Brought to In Bloom in Paso, short decant, drinking fantastic, at its peak. Perfectly integrated Syrah and Cabernet fruits, dominated by the Syrah but nice structure and integrated tannins with the Cabernet. Bravo.
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Dark fruit, garrigue, graphite and spring flowers come to life as the wine unfurls in the glass. Great depth and texture. The nose is bright and defined. There is so much going on in the glass. This wine was much better than my last bottle. Great juice.
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Dark fruit, underbrush and well integrated oak have all softened a bit. I believe this wine was better a year ago. With that being said the wine was still enjoyable. Drink up.
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Dark fruit, garrigue with a wonderful ascent from the well integrated oak. Great depth and texture. This wine has the “X” factor that I seek. The delightful nose is so expressive. Layers and layers of goodness. I like how Paso Robles producers are willing to step outside the traditional blending box to create wines with excitement. Great juice.
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This wine continues to impress me. Dark fruit, beef dripping with wonderfully integrated spice note makes this Paso blend hav the “X” factor that I seek. Great depth and texture. The aromatics are delightful. Not your typical red blend, but it works well here. That is one thing I like about Paso Robles producers, they aren’t afraid to go off the min road. Good juice.
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After a three hour decant, the wine exploded from the glass dark fruit, pencil shavings, garrigue, river rock and spring flowers. Aromatically intoxicating! This wine has the “X” factor I look for in a wine. Wonderful depth and texture. This wine will deliver great pleasure for at least another ten years. Great juice.
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drank right away and over the next 2 hours couldn't wait to decant sorry it was fabulous just like that, lost track I had drank so much and stumbled to bed oh well quite worth it (writing this the morning after as my wits are coming back to me with my coffee!)
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fantastic wine. dark and brooding. rich with layers of moca, meat, black fruit. long finish. decanted for an hour and this wine was drinking beautifully
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Popped and poured, which did it no favors, and it was still fantastic. Will be at its peak in 18-24 months, IMO. Tannins have begun to subside very favorably. Plenty fine to drink now, I would recommend 2 hours decanting minimum.
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This is a bruiser. Large and in charge. The nose starts off potpourri and violet like, and then dives in to a fruit explosion of dark fruit. Dense and flavor packed on the palate with licorice, toasted fruits and just a small amount of smoked meat. A struggle between decadent and savory, but is no doubt delicious.
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Dark black fruit nose. Pours deep. Full bodied wine. Blackberry, boysenberry, herbs. Middle has black tea and black fruit with espresso bean. Power. Finishes with a fair amount of toasted tannin, dark fruit and some nutty character. Expressive, and seems like it could go another 15 years or so. 2012 and tastes like a 2015.
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Previous notes apply. This performed pretty well this time around. Delivered some nice fruit with decent drive. Still not a blockbuster, but drinking fine now. 93 points.
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Nice wine. Perhaps not as complex as I'd like. This was not a wine I'd want to age longer - I'm just not convinced it will gain complexity. Perfectly nice to drink and offer to guests. Perhaps, I'm biased against a syrah/cab blend....
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So, as I understand it this one was about 50 Syrah, 30cab, and the balance PV. Good wine, and apparently was opened up yesterday and decanted for quite a few hours before being served toeday. Immediately the front hits you with that Paso Syrah fruit. Blackberry, spiced cinnamon cake, herbal middle. The finish shows tamed acidity and definitely some oxidation likely in part due to the decant times but was showing some pepper and spiced fruitcake. This wine almost seemed to have a bit of an oxidized quality on the finish. IMO, the 20 percent PV and 30% cab really don't show until the very back. The fruit is definitely ample, and it wins that award hands-down with exception to the 2011 Morlet that outdid it in the youthful fruit / jammy fruit category. Finished with lots of oak like the 2008 Blankiet. This one still has 10 years ahead of it easily but was good to enjoy tonight.
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At PnP, the rating would have been around 90. After a 2 hour decant around a 91. After a four hour decant, around a 92. After a 6 hour decant, around a 93. After an 8 hour decant it began to approach 94. Just sayin'.
