Black pepper, cured meat, leather, iron, blood, hoisin, olive, plum, blueberry. Med plus garnet. Medium bodied. Medium plus acidity. Medium length. I’m craving lamb burgers.
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Garnet color in the glass, slightly dusty looking. Nose of currants, plums, roasted meats and a bit of floral notes. Flavors of berries, cherries and raspberries. Medium acidity, medium tannin, medium to full bodied. Drink now.
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Absolute stunner. Tasted against the 2015, and though they both were great, it was amazing how much the ‘06 settled into its age. Beautifully integrated oak, softened but not muted red fruits, who knew this was one to lay down? Shoulda bought more...
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Nice mature St Joseph, drinking well above its class. On opening, exhibited tart acidity and good aroma; gained weight and roundness with air, hitting its stride at 90+ minutes. A bit of smoke, a little meat. Nice.
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Seems more like Southern Rhone blend than Syrah to me, ripe, seems a little hot (though 13.5), some nice smoky/meaty notes with air that seem more Northern. Not bad, but I think I’ll no longer buy cheap Chave. B
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Mye bunnfall, klar mørk lilla mot fiolett farge. Litt moden, lett alkoholisk duft av gjærede skogsbær, modne plommer, hvit pepper og salvie. Kjølig smak av modne mørke bær, plomme, sort ristet pepper, salvie, sort te og markjordbær. Lite tannin, moden frukt
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Tasted this wine blind. Dark plum fruit and mint on the nose, good intensity on the palate of red and blackcurrant fruits, slightly green mid palate and tannins are still there. It's probably beginning to fade but is still a superb wine, I had the pleasure of tasting this wine three years ago.
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dark, murky. Rubber boot odour takes a while to blow off to reveal restrained dark plum and raw meat. Acid is prominent although the faded fruit has some sweetness. not improving, perhaps my expectations were too high.
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Afraid the window may have passed on this one. Never showed much character over a few hours. Not a bad wine but nothing noteworthy. Flat and one dimensional but nicely balanced. Atypical northern Rhone. I'd imagine it had more at some point but I will never know.
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Moderate but healthy red color with some hints of spice and fruit but mostly brown sugar. The wine is slightly tart, very soft and totally resolved in the mouth with just a hint of heat. Overall this wine is past its peak but still a decent red. Probably 1-2 years past its best.
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Last foray with this wine was back in late 2010. Medium bodied, still a solid Crimson not showing very much in the way of bricking. Seems quite developed and complex compared to where this was five and a half years ago. Aromas and flavors of smoked meat; black asphalt; spicy dark purple berries; mixed red and black licorice; ripe, black olives; dried cherries; and tart, chewy, purple plums with some dried mixed herbs; purple sage; and red, mineral laden earth. Lively flavor in the mouth which leads to a big, tart, mouth puckering finish. Great food wine, paired well with a thick cut, grilled pork chop, queso rice, and a mixed greens salad. Still enough structure, acidity and fruit to see this through a few more years.
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Dark rich red. Initially seemed a bit hot, but added depth and dark red/blackberry fruit with air. Good round Syrah qualities. Not flabby; drinking nicely.
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Dark ruby. Dark fruit with savory Syrah flavors. Clear, clean finish. Meium weight. A touch of richness but well balanced. Drinks well now, but this will be good for 5+ years; my experience is that the balance and acidity will see it age well (had a 1995 within the past year and it was in fine shape).
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Very nice, approachable Syrah. Primarily dark berries with some floral and spice notes. Only a bit of savory with no animal or blood notes. Fairly light (medium body) and quite pretty. Very soft tannin with good acid. Drink now.
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This is a nice Syrah. Nose has dark berry fruit, smoke, savory notes, and lavender. The palate is good, not great. Lacking just a touch of concentration to be really good but otherwise balanced and pleasant. Good food wine. Likely not improving further. A good example of st Joseph made by the master at a very affordable price
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Plum , black cherry, black pepper and some savory spice notes. Ripe and forward, I find this slightly simpler than its 2005 counterpart (tried a few days ago) and probably more requiring near-term consumption in the next year or two.
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lighter nose, at the peak if not heading downhill a bit. acid is really pronounced, while the tannins have lost their edge (and their character). drink now
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Tart dry red fruit backed by interesting plum and spice notes. I like tart acidic red wines, but this is a little too much for my palate to score much higher.
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13% d'alcool, 100% Syrah Oeil : encore profond, légère trace d'évolution, forte viscosité en parois, très légèrement trouble Nez : projection initialement timide et qui s'est développé sur environ 60 minutes d'ouverture, alors d'intensité 5/10, frais, torréfié, fumée, fruits noirs, bien poivré, accents boisés, cacao, invitant Bouche : sec, ample, acidité rafraîchissante, tanins encore charnus, amertume moyenne, persistance moyenne+, rétro fruitée, torréfiée, fumée, poivrée, boisée, épicée Conclusion : bonne tenue, tiendra la route facilement 2-3 ans encore, besoin d'aération pour se révéler. Léger dépôt en bouteille. Laisser debout quelques jours avant service. Bouchon en excellente condition. 89+
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Very tart and acidic with almost no fruit - but no off-putting aromas or flavors to indicate that the bottle was spoiled. Apparently just over-the-hill, so it's really not fair to score this one.
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Dark ruby, light rim, legs not pronounced. Nose is smoky, tar, blackberry, leather, burnt out bonfire that's been dampened down. Fruit is blackberry fruit with very long spicy finish. Delicious.
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Decanted 2 hrs. Nose of plums, red fruit and some sweetness. Palate was medium and lighter than I expected. Plums, cherries, a hint of vanilla, green pepper towards the finish. Lengthy fruity finish that developed more as the night went on. Very smooth, fine integrated tannins and drinking well now.
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A pleasant surprise. Far from profound, but a pleasant Syrah that has some aged qualities and is much improved from my earlier tasting note from 2009. This is showing plummy fruit that seems to straddle mature but still vibrant, with pepper marks, lifted by good acidity. When first uncorked, there was an additional fudge brownie note, but that seemed to dissipate over the course of the next few hours. I like the somewhat rugged profile, and how the wine is showing more resolved than plump and simple. A lower-end wine that has improved with cellar time.
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Sweet caramelized bacon on the nose. Smooth, pleasant, cedar, light, but earthy, charcoal, and with a very mellow, smooth, pleasant finish of a bit of vegetal taste. And a bit of flowery bacon on the finish as well. Not long, but still very pleasant.
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Dark garnet color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of smoked meat, plums, berries, a hint of spices and some wet stones. Flavors of rich, juicy berries, plums, raspberries and a bit of cherry. Bright acidity, medium to firm tannins, full bodied. Drink now with some air or continue to hold.
My guess was this is the 2006 Chave St. Jo. Offerus I brought.
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This wine tasted 10-12 years old but wasn't tired at all. Big time barnyard on the nose. Palate had a bit of white pepper, some dark fruit, tar and some serous animal fur. Dinged for a bit of a clipped finish. Nice wine and serious deal at $17.
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Ripe red and black cherry aromas with plenty of black pepper and some background anise. Flavors were mostly black cherry with very good concentration. Good length. Incredible value wine.
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Mouth watering acidity and juicy long finish. Grippy tannins, a bit chalky. Some cherry cola. Not quite as dense as the 2007, but real nice. Lively and spicy. Great with red beans and rice and andoullie sausage.
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Beautiful dark crimson in color, just beginning to lighten up around the edges. Shows a very attractive nose of black cherries, flowers and spice. Full-bodied, this has a bright acidity which nicely complements its tangy plum, cherry and dark fruit flavors. The long, dry finish features interesting notes of mineral and graphite. Very pure and satisfying and nicely done for a relatively inexpensive Northern Rhone. 50+5+12+15+8=90
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PnP & slow ox'd 1-2 hrs. Nice bouquet of black cherry, cassis, olives, & white pepper aromas. Flavor notes of black cherry, blackberry, white pepper, earth & herbs. Medium-bodied, calcareous tannins, low acidity, and medium finish. Decent overall (88+). Drink now.
