, I suppose.
Day 2 (stored in a half-bottle overnight): A bit more pungent and expressive; drinking very well.
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Not my favorite, despite enjoying some others from this producer. Smoke, tart cherry, and still a bit tannic. Will wait on the other syrahs I have from Cabot.
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A-. I need to keep buying Cabot on Berserker Day. I have several purchased in the last two years and this was just the second that I opened. What a really nice bargain. Nice fruit, good balance, spices.
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Meaty, aromatic with flowers and spices, bits of cherry coming out here and there. No real peppercorn on this one, but the savoury and spicy notes make up for it. Tannin is still going strong, and I'm sure this could last a long time.
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Agree with too early. Has some of the promise of the 2006 I had recently, but its acid and tannin are a bit harsh..(relative to the 06). Otherwise terrific.
FYI Tons of sediment. So decant to aerate and for sediment.
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Drank after the bottle had been open for a few days. Did not hold up. It was starting to go a bit acidic. This is a drink in one night or be thoughtful about storage wine (mea culpa).
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Agree this is still showing very young and a bit austere. It has a lot of the cured meat personality and smoke but the fruit is in the background. Gonna be a good one.
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Just wanted to check in on this one...served up with some duck and roasted cauliflower. Man, this thing is still just a baby. Needs 2+ hours of air time, and still has a solid tannic backbone and firm, almost austere palate profile. Nonetheless, it offers dense black fruit and a meaty streak that paired well with richer food. Nonetheless, I would favor holding off at least a year or two until opening another. It goes without saying that this is a QPR barn-burner as well.
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Man, was this good with charred skirt steak, grilled tomatoes, grilled bread, pesto, & arugula. Blackberries, smoke, charcoal, meat. My dad called it abattoir. Fairly rustic and coarse on the back as these wines often are, but lovely with the fare and enjoyable all around.
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Consumed over 2 nights. On 1st night PnV and drank over 1.5 hrs. Opaque inky hue. Nose of blackberry, bacon, meat, spice, and later showing carob and cigarbox on 2nd day. Semi-jammy and rich palate with notes of dark berry fruit, black pepper and baking spice. Firm and fine tannic structure with moderate acid, medium:full bodied, and a dry clipped finish. Pleasant Cali Syrah with or without food at a very good price.
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Inky color, aggressive flavor with touch of smoke and lardons and hints of raspberry. Breathing softened modest tannins and diminished the meaty flavors. Went nicely with ribeye steak.
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Best way I can describe this wine is a dark berry core protected by heavy tannins wrapped in plastic bubble wrap. Maybe needs time or maybe it is just what it is. That bubble wrap quality is a little off putting though.
Day 2: tannins have settled. Fruit is relatively jammy though still not ripe by any means and the plastic taste (someone else described it as resin) while present again at first is not nearly as prominent.
So my advice is to decant the living day lights out of this one.
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Pnp. NR. Quite a bit reduced. Tannic. Some good flavors there making it easily overlooked if you don't realize it's closed. I will give it a day and re-try. Lots of bbq smoke on day two but still some reduction. Needs some more time.
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Opened, decanted, drank over 3 hours. Tight nose throughout, Expansive blue fruit, rhubarb, cured meats, and intriguing smokey deep goodness. Tannins standing proud, I'm in no hurry to drink the remaining 3 bottles, but it is excellent right now.
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Popped and poured at a dinner party. This is showing in all its Northern Rhone-style glory right now- notes of sage, white pepper, blood sausage, tomato skin, black currant and cherry throughout. Still tight upon opening, showing more juiciness with air. Nice mid-palate weight, good acid, fine smooth tannins, full through the finish. Good stuff.
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Closed and somewhat austere at first, but drinking well with a few hours of air - peppered smoked meat, earthy roots, a bit of menthol, and a slightly bitter resinous note. Similar on day 2, with a bit more cool dark fruit.
Day 3: Drinking very well, improved from days 1 and 2 – more open fruit, the bitter resinous edge has smoothed out, and everything is well integrated, cohesive, and smooth while still full of character.