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I always have to ask myself if I should assess this as a Syrah or a Cabernet/BDX. The Syrah component definitely stood out over any other flavor profile. Round and rich blackberry and vanilla flavors. I feel like the Syrah simplifies this wine a bit more than it should. Acid seemed low. Tannins and frame seemed a little more absent than I would've preferred.
I like it. But I don't know if I love it. Giving and fairly rich, with tannins that come across integrated and accessible. It is a good "crowd pleaser" type of wine, but don't expect any cerebral elevations into some Sun Tzu Tibetan chakras here. Use it as a PnP for your friends that don't care too much about the nuances of wine consumption. Have it with steak and you'll be fine. Have it with something spicy and you'll be fine. Don't have it by itself, or you might fall asleep trying to figure out if you actually like it or not.
91-92 points. It's a good wine. It's a "general" tasting wine. It doesn't necessarily stand out in the crowd the way I was hoping it would.
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Layers! Iron fist / plush velvet glove. You can chase it but never catch it. A gorgeous cherry milk chocolate pie with tenderloin and spice notes to boot. Ultra complex, not yet mature, but fully available and drinkable now.
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Decanted for 21 hours prior to consumption. Still in its nascense, I found this wine to have a commanding presence. Already it displays a sense of restrained power and perfect structure. Fun now, I look forward to its more serious future.
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This is a 16.1% alcohol 57/31/12 percent Syrah/CabSav/Petit Verdot blend from the Paso Robles area in California, which is the current innovation stronghold on US grown Syrah. Now readers of my tasting notes know that I am not a fan of high alcohol wines. I must say though that, this wine, despite the inherent sweetness and body that comes with this amount of alcohol is still pleasant to drink. I guess that the blending with the late ripening, tannic Petit Verdot did the trick. TN: Dark purple. Expressive nose of dark fruit, spices and oak. Fruity and polished entry on the palate with high quality tannins and enough acidity buffering the opulence, nothing oxidative here. Aromatically a bit foresquare, full bodied but not heavy. If you like it plush, this is your wine.
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Oreo cookie, red plum, tar, lily and black tea. Long and carefully focused, the tannins are quite silky. So much depth on the long finish of dark fruit. Stunning. Decanted for two hours, however, a slumber beckons. Drink 2017 - 2029.
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11/10/2023 - DrBad Likes this wine: 97 Points
Brought to In Bloom in Paso, short decant, drinking fantastic, at its peak. Perfectly integrated Syrah and Cabernet fruits, dominated by the Syrah but nice structure and integrated tannins with the Cabernet. Bravo.
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8/14/2023 - Staufer Likes this wine: 95 Points
delicious wine . Full-bodied with great integration of fruit & tannin .
the syrah and cab combination works surprisingly well
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8/14/2023 - Staufer Likes this wine: 95 Points
delicious wine . Full-bodied with perfect integration of its fruit & tannin .
the syrah and cab are a great combo. not what you would expect
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9/12/2022 - Oldmanzin Likes this wine: 95 Points
Dark fruit, garrigue, graphite and spring flowers come to life as the wine unfurls in the glass. Great depth and texture. The nose is bright and defined. There is so much going on in the glass. This wine was much better than my last bottle. Great juice.
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7/31/2022 - Oldmanzin Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dark fruit, underbrush and well integrated oak have all softened a bit. I believe this wine was better a year ago. With that being said the wine was still enjoyable. Drink up.
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4/3/2022 - Beezc Likes this wine: 94 Points
Delicious…the Syrah and Cabernet are well integrated. Age has softened this wine. In a great spot.
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12/29/2021 - Oldmanzin Likes this wine: 95 Points
Dark fruit, garrigue with a wonderful ascent from the well integrated oak. Great depth and texture. This wine has the “X” factor that I seek. The delightful nose is so expressive. Layers and layers of goodness. I like how Paso Robles producers are willing to step outside the traditional blending box to create wines with excitement. Great juice.
