Had one of these 3 years ago that was totally open for business, whereas the one last night was very tight. Surprising. Tannic and tight at 14 years old. Decanted off a fine sediment it had thrown, it was still dense and purple looking. After a few hours it was still being stubborn, so left half on the counter and went to bed. This morning we find a beautiful Syrah with aromas jumping out of the glass, and all those great savory elements you expect. After years of enjoying his creation, occasionally Bacchus will step in and say to me, “you still don’t know shit about wine.”
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Purchased from Winebid & arrived in pristine condition. This is in a sweet spot right now, with plenty of time left. Still youthful in color, and with plenty of dark rich fruit, but all the secondary notes are what make this so good. Has a smokey, meaty, savory (even buttery) umami that makes the wine. Plus a dark coffee & cocoa hint that really compliments the fruit. An absolute steal for the price.
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Dark, inky concentration gave no hint as to its age. Wow! Mighty, rich aromatics of mocha harmoniously blended with ripe dark plums and griotte cherries. The intensity continued in the mouth with all the above and with a silky smooth, velvety almost jammy entry along with pepper and licorice. Incredible depth and length but all the time not overdone. Californian Syrah at its finest. Perfect now but should still keep a few years.
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This has improved significantly. Lots of ripe fruit, some subtle minerality, and a sweet, brown sugar like undertone. Finish is moderate. This was a pleasant surprise.
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Joseph Phelps Winery (Napa Valley, CA): Intense nose of fresh blueberry pie. More pie on the palate, along with a hint of new leather. Finishes with some coarse tannins, but I expect these to smooth out with time. 88-89 points.
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Restrained, austere, and a little dumb. We'll see if this is just too young now, or if it is truly a mediocre effort for Phelps. Even with time, it did not give much, will wait about 6 months and try again.
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3/3/2018 - millerarner wrote: 89 Points
Had one of these 3 years ago that was totally open for business, whereas the one last night was very tight. Surprising. Tannic and tight at 14 years old. Decanted off a fine sediment it had thrown, it was still dense and purple looking. After a few hours it was still being stubborn, so left half on the counter and went to bed. This morning we find a beautiful Syrah with aromas jumping out of the glass, and all those great savory elements you expect. After years of enjoying his creation, occasionally Bacchus will step in and say to me, “you still don’t know shit about wine.”
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5/13/2015 - millerarner Likes this wine: 93 Points
Purchased from Winebid & arrived in pristine condition. This is in a sweet spot right now, with plenty of time left. Still youthful in color, and with plenty of dark rich fruit, but all the secondary notes are what make this so good. Has a smokey, meaty, savory (even buttery) umami that makes the wine. Plus a dark coffee & cocoa hint that really compliments the fruit. An absolute steal for the price.
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9/24/2012 - Maverick wrote:
same. interesting that after 4-5 years this really hasn't changed much, even in color. Silky, good fruit and straight forward.
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9/19/2011 - sbtoby wrote: 92 Points
Better than expected. Not very fruity or sweet. More like a rhone style Syrah. Leather and earth. Opened up with little decanting. Would recommend.
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4/10/2011 - JJN wrote: 93 Points
Deep, dark color and chewy, juicy flavor. Drinking great.
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3/6/2011 - JJN wrote: 92 Points
drinking great. jammy and rich. better after breathing for 30 minutes
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8/12/2010 - Capt Cutlass wrote: 93 Points
Dark, inky concentration gave no hint as to its age. Wow! Mighty, rich aromatics of mocha harmoniously blended with ripe dark plums and griotte cherries. The intensity continued in the mouth with all the above and with a silky smooth, velvety almost jammy entry along with pepper and licorice. Incredible depth and length but all the time not overdone. Californian Syrah at its finest. Perfect now but should still keep a few years.
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12/22/2008 - Maverick wrote: 87 Points
hasn't evolved much since last tasting a year ago. still good but nothing compelling
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10/12/2008 - bryon m wrote: 89 Points
Nice fruit and mouth feel. Can last another year maybe two.
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7/19/2008 - redpine42 wrote: 88 Points
Decent bottle. Nice fruit and nose, nothing exciting.
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5/28/2008 - mmyette wrote: 90 Points
This has improved significantly. Lots of ripe fruit, some subtle minerality, and a sweet, brown sugar like undertone. Finish is moderate. This was a pleasant surprise.
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12/1/2007 - redpine42 wrote: 88 Points
Decent fruit, but lots of oak this time.
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11/4/2007 - Maverick wrote: 87 Points
A bit undeveloped. Oak and some good fruit. Silky but a bit one-dimensional and just didn't open up too much. Not much of a nose.
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11/1/2007 - redpine42 wrote: 91 Points
Nice nose, decent fruit and nice and smooth.
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10/13/2007 - Paul Lin wrote: 88 Points
Joseph Phelps Winery (Napa Valley, CA): Intense nose of fresh blueberry pie. More pie on the palate, along with a hint of new leather. Finishes with some coarse tannins, but I expect these to smooth out with time. 88-89 points.
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10/9/2007 - Maverick wrote: 88 Points
A lot of fruit some earth. Big with some spicey backbone.
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9/15/2007 - redpine42 wrote: 90 Points
Nice nose, well balanced, nothing spectacular
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9/11/2007 - Animus wrote: 91 Points
Great complexity with notes of licorice, spice and earth.Decent finish.
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4/2/2007 - mmyette wrote: 87 Points
Restrained, austere, and a little dumb. We'll see if this is just too young now, or if it is truly a mediocre effort for Phelps. Even with time, it did not give much, will wait about 6 months and try again.
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