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I should have known that when MGSTULL said it needed every bit of a 2 hour decant that it needed more. Decanted and started tasting after 90 minutes. It needed 3 hours to reveal dark fruit, smoke and bacon. Finish was still gripping. This needs time.
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Good wine, a bit hot on the nose with a 2.5 hour slow ox. Long finish, not super well integrated alcohol as the nose indicated. Big black fruit, some black pepper. Might improve with time in the bottle but needs food and a long decant now to enjoy.
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Quite an interesting, complex wine - aromatic smoky black pepper, menthol, cool dark fruit, good acidity and some saline minerality. With a few hours of air some cured meat develops. Quite enjoyable, and nice depth and complexity. Great value too.
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On night one this was good, but on night two it's great. Not much nose, just a hint of smoke and plums. Striking tart fruit and tannins hit the palate, rich mouthfeel, complex smoky mid-palate, and a mouth-drying medium finish. A lot of character, should only get better over the next few years.
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I really, really want to love Cabot wines. And I have loved the pinot, but this didn't grab me. Very reductive, never really blew off. Okay fruit and acid, but a little disjoint. Okay, but not great.
If I had to describe this wine in one word it would be intricate. It took some time to open up showing all of its complexities. The nuanced nose shows notes of red & black cherry, red & black licorice, smoked bacon and pepper. The palate largely matches, but in a reverse order with the pepper and smoked bacon up front and the fruit/licorice underneath. Far from a big wine, with high acid, medium+ tannins and a long finish this should age nicely for quite some time, though is drinkable now with air (notes from day 3).
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Nose of mixed red/dark fruit, black pepper, flank steak, a hint of smoke and an interesting green note like eucalyptus. Nice clean fruit and acidity on entry and then fine tannins come in full, drying out the entire mouth but gently. I think this would be worth hanging on to for a few more years.
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Mostly Châteauneuf-du-Pape at Dinosaur BBQ (Dinosaur BBQ NYC.): A somewhat surprising and disappointing showing, unfortunately. The wine starts of nicely with sweet, but not overripe black fruit, spice, licorice, smoke and just a touch of bacon, but very quickly bitter oak notes start to come up and soon dominate the wine and it became unpleasantly oaky and smoky. This is extremely surprising as what I've enjoyed about John's wines is his restrained use of oak. Indeed, Michel, who brought the wine, mentioned how beautiful it was when he first opened it at home, but was forced to admit that it had become a shell of itself by the end of the evening. I was under the impression that they were too far North to have been affected by all the smoke from the fires that greatly affected Sonoma County that year. Puzzling. B/B-.
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10/21/2023 - klezman wrote:
Not sure if it's just past prime or prematurely oxidized, but it was certainly in the pruney/raisiny part of the spectrum and the colour had started to brick. Given that it was still a fairly good showing with some of the more expected fruit and meat coming out, but I'd hoped it had more life left in it.
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4/22/2022 - Bellissimo wrote:
Picked up within the past 2 years from the winery. Last visited almost 4 years ago.
Bacon fat, iron, menthol, blackberry and pepper. A little chewy, long, long finish.
Still a favorite domestic syrah producer even if a little past prime.
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9/23/2021 - Doc2 Likes this wine:
Very nice with some age
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5/9/2021 - grafstrb wrote: flawed
-- decanted 20 min before 1st taste --
-- tasted non-blind over 2 to 3 hours --
NOSE: "dark"; band-aid brett; concentrated black olive.
BODY: medium bodied; dark color.
TASTE: strong brett; smoky like a rauchbier; maybe a hint of TCA; somewhat of a trainwreck, but was able to enjoy it by pretending it's a rauchbier.
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5/1/2021 - Vineyard68 Does not like this wine: 82 Points
Undrinkable. Too old and got worse as the evening progressed. This was part of a 6 bottle library wine grouping purchased on Berserker Day. I'm hoping for better from the other bottles...