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13% d'alcool, 100% Syrah Oeil : rouge-pourpre profond, opacité 6+/10, forte viscosité en parois Nez : projection d'intensité 4/10, frais, superbe fruité rappelant la mûre, le cassis et la framboise, tapenade d'olive noire et verte, violette, floral, minérale, fumée, boisé élégant, très invitant Bouche : sec, ample+, acidité rafraîchissante, tanins fins et encore charnus, amertume modérée, persistance moyenne+, rétro fruitée, minérale, fumée, florale, touche amère Conclusion : superbe, classique, à la fois élégant et généreux, frais, très bel équilibre. Plateau en vue. À revisiter en 2013-2014. 89-90
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Clear with a purple to garnet rim, dark ruby core. Clean nose of dark fruit and dust earth. Palate has medium acidity with medium plus soft tannin. Pleasant medium finish. Very nice now.
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Lite, pretty red. Lite raspberries on the nose. Very lite bodied. An almost non-existant attack is followed by a nuanced end-palate and finish of strawberries with underripe raspberries. Some white pepper. Drunk with Stash, Nora, Lili, and the family at Reunion Tower restaurant in Dallas.
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It's such a treat to find a appellation designated French Syrah that is this good and this affordable. Of course it's not as complex and age worthy as the domaine wine by Chave, but it's better than any Guigal negociant bottling. If you are a fan of northern Rhone, this should be one of your every day go to wines that is sure to please other francophiles. St Joseph is a rising star to Rhone fanatics and with this wine it is easy to see why.
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Brownish hint to the crimson. Burst of flowers and fruit on the nose. Puckering cherries, plums, veggies and a bit of spice. Mild tannins on mid palate. Rather short finish ,but leaves me wanting more. Drinking very well right now.
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I drank this over two days and while it was good on the first day, it was a bit tight. It was much better on the second day. It had softened out and the earthiness was better integrated with the fruit. This makes me believe it still needs more time in the bottle.
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Dark garnet. Definite syrah nose. Dark fruit, tannins on mid-palate. Nice balance, medium-long finish. Evolving nicely, probably has a few good years left. Chave does well, as usual.
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Enjoying it "as we speak" on holiday in Drenthe (Holland) with a piece of Drentse droge worst. Lovely combination because of the spices and the meatiness of the wine. Smelling some plum and leather. Nice black fruit on the palate and a medium long finish.
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Bien meilleur que la première bouteille bue en juillet dernier. Bonne concentration. Beau fruit pur. Grande ampleur en bouche. Assez belle longueur. Pas donné, mais vaut vraiment son prix. Un vin à boire 5 ans après l'année du millésime.
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O - mörkt rubin röd m blå-svarta reflexer D - hallon, laktos, salmiak, vanilj, reduktiva syrah drag, rök, äppelkärnor, sv peppar, gummi o efter luftning även blodapelsin S- medellfylligt ännu ungt m mörk hallonfrukt, björnbär, körsbärm blåbär, fatkryddig m fin sandig tanninstruktur o balanserad syra, bittra äppelkärnor, sv peppar o blodapelsin i en hyfsat lång ren o snygg finish. Utvecklas vid lufting. 8p+
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Recent reviews or spot on for this wine. The nose is a bit tight for me, showing hints of vegetation, meat and dark fruits, but very slight, not as big as I would have liked. Palate on the other hand is text book pepper, tea leaf, beef, and plummy fruits. Finish is not very long, mouth feel is much lighter then the tasting notes would lead one to believe, making this wine very easy drinking, and smooth. There is definitely some time left here, yet I could not imagine this wine developing any further. Drink now, no need to hang on.
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Pepper, beef jerky, smoke and plum on the very tempting, constantly changing nose. Loads of pepper, also some licorice on the palate. Full bodied with generous, round dark fruit. Long finish leaves a weirdly sticky but dry mouthfeel thanks to noticeable but almost silky tannins. Intensive while still easy drinking and balanced. Lacking the elegance of Côte-Rôtie or Hermitage but managed very well alongside a proper steak and is also quite delicious by itself afterwards. Would probably improve with some extra aging but I don't have any regrets about popping at this point. The 27 € price is slightly questionable but heck, find me a Syrah this good at a lower price point in Finland.
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Much better than I remember the previous bottle. More clearly Northern Rhone with olives and meat. Nice acidic structure; some tannins to resolve still. Potentially better in a few years.
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Pop 'n pour. Deep color, with sweet black cherry, black licorice and smokey charcoal aromas. Sweet combination of red and black fruits, transitioning to a more savory side on the midpalate through finish, with smoke and floral notes lingering. Beautiful acid and tannin balance. A baby Hermitage if there ever was one.
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Dark purple red, nose kind of weak black fruit, pleasant mid palate, acidic, smooth tannins integrated, black berry, strawberry, hint of smoke and pepper, easy drinking, finish is not long, but ok. Drink now.
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Decanted 45 minutes and enjoyed over three hours. Slightly (and delightfully) funky, with a stony and floral nose of black fruit and clove. Bright berry fruit and cracked pepper in the mouth. A good medium length, juicy finish, a tannic structure to age 10 years. An excellent entry-level example of the varietal and the region. 90-91
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Slight reduction but otherwise this has developed very nicely in last couple of years, showing much more typicity now. Another year or two is really all that is required here. Pretty outstanding syrah at the closeout price I paid.
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After an a couple of hours (not decanted), the nose and palate both opened up revealing a gorgeous panoply of barnyard funk on top of the typical syrah fruit.
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Yeeeesh. I'm definitely going to break from the pack on this one. But to each their own, right? For me, the only thing I liked about this bottle was the nose. It had a lot of minerality like wet stone going on which I always like. Of course a boat load of ground black pepper too. The body I found quite medium. Flavor was overly peppery for me. What really blew it was the finish where I got a strong unpleasant chemical essence like airplane glue. I don't know, maybe I got a bad bottle. Maybe it was corked? I didn't get that on the nose but those chemicals were unmistakable on the finish.
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Tasted Blind. Classic Northern Rhone nose of grilled meats, bacon fat and potting soil along with some type of jalapeno or vegetable scent. On the palate it showed blackberries and plums. The wine was dry, with medium to medium plus acid, the alcohol was quite high for this wine but its a Rhone warmer-upper. Medium tannin and a medium plus finish. I think this wine is still showing strong and has a few more years in it.
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This bottle had a nice, deep, complex nose but was very disappointing on the palate. Black pepper and a little fruit with a finish that was very tart and sour. It became more sour over time and I poured the last half bottle out on the second night. I give it 80 points because of the nose.
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This bottle was fantastic last night with pork chops and pasta. This has a sinus-clearing characteristic that reminds me of hot mustard. Loads of black pepper but this still retains some figgy fruitiness. I wasn't expecting this much from this bottle. Of note, I did drink this bottle a bit cold, around 60 degrees F
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Dark redish purple. Complex aromas of black pepper. Juicy plum and cherry mixed with tobacco notes. Medium to full bodied. Lingering spicy finish. What I would expect for a Northern Rhone.
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Decanted one hour. More red fruits on the nose this time, and not quite as interesting. A little tart on the palate. Really a food wine. Not bad, though. Drink soon.
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base: 50 pts color & appearance - max 5 pts: 5 aroma & bouquet - max 15 pts: 14 flavor and finish - max 20 pts: 14 overall quality & potential - max 10 pts: 5 OVERALL: 88 pleasant but not very complex nose and finish
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Wine was very primary, borderline astringent with intensely high acid on the pop and pour.With air has rounded out. A pour into the decanter and back into the bottle and this note is taken about two hours later.
On the nose I get sweet dark fruits with red licorice and a subtle smokiness to it. Black pepper, though there, is much more to the backdrop compared to what I think of for N Rhone Syrah.
On the palate you get an attack of tart mix of red/dark fruit. Aggressive acidity follows and dominates the midpalate, relatively low tannin. Acidity follows through to medium-length finish with elements of dark fruit and sticky ripe tannin. This high-acid wine screams for salty foods. Pretty solid wine, especially at the price point. 88+ points
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Disappointing. Angular and disjointed, with not even a blast of good 2007 fruit to compensate for its awkwardness. Not sure at this point what to do with my other bottles...will cellar time bring this together? Lots of green on the nose. Decanted one hour before serving.
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Smooth, good on the dark fruit, a bit green and dusty/tannic still, but does not seem to have a lot of substance for the long haul. Last glass (2 hours) faded a bit. Perhaps a bit closed for the moment. Will let sit for a while longer.
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Realy liking this wine right now. Picked up a couple bottles at HK airport Watson's, will grab another 1/2 case. Purple/blueish color. Full of blue and red fruit. Nice acidity.
