Lucia Syrah Susan's Hill has a incredible liquid mineral/damp earth quality to go with pure blackberry, cassis, wood smoke, wild herbs, plum and pepper on the nose. Full-bodied, rich, and powerful, yet with a deft, clean feel and chewy tannin on the finish, this beauty shines with an hour in the decanter (even better on the second day). And a long finish, by the way.
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Pop and pour and placed in a brown bag. The brown bags bottles were labelled with the names of the actresses that have played Catwoman. This was in a brown bag labelled Julie Newmar.
Brief impressions: Bright vibrant purple color. Rich fruit. Approachable. Has depth, some nice chalk notes. Good fruit with a long finish.
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Typical over ripe CA syrah on the nose. Thick red fruit and a nice finish. I liked this wine, but with an "all-in" cost of just under $35 per bottle I decided that this was a fair price and not a bargain.
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Straight from the bottle, my first reaction was "prunes." And usually that is not a good thing. But thank goodness we are now 3 hours later.
This is clearly more restrained than previous vintages. But with enough air, some lovely blackberry, licorice, and Herbs de Provence come through. A pretty short finish by comparison to past vintages, but very enjoyable.
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This year's Susan's demonstrates a more subtle nose than some others, with toast and tar. Both the nose and the palate demonstrate more primary purple and blue fruits than I remember from other vintages, but also better acidity and balance. The finish is slightly less tannic than the Garys'. All things being equal, I would rate the Susan's a bit higher than the Garys' right now for current drinking, but the Garys' probably has more mid-term potential.
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Dark purple with a nose of pine, asphalt, and licorice. This honestly really opened up on the second night. So well composed the second night with notes of sea air, black raspberries, licorice and smoke. This paired beautifully with charcuterie!
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Opened about 90 mins ago, a sneak taste in Falltacular. Stem inclusion adds a nice aromatic...smoke and some herbal. This has good density, the fruit is blackberry and tar, with a note of licorice. Solid.
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LOL! Used the tasting notes assistant then added descriptives to it!
Intense Purple in color with a nose of minerality, wet forest floor, violets, prunes and figs. Still young & closed.
Thick & full bodied, long legs, still a tad alcoholic with heat, flavors of figs, plums, hints of raisins, gamey/meaty and a tad smokey with good minerality. Very well balanced and holds good promise. Medium long finish.
Had it with a thick focacia with toppings, made in the style of a Chicago deep dish pizza. Matched well. Delish!
Overall score: 92-93 pts. Time will help it along.
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8/14/2022 - Civico wrote: 94 Points
Lucia Syrah Susan's Hill has a incredible liquid mineral/damp earth quality to go with pure blackberry, cassis, wood smoke, wild herbs, plum and pepper on the nose. Full-bodied, rich, and powerful, yet with a deft, clean feel and chewy tannin on the finish, this beauty shines with an hour in the decanter (even better on the second day). And a long finish, by the way.
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1/21/2018 - brianngibson wrote: 93 Points
Last bottle and better than ever. I think Jeb Dunnuck got this one closest to the mark ...
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10/29/2016 - oenophilemoose wrote: 90 Points
Decanted for two hours. Nice flavor profile with some funk and spice on the finish.
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1/7/2016 - JohnnyShiraz Does not like this wine: 86 Points
14.2% ABV
“Susan’s Hill” is simply the name for the Syrah section of the Pisoni Vineyard.
For me, hard to drink, too tart. I recommend pouring into a decanter upon opening.
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10/6/2015 - STM82 wrote: 93 Points
Still needs time but blossomed after two hours. Similar notes apply.
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12/11/2014 - STM82 wrote: 92 Points
More bright red fruit than the previous bottle. A bit less complexity.
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10/10/2014 - t_moderne wrote:
Pop and pour and placed in a brown bag. The brown bags bottles were labelled with the names of the actresses that have played Catwoman.
This was in a brown bag labelled Julie Newmar.
Brief impressions:
Bright vibrant purple color.
Rich fruit. Approachable.
Has depth, some nice chalk notes.
Good fruit with a long finish.
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8/1/2014 - alr6767 wrote: 92 Points
Ditto last year's note. This is just as good if not a little better. 92.7 points :)
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2/18/2014 - sayward Likes this wine: 91 Points
Typical over ripe CA syrah on the nose. Thick red fruit and a nice finish. I liked this wine, but with an "all-in" cost of just under $35 per bottle I decided that this was a fair price and not a bargain.
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1/22/2014 - brianngibson wrote: 91 Points
Straight from the bottle, my first reaction was "prunes." And usually that is not a good thing. But thank goodness we are now 3 hours later.
This is clearly more restrained than previous vintages. But with enough air, some lovely blackberry, licorice, and Herbs de Provence come through. A pretty short finish by comparison to past vintages, but very enjoyable.
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9/26/2013 - alr6767 wrote: 92 Points
This year's Susan's demonstrates a more subtle nose than some others, with toast and tar. Both the nose and the palate demonstrate more primary purple and blue fruits than I remember from other vintages, but also better acidity and balance. The finish is slightly less tannic than the Garys'. All things being equal, I would rate the Susan's a bit higher than the Garys' right now for current drinking, but the Garys' probably has more mid-term potential.
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8/25/2013 - STM82 wrote: 93 Points
Dark purple with a nose of pine, asphalt, and licorice. This honestly really opened up on the second night. So well composed the second night with notes of sea air, black raspberries, licorice and smoke. This paired beautifully with charcuterie!
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2/16/2013 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Opened about 90 mins ago, a sneak taste in Falltacular. Stem inclusion adds a nice aromatic...smoke and some herbal. This has good density, the fruit is blackberry and tar, with a note of licorice. Solid.
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12/4/2012 - MoTheMan Likes this wine: 92 Points
LOL! Used the tasting notes assistant then added descriptives to it!
Intense Purple in color with a nose of minerality, wet forest floor, violets, prunes and figs. Still young & closed.
Thick & full bodied, long legs, still a tad alcoholic with heat, flavors of figs, plums, hints of raisins, gamey/meaty and a tad smokey with good minerality. Very well balanced and holds good promise. Medium long finish.
Had it with a thick focacia with toppings, made in the style of a Chicago deep dish pizza. Matched well. Delish!
Overall score: 92-93 pts. Time will help it along.
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