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3/27/2021 - WetRock wrote:
Quite fresh still with only hints of maturity. Smokey BBQ and boysenberry nose. That plus some redwood on the palate. Still fleshy. The wood shows obviously but in check with generous fruit. Medium bodied. I like the way this carries strong fruit without pushing ripeness and extraction.
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4/15/2020 - bg3034 wrote: 90 Points
PnP through Nuance Wine Finer. Dark purple color. Little meaty, somewhat big fruit on the nose. On the palate, meaty berry, a little dirt, still young and tannic. Nice finish. 90pts. Aloha!
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10/8/2019 - David_T wrote:
My notes are unchanged from 2016 except it drank best on day two. Still a touch oxidized(?) on day one that was completely gone on day two. Drinking well now but no rush.
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12/3/2018 - andtheodor wrote: 90 Points
Last bottle and I wish I had waited longer, still young, not much development from 3.5 years ago, coarse. Lots of cool Syrah character but still seems like a surly youngster.
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11/15/2018 - europat55 wrote: 91 Points
Nose: B++ Palate: B++/A-
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7/14/2018 - Bellissimo Likes this wine:
Last of our 08's. Still lovely with smoky iron, cured meats, blackberry, and pepper. Drinking very well. Congrats to those who have held off you have a stunner on your hands.
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2/23/2018 - WetRock wrote:
This drinks younger than I might have expected. The fruit is still bright and fresh. I like the core spine of acidity underneath. There is still some astringent grip here. A rare sort of Syrah from California and of a kind we need more of. No rush.
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2/12/2018 - jhemming wrote: 91 Points
Humboldt Gold! Enjoyable domestic Syrah. Dark fruits intertwined with savory herbal notes, smoked meat and earth. Med body. Plus finish.
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10/17/2017 - dougie Likes this wine: 90 Points
Started off a bit funky and hot. Blew off and opened up to a beautiful full bodied Syrah. Not heavy, syrupy or sweet.
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8/2/2017 - ChipGreen wrote:
Tartness dominated the palate initially but with some air, a complex flavor profile revealed itself. Agree with previous reviewers who noticed smoked meats, olives, brine and dark fruits. Savory, medium bodied wine with a plus finish and grippy tannins. Still has plenty of life although the fruit has either faded into the background somewhat or was never really prevalent in the first place. Drank over 2 days. Surprisingly it did not pair especially well with a hamburger (adorned with cheese, lettuce, tomato and mayo) on day 1 but went nicely with honey ham and American cheese on day 2.
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7/22/2017 - paydon9 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Olive, dark fruit, pepper, smoke, briney aromas invite you in for what is to come. Delicous, savory white pepper, olive, grilled herbs, blackberry, iodine flavors frame the lithe yet lush body. Tannins are still hanging in there but nothing obtrusive and the snappy acidity keeps everything fresh and compact. Excellent bottle, sad to see the last one go, but we don't buy them to look at!
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4/7/2017 - Bellissimo Likes this wine:
Dark and very savory. Olive juice, cured meats, earthy, pepper, blackberry and smoke. Tannins have softened since last bottle 3 years ago but are still prevalent. Very hearty Syrah. Love it.
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3/28/2017 - jdabrowski1027 wrote: flawed
Unfortunately looks like the cork failed. Tons of VA on the nose and palate, which really is too bad- there is meaty Syrah goodness under all that.
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12/4/2016 - Spook16 wrote: 91 Points
Opened this today. Is this ever going to be ready? Still very tannic 8 years. tasty but still needs more time apparently.
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4/13/2016 - David_T wrote: 90 Points
Interestingly three years later and it still shows best on day three. Not quite as impressed with this bottle as the last but it's still a nice syrah. Tasted a touch oxidized initially but that entirely blew off. Aromas of olive, meat and blackberry. The matches with the olive showing especially strong and adds a bit of bbq sauce, black pepper and licorice. The structural notes are integrating; medium tannins & acid. Drink one now but should continue to age a bit.