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A Few Youngish Rhones (San Francisco Wine Trading Company): Medium ruby, slightly cloudy. Compared to the beacon of violets that the Faury wine projected, this is a much weedier, complex Syrah nose. Medium bodied, lean in the mouth with muted fruit. I've enjoyed other vintages of this more in the past.
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I feel this has evolved slightly since the last time I had it. Right out of the bottle it is dense, dark, with olives and peppers prominent on the finish (some may feel its vegetal and green ... its definitely not shy about it). Not going to be everyone's cup of tea but to me its a great value N Rhone wine. Was flatter and rather simple on days 2-3
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Dark color, nose of white pepper, spice, and some dark fruit. Something in the nose reminds me of a good pork rib rub, but I can't put my finger on it. Good mouthfeel, medium finish. This wine disappeared quickly.
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Smoky dark fruited nose, I could sniff this for hours. Light in body, a little light in fruit, but not out of balance. Good structure and acidity, maybe a touch more oak influence that I would prefer, but very tasty and for $17 on closeout, a great buy.
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This quite a bit smoother and dare I say more "modern" in style than the stemmy, briary 2004 vintage. Sure, the 2006 has these aspects, but the emphasis here is on smooth black fruit, and to me the acidity is a bit lacking. Nice, but not particularly interesting.
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Inky black. Dark black spicy fruit and black pepper on the nose - you can smell the brooding tannins. A mixture of plums and tart blackberries with slightly astringent strawberries on the finish.
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bottle was corked but i drank it anyway it seemed fine initially showed mocha and pepper 2nd day lots of blue cheese, wierd 3rd day, undrinkable, harsh, poured down the sink
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Aromas of sage and earth. Restrained flavors of mushrooms, rhubarb and spice. Lingering spice/rhubarb finish. Enjoyable, balanced, drinking well now with future potential. Good deal from Cinderella at $16.79.
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Very complex wine: Spicy dark fruits on the nose accented with smoke, wood and cinnamon. The palate was the same with spicy blackberry flavors being the dominate taste. Very nice wine and very well made.
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This wine is right up my ally with the flavor profile. Dark fruit, earth, and lovely minerality on both the nose and palate. Med bodied with nice complexity and firm tannins showing on the finish. Good stuff (90).
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A nose of dark fruit and spice, dark in color. A smooth, bright medium bodied wine, strawberry, plum, some floral aspects, earth. Second time I have had in the past year, a solid wine.
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Brownish deep garnet red. A touch of a barnyard funk on the nose, but mostly plums, pepper and menthol. Lighter and thinner than I expected, plums, cherry, some leather, some pepper, but not particularly complex. Limited tannins. I have a hard time seeing this improving to 2016, rather I think the drinking window is much shorter.
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My last of 6 bottles and this wine, while showing some bottle variation along the way, never really did it for me. Light and one-dimensional with some pepper and red berries that just never seem to balance out the wine overall. Perhaps I should have waited longer but my sense is that this won't evolve into much more than it is today.
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Had this about a week ago so notes are from memory but overall it was a nice bottle, needed about an hour in the decanter to open up and then drank over 2 hrs. Plum and pepper on the palate with a little floral nose. Medium tannin and a nice smooth finish. Enjoyable bottle.
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Juicy, tasty wine but one dimensional. Even pouring it through Venturi into decanter and letting sit there for ½ hour hasn't helped much. Mostly red fruit, pomegranate, some smoke and meat. Drink now with some decant or keep for one or two years.
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starts off paper thin forest floor oxidation cedar heaven on the nose then morphs after an hour into bloody meat wrapped around a bullet. next comes melted blueberries and godiva finishing into a violet acid bath in the cheeks and gullet. great with or without food. patience rewards with this moody child...
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Dark, slightly translucent purple. Nose of strawberry rhubarb pie, fresh cracked black pepper, iron, hint of dark chocolate. Tart dark berry fruit on the palate gives way to blueberry and traces of strawberry with air. Gorgeous rich black pepper and rhubarb on the midpalate, which persist to the medium finish, along with iron and hints of berry. Nice acidity, and fairly smooth given the intense flavors. Needs about 90 min in a decanter for the fruit to show itself; I was really disappointed on first opening and glad I had time to let this open up. 90-91.
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Attractive and complex northern Rhone syrah nose, with dark fruit, leather, herbs, and slight smoke. Unfortunately, the wine fails to live up to its initial promises on the palate. I don't mind the acidity, but it feels thinner than what I've come to expect of syrahs.
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Needs an hour or three to open up. Dark fruit, a blood (think iron) aspect, leather, a good dose of acidity, and some oaky (but not over much) tannins. As someone else said, very nice with steak. 90pts
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Nose: Red fruit, blood, a metallic note, florals and a little oak; fresh and vibrant. Palate shows similar notes as the nose with tart acidity and medium, nicely integrated tannins. Enjoyed drinking this alone, but probably even better w/ some red meat to get the interplay between the fat, acid and tannin. A no-brainer QPR at the Cindy price.
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Popped one hour before pouring.Vibrant nose with beautiful dark fruit and some oak and spiciness.The palate,however,was rather light bodied and a little disappointing.A diluted version of the nose.A nice quaffer but lacking depth and personality.26,80€ at Alko is twice too much for it.
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Let breathe for 3 hours in the bottle. Medium dark ruby. Beautiful, complex aroma of blackberry, blueberry, anise, raw meat, tobacco, leather, and smoke. Palate was a little thin and didn't quite live up to the nose - got some blackberry, pepper, and herbs. Nice tannins that weren't overpowering and good acidity. All in all, couldn't keep my nose out of the glass and was a great wine for the price. Went well with Turkish food.
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Same nice weight and dark fruit, but a bit more vegetal than my last bottle. Didn't really give it enough air though, will leave the last two bottles for a while.
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Very restrained and balanced syrah complemented lamby nicely. Typical syrah flavors of black pepper and raw meat interlaced with red berries, licorice and smoke.
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best bottle yet -- cleaner, but not to the point of being slick. firm structure still, and this should continue to evolve for the better, but it's so delicious now that it won't last that long.
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Popped and poured, but could have used a decant. Dark fruit, charcoal and some floral notes. Similar flavors on the palate, well balanced, but tannins are still youtful and keeping the fruit more in the background.
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Eh. Primary and simple. Round dark fruits, round palate, could use both definition and precision. Simple dark fruit, no high tones. Seems like a mass produced, low-end wine. Neither this nor the "Silex" label offers much that transcends the $20 pricepoint.
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I used to much bigger Syrahs and I think sleepyhaus is right now point. Very reserved. Quick and clean finish. In fact, so clean I was left wondering if I was drinking syrah at all. THe good news is that you can drink this wine with about anything. Really nice nose and a dark cherry flavor profile. Little pepper as well. Not sure I love this wine but I enjoyed it. I will decant for a bit next time to see if that makes a difference.
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Better than I remember, complex nose to a wine full of fruit with a satisfying, dark cherry finish. A blind taste would lead one to think they were drinking a wine of at least twice the price.
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Very nice. This is the restrained type of syrah that I prefer. Just the slightest bit of sharpness keeps it refreshing, but I don't get any green here. Drank over the course of hours and the first whiff was the most floral but good evolution means a couple of years should do this well. Later got a massive dose of ground black pepper. Very good. (88-90)
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Quite a lot of green bell pepper and spices, perhaps slightly overwhelming for me, but counterpointed with dark fruit and acidity. I agree with Keith that a little more fruit would've been welcome. But this medium bodied wine is a nice weekday northern rhone syrah. 88 Day 2 - Had a glass left last night, vacupumped and fridged. Tonight the green pepper toned down a lot and became a lot more nuanced and elegant as a result. And I felt it was much more balanced and integrated wine, while retaining the nice midpalette weight. Excellent. Perhaps my current bottles need to sleep a little bit. 90
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Two hour decant. Tight nose initially. Over the course of the night, pleasant aromas of black cherry, rubber, earth, and a bit of funk came through. Pepper/spice backbone rounded out by tasty red fruit, licorice and lavender. Great mouthfeel ends with sweet tannins. My first experience with N. Rhone and not disappointed.
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Lots of Northern Rhone character to this one with its pungent aroma and intense kick of pepper on the palate. Not as much fruit as I would have expected, though, and I wanted a little more to balance out the structure, which is fierce with its rap-DJ turntable screech of tannin.
