Definitely starting to come together and showing more delineation and intensity. Approachable, balanced, and highly enjoyable. Long finish. Great with food. 92 points.
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This is a big Syrah, with lots of fig, blackberry, clove, and a heavy dose of iodine. It's loaded with 70% new French oak, making it buttery smooth, but also covering up the terroir and fruit to a degree. This is likely excellent terroir and fruit, and new French oak can certainly be a sign of great quality, but I would have preferred more of a deft hand with the use of the new oak. Will this wine gain complexity and finish over time? Hopefully. All-in-all, it's very good, and I'm interested in seeing how this evolves with more time in bottle. In my experience, these 2018's are recently cracking open, and I think this has lots of aging capability.
Likely an 89 today, but potential for 90-92 with further development and gained complexity.
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The previous notes nailed the description, although I didn’t score it as highly. This has developed somewhat since I last tried it six months ago. Gave it a two hour decant. Gorgeous nose, velvety mouthfeel, and a slightly restrained palate of dark fruit and pepper. Acidity is medium-plus and makes it food-friendly. The alcohol is definitely prominent, with a touch of burn at the end. I felt that muted the fruit a bit and left it out of balance. I’m going to try giving the other bottles a little longer to nap in the cellar.
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Beautiful ruby color in the glass. Medium+ body. Aromas of blackberry, cardamom and pie crust. Soft on the palate. Lovely flavors of boysenberry, fig, cardamom and rose petal. Mouthfeel has softened since my last tasting a 18 months ago. Absolutely delicious!
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I’d previously enjoyed this on vacation back in July, as part of a BBQ Sampler. I knew this was very good, but didn’t have time to provide a detailed tasting note given the “family gathering”. After relooking at this and enjoying a second bottle from a prior purchase, this is incredible juice. In development, but VERY DRINKABLE. If you’re a fan of cool climate Syrah, this is a great and affordable choice: black fruits, black licorice, smoked earth, and some undefined earthiness. Lacks definition at this juncture but this has HUGE potential. Decant and enjoy with food short term or drink through 2033.
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PnP: inky purple, tightly wound with strong oak, black fruit, and spice. Sharp tannins and long finish. Top quality fruit here.
After 2 hours of air: delicious blueberry, blackberry, fig, on the nose. Smooth entry with well integrated tannins, fresh blue and black fruit, oak plays second fiddle. Long finish with a bit of that spice you find in Northern Rhone Syrah, but the fruits of new world Syrah/Shiraz. Delicious wine that will continue to evolve over the next 5-10 years. The bones are there. I think this adds a point or two as it sits in the cellar
4+13+17+8
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This wine was good just not up to what I was anticipating, Initially I found it to be a little too sour or sharp solely from the glass. This was better to me with food as even with some time, it was still a little sour.
Light in body & color, this did have nice floral & herbal aromas. Some spices in the flavors. This could very well appeal to ppl who seek a lighter red for the warmer weather.
I did not get anything near Cam's description of big & bold, meaty or intense. It was a good wine but not one that I will re-up given all the other and better wines dN offers
Splash decant for 30 min, followed over 1-2h. As expected, the wine evolved over time in the glass and airing out in the bottle.
Nose showed rich berry compote, reminded me of pie filling. The palate had some good acid that brought out blueberry pie filling but also mixed dark berry jam. Acid uplifts the fruit and there's some tannic backbone too. Finish was similar to palate. Very powerful and concentrated. Over time and with air, the wine showed tons of oaky chocolate of equal strength to the berry compote.
Very primary. Needs time to settle down and get into stride. Clearly high quality but this will significantly benefit from 3-5 years of time. Too powerful and too oaky at this stage.
Hold for 3-5 years.
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This is going to be not just a good value but a very good wine, but it ain't ready yet, to my own palate. Very bold stuff, not too complex, but I dig the length. The components are a little cloying right now but I agree with notes below that in a year or so it'll be in a better place. Very happy with the purchase.