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1/22/2016 - paydon9 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Blackberries, olive, smoke nose. Medium bodied, savory flavors of olive, brine, blackberry, pepper and a medium length finish of pepper and blackberry held up by a nice acidic spine. Could use another couple years for tannins to soften, but don't be shy about opening now if you have more than one.
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1/9/2016 - PSUSteve Likes this wine: 92 Points
Coravin'd and ready to drink. I don't often say that about a Cabot wine. Fresh black fruit that was alive layered with meat and some smoke.
Day 2 - this seemed to have even a deeper level of of spice, bramble and smoke. Maybe some air would help this.
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1/2/2016 - marka wrote: 92 Points
Love Cabot. Only buy it on Berserkers day, but I love the stuff. I'm not sure there is a better Cali Syrah value than Cabot. Not overly fruit forward. In fact, not fruit forward at all. Good stuff. I don't think I'd identify this as Cali. Also has some funk on it.
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12/19/2015 - Andrew H wrote: 88 Points
Drinking nicely although a touch thin. Nice cherry, hint of oak and sous bois. Tannins not present.
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11/21/2015 - sleepyhaus wrote:
I just don't really like California Syrah, and I think its as simple as that. It had a pleasant spice note too it, but it had too much cedary oak and was too ripe. None of the blood-iron-game-olive-lavender that I really love in Syrah, nor even the blackberry juice note one can get in younger or riper French Syrah. Just monolithic California fruit. But it isn't hot, and I think that the spice is nice, and that a Cali-centric palate would really enjoy this wine, it just isn't my style. From this producer my favorite wine remains the single vintage Pinot, which was quite nice, but the Syrah is not to my liking.
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10/8/2015 - Beerzebub Likes this wine:
P&p; pretty open right from the bottle. Dark fruit, restrained but with some nice depth; black pepper; mild smoke; some general savoriness; clean earth. Similar elements on the palate, with excellent acidity; fresh and lively, with depth and savoriness as well. Drinking well; drink or hold, I suppose.
Day 2 (stored in a half-bottle overnight): A bit more pungent and expressive; drinking very well.
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9/12/2015 - mqvn wrote:
Not my favorite, despite enjoying some others from this producer. Smoke, tart cherry, and still a bit tannic. Will wait on the other syrahs I have from Cabot.
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5/25/2015 - marka wrote: 90 Points
A-. I need to keep buying Cabot on Berserker Day. I have several purchased in the last two years and this was just the second that I opened. What a really nice bargain. Nice fruit, good balance, spices.
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5/6/2015 - klezman wrote:
Meaty, aromatic with flowers and spices, bits of cherry coming out here and there. No real peppercorn on this one, but the savoury and spicy notes make up for it. Tannin is still going strong, and I'm sure this could last a long time.
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5/2/2015 - Andrew H Likes this wine: 91 Points
Enjoyable Syrah - not overly chewy. Notes of smoke and ham on the nose. Softens to rich cherry and dark fruit. Very enjoyable.
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4/25/2015 - andtheodor wrote:
Good as always, better with some air. Similar to bottle in October '14.
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4/24/2015 - markswine Likes this wine: 91 Points
very good. Give it a year or two.
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4/15/2015 - Ridgerunner Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very nice cooler climate syrah... not a fruit bomb... more pepper and rocks!
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1/18/2015 - arthrovine wrote: 91 Points
Agree with too early. Has some of the promise of the 2006 I had recently, but its acid and tannin are a bit harsh..(relative to the 06). Otherwise terrific.
FYI Tons of sediment. So decant to aerate and for sediment.
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12/2/2014 - MC2 Wines wrote:
Drank after the bottle had been open for a few days. Did not hold up. It was starting to go a bit acidic. This is a drink in one night or be thoughtful about storage wine (mea culpa).
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11/24/2014 - kenhoeve Likes this wine:
Agree this is still showing very young and a bit austere. It has a lot of the cured meat personality and smoke but the fruit is in the background. Gonna be a good one.