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Deep purple. Nose has green pepper, vanilla/oak, black fruit. Nice acidity, light tannins. Tastes run more to blackberry and a bit of cherry and black licorice. Finish is mid-length and ends a little bitter.
color 5/5 nose 6/10 taste 16/20 balance 7/10 finish 4/5
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Nose: Northern Rhone syrah all over the nose - sage/licorice, underbrush, lotus seed paste, tar, blackberry, black cherries. Palate: Sage, tar, fig sauce, blackberries on the attack. Great acidity and lively tannins come to the fore on the mid-palate, giving way to a lavender framed, cherry/licorice finish. Truly delicious syrah and drinking great now.
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A deep, rich nose of roasted meat, sage, black pepper and anise just steams from the glass. Big black and red fruit upfront are joined by pepper, spice and molten red licorice midpalate. This closes down a bit at the back end and could probably use some time.
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Medium garnet color. No variation on the edge. Nose of steamed meats, blueberry, underbrush, crushed river stones, and leather. The palate has a very bright and lively mouthfeel. A light to mid-weight ine, this has some great blueberry pie, red cheries, white pepper, a chalkiness, some soil, some tar, a bit of bruised leather, and a slight hint of funkadelicness. I get it: Its a very reasonably priced Rhone masquerading as a Cote Rote. Nice. Great acid level with a slightly boosted alcohol note that dissipates quickly, say after an hour. Great long brightness on the tongue keep this fun and playful, but broaches serious and refined. Great effort and wonderful QPR. The funkidelicness keeps me at bay ever so slightly.
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Hmm, very vegetal on the nose and palate. Green bell pepper, some jalapeno without the spice. A bit thin as well. Decanted it 2 hours, and that helped bring some fruit out, but still vegetal and thin. Very dark red in color. I'm not sure if time will help this, but I hope so.
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I really liked this little number. On the pop-and-pour pure barnyard on the nose and similar on the palate. After a bit of airtime the barnyard settles down a bit and opens up some nice cassis and cinnamon-y spices on the finish. Nice and dry on the finish with a good hit of acidity, and it had the backbone to stand up to my meal of spicy thai food. Got this at a wonderful price, but I'd be happy to pay 25 for it.
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Normally to get such a terrific expression of Northern Rhone syrah you have to pay a LOT more than this. A great find for those of us who can't afford most Côte-Rôties: smokey/meaty, full of dark fruit, acidic (relative to flabby aussies) and mildly funky. Update: I was surprised to find this wine declined on day two.
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Drank shortly after shipping and it was very disappointing, tasting mostly of alcohol with a bit of black olive. Hoping it will be better after some age or maybe just some rest.
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Oooh this is a broody, monstorous wine straight out of the bottle. It literally kicks your teeth out of your mouth However, it opens up quite quickly into something less aggresive. On the nose this has deep notes of black fruit - a lot of heat, some liquorice. In the mouth the alcohol is too prominent at the moment and really overwhelmes everything. There is quite a lot of grip with some lovely gritty tannins that work well against the fruit. Way too young right now but in 2-4 years this will be a pretty decent wine. Needs food.
Edit: Drunk 4 hours later and most importantly from a different shaped glass. The difference is profound. Softer, less aggresive - more complexity and more refined. Tasting from the other glass again the wine was harsh and full. The moral of the story? Choose your glass well
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Powerful purple and brooding. This looks serious and exhibits a forest and red/black fruit nose maybe with some spice and meaty tones. Abundance of red/black fruit and spice wash around with a lot of potential clarity to come. Nicely balanced. Needs a bit more time maybe to develop complexity and prefers the company of food.
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taste: excellent medium/full feel with more international flavors of red cherries, currants and tart tones of red berries. Decent depth and smooth tannins
overall: This tastes like it could come from anywhere. Its a well made wine and is very good, but it doesn't speak of the northern rhone at all
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Recent TNs, mostly CA cabs; 9/7/2009-9/28/2009 (New York): Delicious. This is squarely in the wheelhouse of what I expect from a Chave Offerus - an earthy, funky, Burgundian Rhone. There's fruit, vibrant pepper, garrigue, earth, you name it in here. Terrific complexity and balance, especially for the price range. This is required drinking for serious wine drinkers in my book.
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Nicely balanced young syrah with lots of crushed dark berries, ink, smoky aromas and good length. Shows good qualities of the area and grape with moderate oak. Comparable to more prestigious Northern Rhone wines for a decent price.
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Surprisingly jammy, but aromatic and easy on the spice. Great nose. Can't compare to the Pierre Gaillards from Saint-Joseph, but still quite nice. Aerated two hours.
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A bit glossy for my preference, showing a ripe and licorice-y side today. The following day the wine shows intensely smoky aromatics, with a hint of a savory, salame note. But there's still an intense black currant ripeness that I find offputting, and I'm searching in vain for the violet and olive or gently herbal notes I seek in St. Joseph. Tthe concentration is good and the acid fresh, however, so I hope/expect this will improve with a couple of years in bottle.
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En strålende nord-Rhone vin, mye frukt og en anelse tobakk. Vel balansert med tydelige tanniner og god syre. Denne vinen er drikkeklar nå, men kan trolig ligge inntil 5 år og fortsatt utvikles.
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11/12/2023 - njAndrew wrote: 89 Points
Was worried but still enjoyable. Plum and olive. Med body. Still enjoyable but lighter.
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12/14/2022 - shaftlet Likes this wine: 89 Points
Black pepper, cured meat, leather, iron, blood, hoisin, olive, plum, blueberry. Med plus garnet. Medium bodied. Medium plus acidity. Medium length. I’m craving lamb burgers.
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4/25/2022 - Burgundy Al wrote: 86 Points
Rugged but mature black fruit. Still enough fruit, but a bit more structure.
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6/3/2021 - europat55 wrote: 89 Points
Nose: 90-91; Palate: 87
My #6, Group's #8; Tasted blind. Some heat on the nose and a sour palate.
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2/19/2021 - Burgundy Al wrote: 87 Points
Big and burly, this is fresher and better than the 2005 opened earlier. Still, time to drink up.
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11/25/2019 - gcarl wrote: 92 Points
Agree with Ellenkf's notes from 6/20/18. My first review since laying down in the cellar 9.5 yrs ago. WOW! Glad to have 3 more!!
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1/19/2019 - wineismylife wrote: 93 Points
WIML93
Tasted non blind.
Garnet color in the glass, slightly dusty looking. Nose of currants, plums, roasted meats and a bit of floral notes. Flavors of berries, cherries and raspberries. Medium acidity, medium tannin, medium to full bodied. Drink now.
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11/23/2018 - davudvl Likes this wine: 91 Points
Wow. Even better than the previous bottle. Pepper on the nose and palate. We loved it.
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6/20/2018 - Ellenkf Likes this wine: 92 Points
Absolute stunner. Tasted against the 2015, and though they both were great, it was amazing how much the ‘06 settled into its age. Beautifully integrated oak, softened but not muted red fruits, who knew this was one to lay down? Shoulda bought more...
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3/20/2017 - Burgundy Al wrote: 87 Points
Ripe black fruit, maturing nicely. Time to drink up in the next year or so.
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1/1/2017 - aChave wrote: 90 Points
Clean fruit and nice balance. Linear, not heavy; a nice fragrant Syrah with moderate body and good food-accompanying character.
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12/17/2016 - aChave wrote: 90 Points
A bit of funk but with clean fruit and nice balance. Not a heavy wine; a nice fragrant Syrah with moderate body and good food-accomanying character.
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10/1/2016 - aChave wrote: 90 Points
Nice mature St Joseph, drinking well above its class. On opening, exhibited tart acidity and good aroma; gained weight and roundness with air, hitting its stride at 90+ minutes. A bit of smoke, a little meat. Nice.
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9/20/2016 - DaleW wrote:
Seems more like Southern Rhone blend than Syrah to me, ripe, seems a little hot (though 13.5), some nice smoky/meaty notes with air that seem more Northern. Not bad, but I think I’ll no longer buy cheap Chave. B
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8/29/2016 - KVM wrote:
Last bottle was the best. Showed power of fruit and concentration and delicacy and nuance. A little va, too.