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9/20/2021 - Oldmanzin Likes this wine: 95 Points
This wine continues to impress me. Dark fruit, beef dripping with wonderfully integrated spice note makes this Paso blend hav the “X” factor that I seek. Great depth and texture. The aromatics are delightful. Not your typical red blend, but it works well here. That is one thing I like about Paso Robles producers, they aren’t afraid to go off the min road. Good juice.
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6/8/2021 - bigbass250 Likes this wine:
wow can't wait to finish tonight
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12/25/2020 - Oldmanzin Likes this wine: 95 Points
After a three hour decant, the wine exploded from the glass dark fruit, pencil shavings, garrigue, river rock and spring flowers. Aromatically intoxicating! This wine has the “X” factor I look for in a wine. Wonderful depth and texture. This wine will deliver great pleasure for at least another ten years. Great juice.
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12/19/2020 - bigbass250 Likes this wine:
drank right away and over the next 2 hours couldn't wait to decant sorry it was fabulous just like that, lost track I had drank so much and stumbled to bed oh well quite worth it (writing this the morning after as my wits are coming back to me with my coffee!)
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4/4/2020 - madmagnum wrote: 96 Points
fantastic wine. dark and brooding. rich with layers of moca, meat, black fruit. long finish. decanted for an hour and this wine was drinking beautifully
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3/7/2020 - RBurgundy99 wrote: 95 Points
Took others advice and decanted for a few hours, which helped smooth it out. Drinking excellently.
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10/27/2019 - jeagle wrote: 94 Points
Decanted for 2 hours but it was best at 5 hours. Still progressing toward maturity as there is more integration required, but very impressive.
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6/16/2019 - Sugarb Likes this wine: 93 Points
Popped and poured, which did it no favors, and it was still fantastic. Will be at its peak in 18-24 months, IMO. Tannins have begun to subside very favorably. Plenty fine to drink now, I would recommend 2 hours decanting minimum.
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4/16/2019 - ledocq Likes this wine: 92 Points
Brobdignagian.
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10/13/2018 - Shay.Aldriedge Likes this wine: 93 Points
This is a bruiser. Large and in charge. The nose starts off potpourri and violet like, and then dives in to a fruit explosion of dark fruit. Dense and flavor packed on the palate with licorice, toasted fruits and just a small amount of smoked meat. A struggle between decadent and savory, but is no doubt delicious.
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10/12/2018 - mflesh wrote: 93 Points
Dark black fruit nose. Pours deep. Full bodied wine. Blackberry, boysenberry, herbs. Middle has black tea and black fruit with espresso bean. Power. Finishes with a fair amount of toasted tannin, dark fruit and some nutty character. Expressive, and seems like it could go another 15 years or so. 2012 and tastes like a 2015.
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11/20/2017 - csimm wrote: 93 Points
Previous notes apply. This performed pretty well this time around. Delivered some nice fruit with decent drive. Still not a blockbuster, but drinking fine now. 93 points.
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11/12/2017 - dlcass Likes this wine: 91 Points
Nice wine. Perhaps not as complex as I'd like. This was not a wine I'd want to age longer - I'm just not convinced it will gain complexity. Perfectly nice to drink and offer to guests. Perhaps, I'm biased against a syrah/cab blend....
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7/28/2017 - mflesh wrote: 92 Points
So, as I understand it this one was about 50 Syrah, 30cab, and the balance PV. Good wine, and apparently was opened up yesterday and decanted for quite a few hours before being served toeday. Immediately the front hits you with that Paso Syrah fruit. Blackberry, spiced cinnamon cake, herbal middle. The finish shows tamed acidity and definitely some oxidation likely in part due to the decant times but was showing some pepper and spiced fruitcake. This wine almost seemed to have a bit of an oxidized quality on the finish. IMO, the 20 percent PV and 30% cab really don't show until the very back. The fruit is definitely ample, and it wins that award hands-down with exception to the 2011 Morlet that outdid it in the youthful fruit / jammy fruit category. Finished with lots of oak like the 2008 Blankiet. This one still has 10 years ahead of it easily but was good to enjoy tonight.