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11/23/2014 - swillpower wrote:
Just wanted to check in on this one...served up with some duck and roasted cauliflower. Man, this thing is still just a baby. Needs 2+ hours of air time, and still has a solid tannic backbone and firm, almost austere palate profile. Nonetheless, it offers dense black fruit and a meaty streak that paired well with richer food. Nonetheless, I would favor holding off at least a year or two until opening another. It goes without saying that this is a QPR barn-burner as well.
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10/8/2014 - andtheodor wrote: 91 Points
Man, was this good with charred skirt steak, grilled tomatoes, grilled bread, pesto, & arugula. Blackberries, smoke, charcoal, meat. My dad called it abattoir. Fairly rustic and coarse on the back as these wines often are, but lovely with the fare and enjoyable all around.
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7/15/2014 - blakel wrote: 89 Points
Lots of stewed fruit, heavy, none of the finesse of earlier bottles. Might be past it's prime, or just a lesser bottle.
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6/15/2014 - Andrew H wrote: 90 Points
Deep red, strong slightly smoky nose with ripe dark berry flavors.
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6/6/2014 - DRS-Inc wrote: 91 Points
Consumed over 2 nights. On 1st night PnV and drank over 1.5 hrs. Opaque inky hue. Nose of blackberry, bacon, meat, spice, and later showing carob and cigarbox on 2nd day. Semi-jammy and rich palate with notes of dark berry fruit, black pepper and baking spice. Firm and fine tannic structure with moderate acid, medium:full bodied, and a dry clipped finish. Pleasant Cali Syrah with or without food at a very good price.
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5/31/2014 - Andrew H wrote: 91 Points
Inky color, aggressive flavor with touch of smoke and lardons and hints of raspberry. Breathing softened modest tannins and diminished the meaty flavors. Went nicely with ribeye steak.
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5/8/2014 - Mootsie wrote: 88 Points
Best way I can describe this wine is a dark berry core protected by heavy tannins wrapped in plastic bubble wrap. Maybe needs time or maybe it is just what it is. That bubble wrap quality is a little off putting though.
Day 2: tannins have settled. Fruit is relatively jammy though still not ripe by any means and the plastic taste (someone else described it as resin) while present again at first is not nearly as prominent.
So my advice is to decant the living day lights out of this one.
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4/1/2014 - cartime Likes this wine:
Better after a day open. A ripe, Grenache-like profile. Well balanced.
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3/28/2014 - kenhoeve wrote:
Pnp. NR. Quite a bit reduced. Tannic. Some good flavors there making it easily overlooked if you don't realize it's closed. I will give it a day and re-try. Lots of bbq smoke on day two but still some reduction. Needs some more time.
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2/21/2014 - BobMilton Likes this wine: 90 Points
Red cherries on nose and palate. Some underlying earthiness.
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2/16/2014 - joe d wrote:
Absolutely my favorite wine label ever. I really want to like this.
Expressive dark berry fruit. Smokey character. A little hot for me. I have a couple of other Cabots that I will wait awhile to try.
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2/16/2014 - Bellissimo wrote:
Dark, earthy, blood, cured meats, loads of tannins. Needs a couple of years then it will be a ringer for northern Rhone.
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1/5/2014 - RSK wrote: 87 Points
Some earthiness, pepper, and cherry. The nose is restrained and the tannins are prominent.
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12/3/2013 - VinoPKM wrote: 91 Points
Damn Cabot makes some tasty juice. A great Syrah- not much bacon or meats coming through. Good dark fruits and pepper.
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11/26/2013 - Vertical Likes this wine: 93 Points
Opened, decanted, drank over 3 hours. Tight nose throughout, Expansive blue fruit, rhubarb, cured meats, and intriguing smokey deep goodness. Tannins standing proud, I'm in no hurry to drink the remaining 3 bottles, but it is excellent right now.
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11/10/2013 - MattMauldin Likes this wine: 92 Points
Popped and poured at a dinner party. This is showing in all its Northern Rhone-style glory right now- notes of sage, white pepper, blood sausage, tomato skin, black currant and cherry throughout. Still tight upon opening, showing more juiciness with air. Nice mid-palate weight, good acid, fine smooth tannins, full through the finish. Good stuff.
