Lovely if straightforward approach to a balanced but very Cali Syrah. Overt juicy and dark fruit followed by olives, herbs, and savory herbs. Detectable partial whole cluster inclusion and neutral oak aging letting it all shine naturally.
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Very savory nose of olive, meat, dark berries, menthol, and a hint of plum. Good balance on the palate with medium tannins, good acidity, and dark flavors of berries, fruit, followed by more savory notes olive brine. Long finish. This is drinking really well right now, but I'd love to wait 5 years for the next bottle. I really liked this wine, plus it's fantastic value. 94+
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Violets and black pepper. Medium weight and acidity. Somewhat herbal finish. IIRC the Campbell Syrah is more on the plush side of the spectrum than this.
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PNP: Mint and thyme accented notions of blackberry syrup and ripe black plum. Some dry loam and almost garrigue like notes are married to syrupy fruit. The attack is one of sweet purple fruit, at first round and juicy leading to a mid palate which is quite light by comparison. The tannins are mostly resolved on the finish and there's a touch of peppery bite from the acidity. Overall a slightly herbaceous wine with sweet syrupy fruit. This can go a few more years for sure but it's in a prime or slightly behind prime drinking window.
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BBQ’s soulmate. Campfire, violets, menthol, olives. Drank well at PnP and opened nicely after an hour of air. I consider this middle aged and will pop my next 2013 in 3-6 years to see where it goes.
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Violets dominate the nose for the first 30 minutes, eventually ceding to blackberry and oak. On the palate is tons of juicy fruit and fine tannin. Intense but approachable now and not over the top make this pleasurable.
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This was great - prototypcial syrah, nice spice a little black olive, dark. Not too much oak, and good acid. Really great for the price. Give more time.
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Pop and pour 2 bottles. Beautiful nose with spice and black pepper, smooth with no noticeable tannin. Crowd sucked this down fast. Will save my remaining 4 bottles.
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Tasted double blind I though this was an old world wine. Violets, olives on the nose. Black fruit, salinity, bright and minty finish with gentle tannin. Tasty without decanting.
On day 2 (under cork in the fridge), the aromatics are still strong, due to stem inclusion? Some chalky tannin has emerged on the forefront now however. I plan on laying my others down for a while.
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Pop and pour and tasted without food. Followed for about 1 hour. Nose shos a savory side -herbal notes and forest floor and black olives. Dark black fruit with good acidity. This is a clean wine in that there is good fruit, balanced, and without any horse saddle/barnyard/wet wool element. While young, it was approachable. Enjoyable.
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6/22/2021 - yaCellar Likes this wine: 93 Points
Lovely if straightforward approach to a balanced but very Cali Syrah. Overt juicy and dark fruit followed by olives, herbs, and savory herbs. Detectable partial whole cluster inclusion and neutral oak aging letting it all shine naturally.
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1/27/2021 - glou.sf Likes this wine: 94 Points
Consistent with my last note. This is a fantastic domestic Syrah! Clearly CA, but better than some Northern Rhônes at 3x the price...
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4/30/2020 - citizen1 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Drinking very well right now. Pepper. Classic Syrah. Smooth.
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3/12/2019 - glou.sf Likes this wine: 94 Points
Very savory nose of olive, meat, dark berries, menthol, and a hint of plum. Good balance on the palate with medium tannins, good acidity, and dark flavors of berries, fruit, followed by more savory notes olive brine. Long finish. This is drinking really well right now, but I'd love to wait 5 years for the next bottle. I really liked this wine, plus it's fantastic value. 94+
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12/30/2018 - rama wrote:
Violets and black pepper. Medium weight and acidity. Somewhat herbal finish. IIRC the Campbell Syrah is more on the plush side of the spectrum than this.
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12/4/2018 - Rabaja Likes this wine: 91 Points
PNP: Mint and thyme accented notions of blackberry syrup and ripe black plum. Some dry loam and almost garrigue like notes are married to syrupy fruit. The attack is one of sweet purple fruit, at first round and juicy leading to a mid palate which is quite light by comparison. The tannins are mostly resolved on the finish and there's a touch of peppery bite from the acidity. Overall a slightly herbaceous wine with sweet syrupy fruit. This can go a few more years for sure but it's in a prime or slightly behind prime drinking window.
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8/19/2018 - yaCellar Likes this wine: 94 Points
BBQ’s soulmate. Campfire, violets, menthol, olives. Drank well at PnP and opened nicely after an hour of air. I consider this middle aged and will pop my next 2013 in 3-6 years to see where it goes.
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11/29/2017 - TC16 wrote: 92 Points
Good. Nothing more detailed than that. Drank quickly.
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10/4/2017 - rama Likes this wine:
Violets dominate the nose for the first 30 minutes, eventually ceding to blackberry and oak. On the palate is tons of juicy fruit and fine tannin. Intense but approachable now and not over the top make this pleasurable.
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4/1/2017 - mikemboutiquewines wrote: 93 Points
Excellent and very good price/ quality ratio. Mid-weight and drinking well with plenty of time ahead of it. Would recommend highly.
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3/29/2016 - ruchottalex Likes this wine: 93 Points
This was great - prototypcial syrah, nice spice a little black olive, dark. Not too much oak, and good acid. Really great for the price. Give more time.
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3/22/2016 - Gordonium Likes this wine:
One of the most solid syrahs I've had from CA lately. Wish I had more. A hell of a deal for under $30.
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1/30/2016 - dave kammerer wrote: 90 Points
Pop and pour 2 bottles. Beautiful nose with spice and black pepper, smooth with no noticeable tannin. Crowd sucked this down fast. Will save my remaining 4 bottles.
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12/14/2015 - DaButtah Likes this wine: 91 Points
Beautiful, lighter weight Syrah. After
A few hours in the decanter it put on more weight and mid palate expression. A steal at this price point.
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12/4/2015 - rama Likes this wine:
Tasted double blind I though this was an old world wine. Violets, olives on the nose. Black fruit, salinity, bright and minty finish with gentle tannin. Tasty without decanting.
On day 2 (under cork in the fridge), the aromatics are still strong, due to stem inclusion? Some chalky tannin has emerged on the forefront now however. I plan on laying my others down for a while.
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11/17/2015 - t_moderne wrote: 90 Points
Pop and pour and tasted without food. Followed for about 1 hour.
Nose shos a savory side -herbal notes and forest floor and black olives.
Dark black fruit with good acidity.
This is a clean wine in that there is good fruit, balanced, and without any horse saddle/barnyard/wet wool element.
While young, it was approachable. Enjoyable.
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