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N.119 2018 Chalk Hill Syrah (speculative winery – Chalk Hill Estate Chairman's Club Syrah (FFWS) $65 msrp - can be had for $39 at times...) PnP on NYE. Had been delivered the day before. I had a small glass, right away, and the rest was poured through an aerator into a simple decanter. Dang! This smells SO good! (I’m HORRIBLE at tasting notes – goal for 2022 is to get better at them!) I smell berries – not fresh, and not “jammy/cooked” either – more like fresh blackberry pie – or currants. There’s a bit of oak – but it’s subtle, and spices, too. The nose is medium – stronger than subtle – but not “in your face”. It tastes just like it smells – blackberry pie, currants, a bit of oak, some spices. It’s smooth on entry – yet the tannins were astringent in the immediate pour – they softened after 1-2 hours decant and brought to a higher than my cellar temp (55) – around 65 degrees… The alcohol “sting/hotness” I got from my immediate glass also blew off and the light menthol (that I adore in a Syrah) on the finish came out! There’s enough acid structure for this to age nicely too – But it is delicious right now, too – if you just can’t wait! I paired it with left over “Maui Wowie” pizza – thin crust, mozzarella cheese, slightly sweet red sauce with almost noticeable oregano, big chunks of smoked ham, onions, a few red pepper flakes, and of course, pineapple. I mean, really, what wine would you have with that pizza anyway? They complimented each other, nicely. This is a deep, flavorful but not heavy wine... And the now open for over 2 hours wine was finished by the 2 of us… Is this the BEST Syrah/Shiraz I've ever had? No. But it is VERY GOOD. (I used to be a member of FFWS - and I never had a wine from there I didn't like...) This Syrah is very approachable and food friendly with the right foods... We enjoyed it enough to purchase a case. At $14 a bottle (approx. plus tax and shipping) – the value for the quality (QPR) is incredible. Heck, we pay $14, or more, for mediocre wine by the glass in restaurants around here… YMMV. Drinks like a $45 and up Syrah... Cheers! And HAPPY NEW YEAR Y’ALL!
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No rating. IMO still too primary to enjoy, unless you give it a day of air first. I've learned my lesson from a lot of these 2018 dN bottlings. They simply are not ready to drink for at least another 6-12 months. I'm going to need some cellar defenders for my cellar defenders.
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Reminds me of warm boysenberry pie. Ruby to purple in the glass. Full bodied. Initial aroma of pie crust and a touch of vanilla with boysenberry flavors wafting through. Fruit forward on the palate of juicy, ripe, dense boysenberry with plenty of depth and concentration. Long finish with mild fine grained tannins. Very good, bordering on excellent.
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Received the shipment today, popped and poured. Huge nose. Great mouthfeel on the palate. Easy drinking and will clearly improve. Given the price, perhaps really a 94 QPR.
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2/19/2024 - pickhardt wrote: 90 Points
Fruit forward more than funky/earthy. Nice complexity. Great value.
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11/25/2023 - wmccone54 Likes this wine:
Definitely starting to come together and showing more delineation and intensity. Approachable, balanced, and highly enjoyable. Long finish. Great with food. 92 points.
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7/13/2023 - brianschool Likes this wine: 90 Points
This is a big Syrah, with lots of fig, blackberry, clove, and a heavy dose of iodine. It's loaded with 70% new French oak, making it buttery smooth, but also covering up the terroir and fruit to a degree. This is likely excellent terroir and fruit, and new French oak can certainly be a sign of great quality, but I would have preferred more of a deft hand with the use of the new oak. Will this wine gain complexity and finish over time? Hopefully. All-in-all, it's very good, and I'm interested in seeing how this evolves with more time in bottle. In my experience, these 2018's are recently cracking open, and I think this has lots of aging capability.
Likely an 89 today, but potential for 90-92 with further development and gained complexity.
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3/18/2023 - Deegie Likes this wine: 90 Points
The previous notes nailed the description, although I didn’t score it as highly. This has developed somewhat since I last tried it six months ago. Gave it a two hour decant. Gorgeous nose, velvety mouthfeel, and a slightly restrained palate of dark fruit and pepper. Acidity is medium-plus and makes it food-friendly. The alcohol is definitely prominent, with a touch of burn at the end. I felt that muted the fruit a bit and left it out of balance. I’m going to try giving the other bottles a little longer to nap in the cellar.
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11/5/2022 - Scottwhipp Likes this wine: 92 Points
Beautiful ruby color in the glass. Medium+ body. Aromas of blackberry, cardamom and pie crust. Soft on the palate. Lovely flavors of boysenberry, fig, cardamom and rose petal. Mouthfeel has softened since my last tasting a 18 months ago. Absolutely delicious!
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9/16/2022 - wmccone54 Likes this wine: 92 Points
I’d previously enjoyed this on vacation back in July, as part of a BBQ Sampler. I knew this was very good, but didn’t have time to provide a detailed tasting note given the “family gathering”. After relooking at this and enjoying a second bottle from a prior purchase, this is incredible juice. In development, but VERY DRINKABLE. If you’re a fan of cool climate Syrah, this is a great and affordable choice: black fruits, black licorice, smoked earth, and some undefined earthiness. Lacks definition at this juncture but this has HUGE potential. Decant and enjoy with food short term or drink through 2033.
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9/15/2022 - Dobrie10 Likes this wine: 92 Points
PnP: inky purple, tightly wound with strong oak, black fruit, and spice. Sharp tannins and long finish. Top quality fruit here.
After 2 hours of air: delicious blueberry, blackberry, fig, on the nose. Smooth entry with well integrated tannins, fresh blue and black fruit, oak plays second fiddle. Long finish with a bit of that spice you find in Northern Rhone Syrah, but the fruits of new world Syrah/Shiraz. Delicious wine that will continue to evolve over the next 5-10 years. The bones are there. I think this adds a point or two as it sits in the cellar
4+13+17+8
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7/27/2022 - wmccone54 wrote: 91 Points
Punches well above its weight. Very good.