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10/16/2013 - JJKinch wrote: 91 Points
Dark fruit (cherry, slight blueberry) slight olive, slight spice.
Lingering finish. Well knit. Really enjoyable.
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10/7/2013 - Beerzebub Likes this wine:
Closed and somewhat austere at first, but drinking well with a few hours of air - peppered smoked meat, earthy roots, a bit of menthol, and a slightly bitter resinous note. Similar on day 2, with a bit more cool dark fruit.
Day 3: Drinking very well, improved from days 1 and 2 – more open fruit, the bitter resinous edge has smoothed out, and everything is well integrated, cohesive, and smooth while still full of character.
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9/29/2013 - PSUSteve wrote: 91 Points
I should have known that when MGSTULL said it needed every bit of a 2 hour decant that it needed more. Decanted and started tasting after 90 minutes. It needed 3 hours to reveal dark fruit, smoke and bacon. Finish was still gripping. This needs time.
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9/17/2013 - mgstull Likes this wine: 90 Points
Consistent with previous note.
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9/9/2013 - thetong wrote: 89 Points
Good wine, a bit hot on the nose with a 2.5 hour slow ox. Long finish, not super well integrated alcohol as the nose indicated. Big black fruit, some black pepper. Might improve with time in the bottle but needs food and a long decant now to enjoy.
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7/15/2013 - mgstull Likes this wine: 90 Points
Dark purple. Sweet black and blue fruits up front gives way to smoke, bacon fat, and a hint of sage. 2 hour decant and it needed all of that.
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6/29/2013 - Beerzebub Likes this wine:
Quite an interesting, complex wine - aromatic smoky black pepper, menthol, cool dark fruit, good acidity and some saline minerality. With a few hours of air some cured meat develops. Quite enjoyable, and nice depth and complexity. Great value too.
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4/21/2013 - blakel Likes this wine: 91 Points
On night one this was good, but on night two it's great. Not much nose, just a hint of smoke and plums. Striking tart fruit and tannins hit the palate, rich mouthfeel, complex smoky mid-palate, and a mouth-drying medium finish. A lot of character, should only get better over the next few years.
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4/18/2013 - Michael Davidson wrote:
I really, really want to love Cabot wines. And I have loved the pinot, but this didn't grab me. Very reductive, never really blew off. Okay fruit and acid, but a little disjoint. Okay, but not great.
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3/1/2013 - David_T Likes this wine: 92 Points
If I had to describe this wine in one word it would be intricate. It took some time to open up showing all of its complexities. The nuanced nose shows notes of red & black cherry, red & black licorice, smoked bacon and pepper. The palate largely matches, but in a reverse order with the pepper and smoked bacon up front and the fruit/licorice underneath. Far from a big wine, with high acid, medium+ tannins and a long finish this should age nicely for quite some time, though is drinkable now with air (notes from day 3).
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2/18/2013 - jshearer Likes this wine: 90 Points
Nose of mixed red/dark fruit, black pepper, flank steak, a hint of smoke and an interesting green note like eucalyptus. Nice clean fruit and acidity on entry and then fine tannins come in full, drying out the entire mouth but gently. I think this would be worth hanging on to for a few more years.
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10/5/2012 - BradKNYC wrote:
Mostly Châteauneuf-du-Pape at Dinosaur BBQ (Dinosaur BBQ NYC.): A somewhat surprising and disappointing showing, unfortunately. The wine starts of nicely with sweet, but not overripe black fruit, spice, licorice, smoke and just a touch of bacon, but very quickly bitter oak notes start to come up and soon dominate the wine and it became unpleasantly oaky and smoky. This is extremely surprising as what I've enjoyed about John's wines is his restrained use of oak. Indeed, Michel, who brought the wine, mentioned how beautiful it was when he first opened it at home, but was forced to admit that it had become a shell of itself by the end of the evening. I was under the impression that they were too far North to have been affected by all the smoke from the fires that greatly affected Sonoma County that year. Puzzling. B/B-.
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