Popped and poured right out of the cellar. A very pleasant wine. Well balanced with nice fruit and light tannins. Medium to full-bodied. Too bad this is my only bottle.
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Had this 2 years ago and it's still a good wine. The fruit was not quite as sweet, tending more towards tart. Still boysenberry and this time a little red apple too. I also noticed a bit of graphite initially. Great QPR.
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I found this wine to be surprisingly restrained for Central Coast syrah. Definite tastes of meat and minerals and not that much sweetness or particularly ripe fruit flavors. I actually might have mistaken this for Northern Rhone. The nose was classic syrah. For the price, a very nice bottle of wine.
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Decanted. Nose of raspberries and flowers, following to the palate. Some smoked meat, and light tannins as well. Finish is medium-long, and redolent of berries with slightly drying tannins.
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The pigment in the color was starting to fade. On the nose: tobacco, anis, cloves, pepper, black fruit, slight skunk smell.. Light to medium body on the palate with slight dusty tannins. Cedar, cherries, the perfect amount of oak, and a peppery finish. The wine has good acidity, and is well integrated. It might be slightly hot, but otherise very balanced. The most interesting aspect of this wine is that its profile changes so many times. Each glass is different.
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September '07 - Mini House Cleaning; 9/13/2007-9/17/2007: Ooops. Opened this one up because I thought I had a lot of them. In fact, this represents the last one. That's unfortunate, because this seems to be going through a bit of a closed stage at present, with the fruit taking a back seat to the tannins, at least early on. Time in the glass does help. I suspect another 2-3 years would serve this wine well. Lesson learned as I contemplate the '04 vintage of the same.
Update: 2 hours later, this has opened up into a sterling example of California syrah. Smoky, full nose. Fruit gains depth with time, and the tannins mellow. A bit more acidic presence than earlier. A nice wine for those with a bit of patience.
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Not as well balanced as I remember. This is a dark wine with ripe blackberry, menthol, violets, and fine tannins. Very straightforward but showing a little ripe. Easy to drink like an Aussie wine with a bit more restraint.
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Popped/poured. Originally thought the bottle was mildly flawed, as the tannins came across with an odd taste. A couple hours of airtime, and things change dramatically. The nose on this one is wonderful within minutes of opening...a reserved but elegant mix of fruit and wood that goes into hiding a bit after a couple hours. I find that a pinot glass does a better job of focusing the nose than the cab bowl used last time.
In the meantime, as a couple of hours pass, the palate becomes very pleasant mix of fruit and cedar, with the tannins moving just far enough into the background so as to not be distracting. One more bottle left....will try to leave it alone for a couple of years to see where it goes.
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Drinking well now for a 2003. Elegant, soft, understated. Well integrated for its age. Only complaints are that the nose is a bit subdued, the palate lacks the complexity and is a bit thin to push this score higher. Got better after 2 hours in the decanter, got worse after 3, better again after 4.
Day 2 - fell apart.
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Rich boysenberry jam - but not fake or too much - nice. Very elegant, in a modern way, and soft. Excellent find at an airport layover in Dulles. Afternoon snack with brie, crackers and nuts. Mmmmm.
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9/24/2013 - ersmith Likes this wine: 92 Points
This wine is hitting its peak. Deep and rich with smooth tannins. This has aged beautifully.
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6/23/2010 - fmarcoux wrote: 90 Points
Good balance. A bit on the extracted side. Full body maybe lacks a bit more structure. Overall, very enjoyable anyway.
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9/16/2009 - dfitzg2 wrote: 88 Points
drnk as part of a "has this gone past its prime?" wine tasting. No problem!
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1/25/2009 - sarciero wrote: 90 Points
Popped and poured right out of the cellar. A very pleasant wine. Well balanced with nice fruit and light tannins. Medium to full-bodied. Too bad this is my only bottle.
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10/10/2008 - GrandeSerataFuori wrote: 88 Points
Had this 2 years ago and it's still a good wine. The fruit was not quite as sweet, tending more towards tart. Still boysenberry and this time a little red apple too. I also noticed a bit of graphite initially. Great QPR.
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9/28/2008 - samiamx_1999 wrote: 89 Points
nice, beefy, fruit
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9/22/2008 - Mr T wrote:
I found this wine to be surprisingly restrained for Central Coast syrah. Definite tastes of meat and minerals and not that much sweetness or particularly ripe fruit flavors. I actually might have mistaken this for Northern Rhone. The nose was classic syrah. For the price, a very nice bottle of wine.
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7/22/2008 - RPerro wrote: 91 Points
Decanted. Nose of raspberries and flowers, following to the palate. Some smoked meat, and light tannins as well. Finish is medium-long, and redolent of berries with slightly drying tannins.
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6/8/2008 - Patches wrote: 90 Points
The pigment in the color was starting to fade. On the nose: tobacco, anis, cloves, pepper, black fruit, slight skunk smell.. Light to medium body on the palate with slight dusty tannins. Cedar, cherries, the perfect amount of oak, and a peppery finish. The wine has good acidity, and is well integrated. It might be slightly hot, but otherise very balanced. The most interesting aspect of this wine is that its profile changes so many times. Each glass is different.
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12/19/2007 - NPWolfe wrote: 85 Points
Pleasant - but not much more.
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9/16/2007 - vanpe003 wrote: 89 Points
September '07 - Mini House Cleaning; 9/13/2007-9/17/2007: Ooops. Opened this one up because I thought I had a lot of them. In fact, this represents the last one. That's unfortunate, because this seems to be going through a bit of a closed stage at present, with the fruit taking a back seat to the tannins, at least early on. Time in the glass does help. I suspect another 2-3 years would serve this wine well. Lesson learned as I contemplate the '04 vintage of the same.
Update: 2 hours later, this has opened up into a sterling example of California syrah. Smoky, full nose. Fruit gains depth with time, and the tannins mellow. A bit more acidic presence than earlier. A nice wine for those with a bit of patience.
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3/18/2007 - rmodak wrote: 87 Points
Not as well balanced as I remember. This is a dark wine with ripe blackberry, menthol, violets, and fine tannins. Very straightforward but showing a little ripe. Easy to drink like an Aussie wine with a bit more restraint.
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12/9/2006 - vanpe003 wrote: 90 Points
Popped/poured. Originally thought the bottle was mildly flawed, as the tannins came across with an odd taste. A couple hours of airtime, and things change dramatically. The nose on this one is wonderful within minutes of opening...a reserved but elegant mix of fruit and wood that goes into hiding a bit after a couple hours. I find that a pinot glass does a better job of focusing the nose than the cab bowl used last time.
In the meantime, as a couple of hours pass, the palate becomes very pleasant mix of fruit and cedar, with the tannins moving just far enough into the background so as to not be distracting. One more bottle left....will try to leave it alone for a couple of years to see where it goes.
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11/24/2006 - scw wrote: 91 Points
dran it w/Sheila and Larry. Very good. Rich berry flavor soft tanins
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11/19/2006 - vanpe003 wrote: 87 Points
Drinking well now for a 2003. Elegant, soft, understated. Well integrated for its age. Only complaints are that the nose is a bit subdued, the palate lacks the complexity and is a bit thin to push this score higher. Got better after 2 hours in the decanter, got worse after 3, better again after 4.
Day 2 - fell apart.
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11/17/2006 - GrandeSerataFuori wrote: 89 Points
Rich boysenberry jam - but not fake or too much - nice. Very elegant, in a modern way, and soft. Excellent find at an airport layover in Dulles. Afternoon snack with brie, crackers and nuts. Mmmmm.
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