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8/19/2016 - ttholst wrote: 88 Points
Mye bunnfall, klar mørk lilla mot fiolett farge. Litt moden, lett alkoholisk duft av gjærede skogsbær, modne plommer, hvit pepper og salvie. Kjølig smak av modne mørke bær, plomme, sort ristet pepper, salvie, sort te og markjordbær. Lite tannin, moden frukt
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8/1/2016 - KVM wrote:
Medium + red, lots of fine sediment. Musty - corked and mature fruit. Palate is quite clean, balanced toward acid and is tasty. Drink up.
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5/6/2016 - bacchus of knockholt Likes this wine: 90 Points
Tasted this wine blind. Dark plum fruit and mint on the nose, good intensity on the palate of red and blackcurrant fruits, slightly green mid palate and tannins are still there. It's probably beginning to fade but is still a superb wine, I had the pleasure of tasting this wine three years ago.
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4/29/2016 - davudvl Likes this wine: 88 Points
This bottle much better than the last one. Nice and spicy on the palate.
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4/16/2016 - Bill_wine wrote: 91 Points
Very good still, holding up well
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3/28/2016 - KVM wrote:
dark, murky. Rubber boot odour takes a while to blow off to reveal restrained dark plum and raw meat. Acid is prominent although the faded fruit has some sweetness. not improving, perhaps my expectations were too high.
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2/27/2016 - mjl wrote: 88 Points
Afraid the window may have passed on this one. Never showed much character over a few hours. Not a bad wine but nothing noteworthy. Flat and one dimensional but nicely balanced. Atypical northern Rhone. I'd imagine it had more at some point but I will never know.
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2/25/2016 - Woodbridge Brad Likes this wine: 83 Points
Moderate but healthy red color with some hints of spice and fruit but mostly brown sugar. The wine is slightly tart, very soft and totally resolved in the mouth with just a hint of heat. Overall this wine is past its peak but still a decent red. Probably 1-2 years past its best.
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1/24/2016 - davudvl Does not like this wine:
Tasted funny. Like burnt fuel. Maybe past its prime?
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12/2/2015 - aChave wrote: 90 Points
Meaty, but balanced and even-tempered. Combination of rich red fruit and cool darker fruit. Maturing; nice Syrah. Very good.
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10/9/2015 - wmccone54 wrote: 90 Points
Last foray with this wine was back in late 2010. Medium bodied, still a solid Crimson not showing very much in the way of bricking. Seems quite developed and complex compared to where this was five and a half years ago. Aromas and flavors of smoked meat; black asphalt; spicy dark purple berries; mixed red and black licorice; ripe, black olives; dried cherries; and tart, chewy, purple plums with some dried mixed herbs; purple sage; and red, mineral laden earth. Lively flavor in the mouth which leads to a big, tart, mouth puckering finish. Great food wine, paired well with a thick cut, grilled pork chop, queso rice, and a mixed greens salad. Still enough structure, acidity and fruit to see this through a few more years.
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8/2/2015 - aChave wrote: 90 Points
Dark rich red. Initially seemed a bit hot, but added depth and dark red/blackberry fruit with air. Good round Syrah qualities. Not flabby; drinking nicely.
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5/31/2015 - aChave wrote: 89 Points
Dark ruby. Dark fruit with savory Syrah flavors. Clear, clean finish. Meium weight. A touch of richness but well balanced. Drinks well now, but this will be good for 5+ years; my experience is that the balance and acidity will see it age well (had a 1995 within the past year and it was in fine shape).
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4/19/2015 - NoWineWiz wrote: 88 Points
Similar experience as "Indiscriminate Palate", including the lack of tannins, but good balance and enjoyable.
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10/25/2014 - indiscriminate palate wrote: 89 Points
Very nice, approachable Syrah. Primarily dark berries with some floral and spice notes. Only a bit of savory with no animal or blood notes. Fairly light (medium body) and quite pretty. Very soft tannin with good acid. Drink now.
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10/5/2014 - jnewman77 wrote:
This is a nice Syrah. Nose has dark berry fruit, smoke, savory notes, and lavender. The palate is good, not great. Lacking just a touch of concentration to be really good but otherwise balanced and pleasant. Good food wine. Likely not improving further. A good example of st Joseph made by the master at a very affordable price
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8/17/2014 - Burgundy Al wrote: 88 Points
Plum , black cherry, black pepper and some savory spice notes. Ripe and forward, I find this slightly simpler than its 2005 counterpart (tried a few days ago) and probably more requiring near-term consumption in the next year or two.
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7/18/2014 - moveablesirkus Likes this wine:
lighter nose, at the peak if not heading downhill a bit. acid is really pronounced, while the tannins have lost their edge (and their character). drink now
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1/19/2014 - rcurlee Likes this wine: 87 Points
I decent and likable bottle, but there are many more Saint Joseph that I like more for similar cost.
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1/3/2014 - SCMeyer Likes this wine: 87 Points
Tart dry red fruit backed by interesting plum and spice notes. I like tart acidic red wines, but this is a little too much for my palate to score much higher.
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12/1/2013 - moveablesirkus wrote:
olives! then anchovies and black pepper. a really lovely wine, though a bit flabby. I can't see this getting much more interesting. drink
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11/16/2013 - kosmik Likes this wine: 89 Points
13% d'alcool, 100% Syrah
Oeil : encore profond, légère trace d'évolution, forte viscosité en parois, très légèrement trouble
Nez : projection initialement timide et qui s'est développé sur environ 60 minutes d'ouverture, alors d'intensité 5/10, frais, torréfié, fumée, fruits noirs, bien poivré, accents boisés, cacao, invitant
Bouche : sec, ample, acidité rafraîchissante, tanins encore charnus, amertume moyenne, persistance moyenne+, rétro fruitée, torréfiée, fumée, poivrée, boisée, épicée
Conclusion : bonne tenue, tiendra la route facilement 2-3 ans encore, besoin d'aération pour se révéler. Léger dépôt en bouteille. Laisser debout quelques jours avant service. Bouchon en excellente condition. 89+
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10/28/2013 - rcurlee Likes this wine: 85 Points
A little too sour for me this time. Despite this it was still enjoyable with food.
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10/18/2013 - Bam_Man wrote:
Very tart and acidic with almost no fruit - but no off-putting aromas or flavors to indicate that the bottle was spoiled. Apparently just over-the-hill, so it's really not fair to score this one.
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9/28/2013 - moveablesirkus wrote:
still a nice wine, dark red fruit--some very pleasant funk. it's still got some legs for another 3-5 years
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3/28/2013 - bacchus of knockholt Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dark ruby, light rim, legs not pronounced. Nose is smoky, tar, blackberry, leather, burnt out bonfire that's been dampened down. Fruit is blackberry fruit with very long spicy finish. Delicious.
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3/9/2013 - vinniemontoni wrote: 89 Points
Decanted 2 hrs. Nose of plums, red fruit and some sweetness. Palate was medium and lighter than I expected. Plums, cherries, a hint of vanilla, green pepper towards the finish. Lengthy fruity finish that developed more as the night went on. Very smooth, fine integrated tannins and drinking well now.
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2/23/2013 - kcsteve Likes this wine: 91 Points
Such a nice Northern Rhone Syrah. Plums and cherries with a vegetal hint. Nice spicy finish with some tobacco and plum.
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2/19/2013 - Pknut wrote:
A pleasant surprise. Far from profound, but a pleasant Syrah that has some aged qualities and is much improved from my earlier tasting note from 2009. This is showing plummy fruit that seems to straddle mature but still vibrant, with pepper marks, lifted by good acidity. When first uncorked, there was an additional fudge brownie note, but that seemed to dissipate over the course of the next few hours. I like the somewhat rugged profile, and how the wine is showing more resolved than plump and simple. A lower-end wine that has improved with cellar time.
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12/6/2012 - rwpalmer wrote: 92 Points
Nose of tapenade, leather, raspberry and also floral notes. Soft, smooth palate. Delightful wine and quite ready to go.
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11/29/2012 - JavaMonkey Likes this wine: 88 Points
Same as last bottle: Very nice. Medium garnet red. Cassis, loam, and smoke nose. Medium bodied. Reminds me more of a Bordeaux than a Rhone wine.
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11/23/2012 - ckinv368 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Sweet caramelized bacon on the nose. Smooth, pleasant, cedar, light, but earthy, charcoal, and with a very mellow, smooth, pleasant finish of a bit of vegetal taste. And a bit of flowery bacon on the finish as well. Not long, but still very pleasant.