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5/14/2017 - jeagle wrote:
At PnP, the rating would have been around 90. After a 2 hour decant around a 91. After a four hour decant, around a 92. After a 6 hour decant, around a 93. After an 8 hour decant it began to approach 94. Just sayin'.
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4/5/2017 - csimm wrote: 92 Points
I always have to ask myself if I should assess this as a Syrah or a Cabernet/BDX. The Syrah component definitely stood out over any other flavor profile. Round and rich blackberry and vanilla flavors. I feel like the Syrah simplifies this wine a bit more than it should. Acid seemed low. Tannins and frame seemed a little more absent than I would've preferred.
I like it. But I don't know if I love it. Giving and fairly rich, with tannins that come across integrated and accessible. It is a good "crowd pleaser" type of wine, but don't expect any cerebral elevations into some Sun Tzu Tibetan chakras here. Use it as a PnP for your friends that don't care too much about the nuances of wine consumption. Have it with steak and you'll be fine. Have it with something spicy and you'll be fine. Don't have it by itself, or you might fall asleep trying to figure out if you actually like it or not.
91-92 points. It's a good wine. It's a "general" tasting wine. It doesn't necessarily stand out in the crowd the way I was hoping it would.
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1/21/2017 - Rollerball wrote: 95 Points
Layers! Iron fist / plush velvet glove. You can chase it but never catch it. A gorgeous cherry milk chocolate pie with tenderloin and spice notes to boot. Ultra complex, not yet mature, but fully available and drinkable now.
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1/1/2017 - Fruit Forward Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drank side by side with Caymus and L' Aventura won.
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10/22/2016 - jeagle wrote: 95 Points
Decanted for 21 hours prior to consumption. Still in its nascense, I found this wine to have a commanding presence. Already it displays a sense of restrained power and perfect structure. Fun now, I look forward to its more serious future.
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10/8/2016 - ddrury002 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Plush, bold. Decant 1hr plus
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7/16/2016 - mswayne wrote:
This was WAY too hot. I assume the heat will tone down, but I'm going to wait at least two years before trying it again.
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11/14/2015 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 90 Points
A Matter of Taste, nose of dark fruit, berry and cherry, tasty, touch of soft tannins, good acid, well blended, well done.
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10/3/2015 - Collector1855 wrote: 93 Points
This is a 16.1% alcohol 57/31/12 percent Syrah/CabSav/Petit Verdot blend from the Paso Robles area in California, which is the current innovation stronghold on US grown Syrah. Now readers of my tasting notes know that I am not a fan of high alcohol wines. I must say though that, this wine, despite the inherent sweetness and body that comes with this amount of alcohol is still pleasant to drink. I guess that the blending with the late ripening, tannic Petit Verdot did the trick. TN: Dark purple. Expressive nose of dark fruit, spices and oak. Fruity and polished entry on the palate with high quality tannins and enough acidity buffering the opulence, nothing oxidative here. Aromatically a bit foresquare, full bodied but not heavy. If you like it plush, this is your wine.
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6/18/2015 - Rhaub Likes this wine: 94 Points
Wow!
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5/22/2015 - SimpleBoyFromD Likes this wine: 92 Points
It's a very good wine for $75. A decent amount of fruit but not a fruit bomb. A medium bodied Cali style cuvee.
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9/20/2014 - Matt Scott Likes this wine: 94 Points
Oreo cookie, red plum, tar, lily and black tea. Long and carefully focused, the tannins are quite silky. So much depth on the long finish of dark fruit. Stunning. Decanted for two hours, however, a slumber beckons. Drink 2017 - 2029.
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9/15/2014 - jaylew1 wrote: 94 Points
Give this 2-3 years if you can. Already viscous, black-fruited and mouth-filling, but it needs a little time to take the edge off. A real winner.
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