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5/24/2022 - MK_Maxxable Likes this wine: 88 Points
This wine was good just not up to what I was anticipating, Initially I found it to be a little too sour or sharp solely from the glass. This was better to me with food as even with some time, it was still a little sour.
Light in body & color, this did have nice floral & herbal aromas. Some spices in the flavors. This could very well appeal to ppl who seek a lighter red for the warmer weather.
I did not get anything near Cam's description of big & bold, meaty or intense. It was a good wine but not one that I will re-up given all the other and better wines dN offers
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4/13/2022 - Rbhan12 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Writing from memory.
Splash decant for 30 min, followed over 1-2h. As expected, the wine evolved over time in the glass and airing out in the bottle.
Nose showed rich berry compote, reminded me of pie filling. The palate had some good acid that brought out blueberry pie filling but also mixed dark berry jam. Acid uplifts the fruit and there's some tannic backbone too. Finish was similar to palate. Very powerful and concentrated. Over time and with air, the wine showed tons of oaky chocolate of equal strength to the berry compote.
Very primary. Needs time to settle down and get into stride. Clearly high quality but this will significantly benefit from 3-5 years of time. Too powerful and too oaky at this stage.
Hold for 3-5 years.
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3/8/2022 - ledocq Likes this wine:
This is going to be not just a good value but a very good wine, but it ain't ready yet, to my own palate. Very bold stuff, not too complex, but I dig the length. The components are a little cloying right now but I agree with notes below that in a year or so it'll be in a better place. Very happy with the purchase.
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3/2/2022 - jeremy_ross wrote: 91 Points
Well this is just delicious. Lots of strawberry and raspberry compote, some vanilla, and quite a bit of structure to calm you people down.
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12/31/2021 - flydcjets Likes this wine: 92 Points
N.119 2018 Chalk Hill Syrah (speculative winery – Chalk Hill Estate Chairman's Club Syrah (FFWS) $65 msrp - can be had for $39 at times...)
PnP on NYE. Had been delivered the day before.
I had a small glass, right away, and the rest was poured through an aerator into a simple decanter.
Dang! This smells SO good! (I’m HORRIBLE at tasting notes – goal for 2022 is to get better at them!) I smell berries – not fresh, and not “jammy/cooked” either – more like fresh blackberry pie – or currants. There’s a bit of oak – but it’s subtle, and spices, too. The nose is medium – stronger than subtle – but not “in your face”.
It tastes just like it smells – blackberry pie, currants, a bit of oak, some spices. It’s smooth on entry – yet the tannins were astringent in the immediate pour – they softened after 1-2 hours decant and brought to a higher than my cellar temp (55) – around 65 degrees… The alcohol “sting/hotness” I got from my immediate glass also blew off and the light menthol (that I adore in a Syrah) on the finish came out! There’s enough acid structure for this to age nicely too – But it is delicious right now, too – if you just can’t wait!
I paired it with left over “Maui Wowie” pizza – thin crust, mozzarella cheese, slightly sweet red sauce with almost noticeable oregano, big chunks of smoked ham, onions, a few red pepper flakes, and of course, pineapple. I mean, really, what wine would you have with that pizza anyway? They complimented each other, nicely.
This is a deep, flavorful but not heavy wine...
And the now open for over 2 hours wine was finished by the 2 of us…
Is this the BEST Syrah/Shiraz I've ever had? No. But it is VERY GOOD. (I used to be a member of FFWS - and I never had a wine from there I didn't like...) This Syrah is very approachable and food friendly with the right foods...
We enjoyed it enough to purchase a case. At $14 a bottle (approx. plus tax and shipping) – the value for the quality (QPR) is incredible. Heck, we pay $14, or more, for mediocre wine by the glass in restaurants around here… YMMV. Drinks like a $45 and up Syrah...
Cheers!
And HAPPY NEW YEAR Y’ALL!
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4/13/2021 - cyc wrote:
No rating. IMO still too primary to enjoy, unless you give it a day of air first. I've learned my lesson from a lot of these 2018 dN bottlings. They simply are not ready to drink for at least another 6-12 months. I'm going to need some cellar defenders for my cellar defenders.
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4/6/2021 - Scottwhipp Likes this wine: 92 Points
Reminds me of warm boysenberry pie. Ruby to purple in the glass. Full bodied. Initial aroma of pie crust and a touch of vanilla with boysenberry flavors wafting through. Fruit forward on the palate of juicy, ripe, dense boysenberry with plenty of depth and concentration. Long finish with mild fine grained tannins. Very good, bordering on excellent.
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1/28/2021 - samiamx_1999 wrote: 91 Points
Received the shipment today, popped and poured. Huge nose. Great mouthfeel on the palate. Easy drinking and will clearly improve. Given the price, perhaps really a 94 QPR.
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