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11/23/2012 - wineismylife Likes this wine: 93 Points
Friday after Thanksgiving Double Blind (Farnatchi, Dallas, Texas): WIML93
Tasted blind.
Dark garnet color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of smoked meat, plums, berries, a hint of spices and some wet stones. Flavors of rich, juicy berries, plums, raspberries and a bit of cherry. Bright acidity, medium to firm tannins, full bodied. Drink now with some air or continue to hold.
My guess was this is the 2006 Chave St. Jo. Offerus I brought.
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10/20/2012 - WinstonWolfe wrote: 91 Points
This wine tasted 10-12 years old but wasn't tired at all. Big time barnyard on the nose. Palate had a bit of white pepper, some dark fruit, tar and some serous animal fur. Dinged for a bit of a clipped finish. Nice wine and serious deal at $17.
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10/13/2012 - Burgundy Al wrote: 89 Points
Ripe red and black cherry aromas with plenty of black pepper and some background anise. Flavors were mostly black cherry with very good concentration. Good length. Incredible value wine.
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6/20/2012 - Night Thief wrote: 89 Points
Mouth watering acidity and juicy long finish. Grippy tannins, a bit chalky. Some cherry cola. Not quite as dense as the 2007, but real nice. Lively and spicy. Great with red beans and rice and andoullie sausage.
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6/18/2012 - KVM wrote: 89 Points
Not brilliant, dark red. Dark fruit, iron, loam. Lots of concentration but comes to shortish, acidic/sour end.
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5/25/2012 - Bam_Man wrote: 90 Points
Beautiful dark crimson in color, just beginning to lighten up around the edges. Shows a very attractive nose of black cherries, flowers and spice. Full-bodied, this has a bright acidity which nicely complements its tangy plum, cherry and dark fruit flavors. The long, dry finish features interesting notes of mineral and graphite. Very pure and satisfying and nicely done for a relatively inexpensive Northern Rhone.
50+5+12+15+8=90
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5/9/2012 - topherg3 wrote: 89 Points
Nice cloudy, non filtered St. Joseph from Chave
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4/27/2012 - DRS-Inc wrote: 88 Points
PnP & slow ox'd 1-2 hrs. Nice bouquet of black cherry, cassis, olives, & white pepper aromas. Flavor notes of black cherry, blackberry, white pepper, earth & herbs. Medium-bodied, calcareous tannins, low acidity, and medium finish. Decent overall (88+). Drink now.
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4/20/2012 - kosmik wrote: 90 Points
13% d'alcool, 100% Syrah
Oeil : rouge-pourpre profond, opacité 6+/10, forte viscosité en parois
Nez : projection d'intensité 4/10, frais, superbe fruité rappelant la mûre, le cassis et la framboise, tapenade d'olive noire et verte, violette, floral, minérale, fumée, boisé élégant, très invitant
Bouche : sec, ample+, acidité rafraîchissante, tanins fins et encore charnus, amertume modérée, persistance moyenne+, rétro fruitée, minérale, fumée, florale, touche amère
Conclusion : superbe, classique, à la fois élégant et généreux, frais, très bel équilibre. Plateau en vue. À revisiter en 2013-2014. 89-90
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3/13/2012 - mark_m_owen wrote: 89 Points
Excellent as ever although a little less depth than some of the better vintages.
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3/6/2012 - JavaMonkey wrote: 88 Points
Very nice. Medium garnet red. Cassis, loam, and smoke nose. Medium bodied. Reminds me more of a Bordeaux than a Rhone wine.
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1/27/2012 - Cellar Hand wrote: 88 Points
Clear with a purple to garnet rim, dark ruby core. Clean nose of dark fruit and dust earth. Palate has medium acidity with medium plus soft tannin. Pleasant medium finish. Very nice now.
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12/26/2011 - TexasBob wrote: 91 Points
Lite, pretty red. Lite raspberries on the nose. Very lite bodied. An almost non-existant attack is followed by a nuanced end-palate and finish of strawberries with underripe raspberries. Some white pepper. Drunk with Stash, Nora, Lili, and the family at Reunion Tower restaurant in Dallas.
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12/26/2011 - rcurlee wrote: 89 Points
It's such a treat to find a appellation designated French Syrah that is this good and this affordable. Of course it's not as complex and age worthy as the domaine wine by Chave, but it's better than any Guigal negociant bottling. If you are a fan of northern Rhone, this should be one of your every day go to wines that is sure to please other francophiles. St Joseph is a rising star to Rhone fanatics and with this wine it is easy to see why.
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12/23/2011 - kcsteve Likes this wine: 91 Points
Brownish hint to the crimson. Burst of flowers and fruit on the nose. Puckering cherries, plums, veggies and a bit of spice. Mild tannins on mid palate. Rather short finish ,but leaves me wanting more. Drinking very well right now.
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12/18/2011 - rcurlee wrote: 88 Points
I drank this over two days and while it was good on the first day, it was a bit tight. It was much better on the second day. It had softened out and the earthiness was better integrated with the fruit. This makes me believe it still needs more time in the bottle.
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10/28/2011 - Tony Poli Likes this wine: 91 Points
Dark garnet. Definite syrah nose. Dark fruit, tannins on mid-palate. Nice balance, medium-long finish. Evolving nicely, probably has a few good years left. Chave does well, as usual.
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6/21/2011 - Kriz wrote: 90 Points
Enjoying it "as we speak" on holiday in Drenthe (Holland) with a piece of Drentse droge worst. Lovely combination because of the spices and the meatiness of the wine. Smelling some plum and leather. Nice black fruit on the palate and a medium long finish.
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5/30/2011 - Domfrenette wrote: 88 Points
Bien meilleur que la première bouteille bue en juillet dernier.
Bonne concentration. Beau fruit pur. Grande ampleur en bouche. Assez belle longueur.
Pas donné, mais vaut vraiment son prix.
Un vin à boire 5 ans après l'année du millésime.
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5/23/2011 - jpdel wrote: 91 Points
Somewhat lighter than I expected, with hints of green veggies and sour cherries, with chalky tannins. A very enjoyable wine. Drinking very well.
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5/8/2011 - WinstonWolfe wrote: 90 Points
Blood, iron and olives. Full palate and a nice finish. Drink now.
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4/9/2011 - jazzb wrote:
O - mörkt rubin röd m blå-svarta reflexer
D - hallon, laktos, salmiak, vanilj, reduktiva syrah drag, rök, äppelkärnor, sv peppar, gummi o efter luftning även blodapelsin
S- medellfylligt ännu ungt m mörk hallonfrukt, björnbär, körsbärm blåbär, fatkryddig m fin sandig tanninstruktur o balanserad syra, bittra äppelkärnor, sv peppar o blodapelsin i en hyfsat lång ren o snygg finish. Utvecklas vid lufting.
8p+
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4/6/2011 - T.E.D. wrote: 88 Points
Recent reviews or spot on for this wine. The nose is a bit tight for me, showing hints of vegetation, meat and dark fruits, but very slight, not as big as I would have liked. Palate on the other hand is text book pepper, tea leaf, beef, and plummy fruits. Finish is not very long, mouth feel is much lighter then the tasting notes would lead one to believe, making this wine very easy drinking, and smooth. There is definitely some time left here, yet I could not imagine this wine developing any further. Drink now, no need to hang on.
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4/1/2011 - kuumies wrote: 90 Points
Pepper, beef jerky, smoke and plum on the very tempting, constantly changing nose. Loads of pepper, also some licorice on the palate. Full bodied with generous, round dark fruit. Long finish leaves a weirdly sticky but dry mouthfeel thanks to noticeable but almost silky tannins. Intensive while still easy drinking and balanced. Lacking the elegance of Côte-Rôtie or Hermitage but managed very well alongside a proper steak and is also quite delicious by itself afterwards. Would probably improve with some extra aging but I don't have any regrets about popping at this point. The 27 € price is slightly questionable but heck, find me a Syrah this good at a lower price point in Finland.
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3/31/2011 - collin wrote:
Much better than I remember the previous bottle. More clearly Northern Rhone with olives and meat. Nice acidic structure; some tannins to resolve still. Potentially better in a few years.
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3/21/2011 - troutmonster wrote: 90 Points
Pop 'n pour. Deep color, with sweet black cherry, black licorice and smokey charcoal aromas. Sweet combination of red and black fruits, transitioning to a more savory side on the midpalate through finish, with smoke and floral notes lingering. Beautiful acid and tannin balance. A baby Hermitage if there ever was one.
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3/10/2011 - Hawk94 wrote: 88 Points
Dark purple red, nose kind of weak black fruit, pleasant mid palate, acidic, smooth tannins integrated, black berry, strawberry, hint of smoke and pepper, easy drinking, finish is not long, but ok. Drink now.
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3/7/2011 - pgm wrote: 90 Points
Decanted 45 minutes and enjoyed over three hours. Slightly (and delightfully) funky, with a stony and floral nose of black fruit and clove. Bright berry fruit and cracked pepper in the mouth. A good medium length, juicy finish, a tannic structure to age 10 years. An excellent entry-level example of the varietal and the region. 90-91
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3/6/2011 - zscheiner Likes this wine: 89 Points
Consistent with last note. Maybe a little rounder and less structured. Good drinking.
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2/25/2011 - 5laton wrote:
Slight reduction but otherwise this has developed very nicely in last couple of years, showing much more typicity now. Another year or two is really all that is required here. Pretty outstanding syrah at the closeout price I paid.
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2/14/2011 - Joelene wrote: 87 Points
nice northern rhone, a bit hollow in the middle, yet interesting, but lets not kid ourselves, this is no 92 point wine
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2/13/2011 - prof b Likes this wine: 92 Points
After an a couple of hours (not decanted), the nose and palate both opened up revealing a gorgeous panoply of barnyard funk on top of the typical syrah fruit.
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2/3/2011 - Jack Cranley wrote: 80 Points
Yeeeesh. I'm definitely going to break from the pack on this one. But to each their own, right? For me, the only thing I liked about this bottle was the nose. It had a lot of minerality like wet stone going on which I always like. Of course a boat load of ground black pepper too. The body I found quite medium. Flavor was overly peppery for me. What really blew it was the finish where I got a strong unpleasant chemical essence like airplane glue. I don't know, maybe I got a bad bottle. Maybe it was corked? I didn't get that on the nose but those chemicals were unmistakable on the finish.
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1/18/2011 - Cjcaldwell wrote: 90 Points
Tasted Blind. Classic Northern Rhone nose of grilled meats, bacon fat and potting soil along with some type of jalapeno or vegetable scent. On the palate it showed blackberries and plums. The wine was dry, with medium to medium plus acid, the alcohol was quite high for this wine but its a Rhone warmer-upper. Medium tannin and a medium plus finish.
I think this wine is still showing strong and has a few more years in it.
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1/17/2011 - Sakas Likes this wine:
Brought to blind tasting. See Cjcaldwell's note below. We all thoroughly enjoyed it.
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1/14/2011 - bwine Does not like this wine: 80 Points
This bottle had a nice, deep, complex nose but was very disappointing on the palate. Black pepper and a little fruit with a finish that was very tart and sour. It became more sour over time and I poured the last half bottle out on the second night. I give it 80 points because of the nose.
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1/1/2011 - friezu wrote: 92 Points
This bottle was fantastic last night with pork chops and pasta. This has a sinus-clearing characteristic that reminds me of hot mustard. Loads of black pepper but this still retains some figgy fruitiness. I wasn't expecting this much from this bottle. Of note, I did drink this bottle a bit cold, around 60 degrees F
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12/22/2010 - amateurwino wrote: flawed
Corked, which is a shame, because you could tell there was a very pretty wine underneath it. Refund coming from Wine Library.
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12/18/2010 - jlangley Likes this wine: 90 Points
Dark redish purple. Complex aromas of black pepper. Juicy plum and cherry mixed with tobacco notes. Medium to full bodied. Lingering spicy finish. What I would expect for a Northern Rhone.
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12/10/2010 - cartime wrote: 89 Points
Decanted one hour. More red fruits on the nose this time, and not quite as interesting. A little tart on the palate. Really a food wine. Not bad, though. Drink soon.
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11/26/2010 - tooch wrote: 87 Points
Meaty nose with subtle spice. Full-bodied wine that is a great QPR!
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11/25/2010 - abunai wrote: 88 Points
base: 50 pts
color & appearance - max 5 pts: 5
aroma & bouquet - max 15 pts: 14
flavor and finish - max 20 pts: 14
overall quality & potential - max 10 pts: 5
OVERALL: 88
pleasant but not very complex nose and finish
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11/23/2010 - mdonovan wrote: 89 Points
Dark red color, light nose, nice taste
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11/9/2010 - DRod wrote: 89 Points
Wine was very primary, borderline astringent with intensely high acid on the pop and pour.With air has rounded out. A pour into the decanter and back into the bottle and this note is taken about two hours later.
On the nose I get sweet dark fruits with red licorice and a subtle smokiness to it. Black pepper, though there, is much more to the backdrop compared to what I think of for N Rhone Syrah.
On the palate you get an attack of tart mix of red/dark fruit. Aggressive acidity follows and dominates the midpalate, relatively low tannin. Acidity follows through to medium-length finish with elements of dark fruit and sticky ripe tannin. This high-acid wine screams for salty foods. Pretty solid wine, especially at the price point. 88+ points
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10/27/2010 - DaddyNeedsPow wrote: 82 Points
Disappointing. Angular and disjointed, with not even a blast of good 2007 fruit to compensate for its awkwardness. Not sure at this point what to do with my other bottles...will cellar time bring this together? Lots of green on the nose. Decanted one hour before serving.
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10/18/2010 - cellarid Does not like this wine: 84 Points
already drying out? unless this is completely closed, this is already falling apart.
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9/30/2010 - jeffu wrote: 88 Points
Liked this better than the last, very smooth with a bit of pepper. Nice.
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9/25/2010 - bacchusnyon wrote: 87 Points
Smooth, good on the dark fruit, a bit green and dusty/tannic still, but does not seem to have a lot of substance for the long haul. Last glass (2 hours) faded a bit. Perhaps a bit closed for the moment. Will let sit for a while longer.
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9/11/2010 - davidselvia wrote: 93 Points
Realy liking this wine right now. Picked up a couple bottles at HK airport Watson's, will grab another 1/2 case. Purple/blueish color. Full of blue and red fruit. Nice acidity.
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9/4/2010 - drwine2001 wrote:
A Few Youngish Rhones (San Francisco Wine Trading Company): Medium ruby, slightly cloudy. Compared to the beacon of violets that the Faury wine projected, this is a much weedier, complex Syrah nose. Medium bodied, lean in the mouth with muted fruit. I've enjoyed other vintages of this more in the past.
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8/30/2010 - Bdbrutus wrote: 89 Points
A very nice Rhone wine, plum, spice and cigar box on the nose. Very solid start to finish on the palate, blackberry, plum, fairly gritty tannins.
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8/25/2010 - Hazeo wrote: 90 Points
I feel this has evolved slightly since the last time I had it. Right out of the bottle it is dense, dark, with olives and peppers prominent on the finish (some may feel its vegetal and green ... its definitely not shy about it). Not going to be everyone's cup of tea but to me its a great value N Rhone wine.
Was flatter and rather simple on days 2-3
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8/19/2010 - coremill Likes this wine: 89 Points
Dark color, nose of white pepper, spice, and some dark fruit. Something in the nose reminds me of a good pork rib rub, but I can't put my finger on it. Good mouthfeel, medium finish. This wine disappeared quickly.
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8/14/2010 - zscheiner Likes this wine: 89 Points
Smoky dark fruited nose, I could sniff this for hours. Light in body, a little light in fruit, but not out of balance. Good structure and acidity, maybe a touch more oak influence that I would prefer, but very tasty and for $17 on closeout, a great buy.
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7/26/2010 - Wicker Parker wrote:
This quite a bit smoother and dare I say more "modern" in style than the stemmy, briary 2004 vintage. Sure, the 2006 has these aspects, but the emphasis here is on smooth black fruit, and to me the acidity is a bit lacking. Nice, but not particularly interesting.
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7/7/2010 - TexasBob wrote: 89 Points
Inky black. Dark black spicy fruit and black pepper on the nose - you can smell the brooding tannins. A mixture of plums and tart blackberries with slightly astringent strawberries on the finish.
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6/28/2010 - collinb227 wrote: flawed
bottle was corked but i drank it anyway it seemed fine
initially showed mocha and pepper
2nd day lots of blue cheese, wierd
3rd day, undrinkable, harsh, poured down the sink
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6/26/2010 - wineshlub wrote: 88 Points
Aromas of sage and earth. Restrained flavors of mushrooms, rhubarb and spice. Lingering spice/rhubarb finish. Enjoyable, balanced, drinking well now with future potential. Good deal from Cinderella at $16.79.
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6/6/2010 - Jack O'Brien wrote: 91 Points
Very complex wine: Spicy dark fruits on the nose accented with smoke, wood and cinnamon. The palate was the same with spicy blackberry flavors being the dominate taste. Very nice wine and very well made.
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6/5/2010 - pete s. wrote:
This wine is right up my ally with the flavor profile. Dark fruit, earth, and lovely minerality on both the nose and palate. Med bodied with nice complexity and firm tannins showing on the finish. Good stuff (90).
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5/31/2010 - corkscrews wrote: 90 Points
A nose of dark fruit and spice, dark in color. A smooth, bright medium bodied wine, strawberry, plum, some floral aspects, earth. Second time I have had in the past year, a solid wine.
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5/16/2010 - smphelps wrote: 87 Points
Brownish deep garnet red. A touch of a barnyard funk on the nose, but mostly plums, pepper and menthol. Lighter and thinner than I expected, plums, cherry, some leather, some pepper, but not particularly complex. Limited tannins. I have a hard time seeing this improving to 2016, rather I think the drinking window is much shorter.
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5/12/2010 - crstarbeth wrote: 89 Points
Not nearly as showy as the last bottle I opened. There was red berry fruit, a little game, some pepper, and a floral note that I really liked.
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5/11/2010 - JeremyQ wrote: 89 Points
dark berries on the nose, smooth on the palate but not overly complex. Very nice QPR.
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5/11/2010 - reese wrote: 85 Points
My last of 6 bottles and this wine, while showing some bottle variation along the way, never really did it for me. Light and one-dimensional with some pepper and red berries that just never seem to balance out the wine overall. Perhaps I should have waited longer but my sense is that this won't evolve into much more than it is today.
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5/8/2010 - njAndrew wrote: 89 Points
Had this about a week ago so notes are from memory but overall it was a nice bottle, needed about an hour in the decanter to open up and then drank over 2 hrs. Plum and pepper on the palate with a little floral nose. Medium tannin and a nice smooth finish. Enjoyable bottle.
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5/2/2010 - geoffucla wrote:
Much better than the previous bottle. Not green as before. A nice Rhone that is still a bit reticent, but starting to show more fruit.
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5/2/2010 - Eugene wrote: 87 Points
Juicy, tasty wine but one dimensional.
Even pouring it through Venturi into decanter and letting sit there for ½ hour hasn't helped much.
Mostly red fruit, pomegranate, some smoke and meat.
Drink now with some decant or keep for one or two years.
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4/29/2010 - AndrewR wrote: 90 Points
starts off paper thin forest floor oxidation cedar heaven on the nose then morphs after an hour into bloody meat wrapped around a bullet. next comes melted blueberries and godiva finishing into a violet acid bath in the cheeks and gullet. great with or without food. patience rewards with this moody child...
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4/23/2010 - mmurry Likes this wine: 88 Points
Rhone & Rhone Style Wine Tasting (Pappas Bros.): The nose had forest floor, cherry, smoke, and a little oak. The palate had cherry and barnyard, smoke, and a vanilla finish.
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4/18/2010 - mike5446g wrote: 90 Points
Toast and blueberries layed over spicy, iron grip. Tar and pepper on the palate. Drink now or hold up to two years.
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4/17/2010 - Bluedevil99 wrote: 90 Points
Dark, slightly translucent purple. Nose of strawberry rhubarb pie, fresh cracked black pepper, iron, hint of dark chocolate. Tart dark berry fruit on the palate gives way to blueberry and traces of strawberry with air. Gorgeous rich black pepper and rhubarb on the midpalate, which persist to the medium finish, along with iron and hints of berry. Nice acidity, and fairly smooth given the intense flavors. Needs about 90 min in a decanter for the fruit to show itself; I was really disappointed on first opening and glad I had time to let this open up. 90-91.
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4/10/2010 - heythatslife wrote: 87 Points
Attractive and complex northern Rhone syrah nose, with dark fruit, leather, herbs, and slight smoke. Unfortunately, the wine fails to live up to its initial promises on the palate. I don't mind the acidity, but it feels thinner than what I've come to expect of syrahs.
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4/9/2010 - sleepyhaus wrote:
Very nice again. Light note of olive tapenade and leather.
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3/5/2010 - Sakas wrote: 90 Points
Needs an hour or three to open up. Dark fruit, a blood (think iron) aspect, leather, a good dose of acidity, and some oaky (but not over much) tannins. As someone else said, very nice with steak. 90pts
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2/26/2010 - carnyc wrote: 90 Points
Nose: Red fruit, blood, a metallic note, florals and a little oak; fresh and vibrant.
Palate shows similar notes as the nose with tart acidity and medium, nicely integrated tannins. Enjoyed drinking this alone, but probably even better w/ some red meat to get the interplay between the fat, acid and tannin. A no-brainer QPR at the Cindy price.
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2/25/2010 - Henman wrote: 86 Points
Popped one hour before pouring.Vibrant nose with beautiful dark fruit and some oak and spiciness.The palate,however,was rather light bodied and a little disappointing.A diluted version of the nose.A nice quaffer but lacking depth and personality.26,80€ at Alko is twice too much for it.
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2/21/2010 - handymom wrote: 91 Points
Very well received syrah at wine tasting party.
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2/19/2010 - wmccone54 wrote: 88 Points
Medium bodied, spicy, dark berry, deep purple color, very nice finishl
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2/14/2010 - JJKinch wrote: 90 Points
Dark fruit, anise, leather, nice earthy quality. Great for the price. Paired well with steak - definitely better with food.
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2/11/2010 - jeffu wrote: 88 Points
Great nose, oaky at first but then berry once it opens up. Very smooth, low tanins.
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2/10/2010 - cartime wrote: 91 Points
Let breathe for 3 hours in the bottle. Medium dark ruby. Beautiful, complex aroma of blackberry, blueberry, anise, raw meat, tobacco, leather, and smoke. Palate was a little thin and didn't quite live up to the nose - got some blackberry, pepper, and herbs. Nice tannins that weren't overpowering and good acidity. All in all, couldn't keep my nose out of the glass and was a great wine for the price. Went well with Turkish food.
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1/31/2010 - Hazeo wrote:
Same nice weight and dark fruit, but a bit more vegetal than my last bottle. Didn't really give it enough air though, will leave the last two bottles for a while.
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1/30/2010 - Sakas wrote: 90 Points
Really enjoyed this. My first northern rhone. No detailed notes. Looking forward to the other bottles.
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1/25/2010 - stevenjstein wrote: 91 Points
Lots of sour cherry up front, with earth and spice behind.
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1/24/2010 - Eugene wrote: 89 Points
Very restrained and balanced syrah complemented lamby nicely.
Typical syrah flavors of black pepper and raw meat interlaced with red berries, licorice and smoke.
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1/20/2010 - cellarid wrote: 91 Points
best bottle yet -- cleaner, but not to the point of being slick. firm structure still, and this should continue to evolve for the better, but it's so delicious now that it won't last that long.
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1/15/2010 - vinole wrote: 87 Points
Wine Watch Best of 2009 Tasting (Ft. Lauderdale, FL): A wine I normally like, but this bottle had very little fruit to match with a well developed frame of tannin and acidity. Might be closed now.
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1/5/2010 - crstarbeth wrote: 92 Points
no formal notes taken, but I really liked this. Sweet rasberry fruit with smoked meat, pepper, and black olive undertones.
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1/1/2010 - Grape_ape wrote: 89 Points
Popped and poured, but could have used a decant. Dark fruit, charcoal and some floral notes. Similar flavors on the palate, well balanced, but tannins are still youtful and keeping the fruit more in the background.
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12/24/2009 - Pknut wrote:
Eh. Primary and simple. Round dark fruits, round palate, could use both definition and precision. Simple dark fruit, no high tones. Seems like a mass produced, low-end wine. Neither this nor the "Silex" label offers much that transcends the $20 pricepoint.
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12/20/2009 - Aaron Finkel wrote: 88 Points
Nice, but tightly wound even after 2 hours in decanter.
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12/13/2009 - DaleW wrote:
Tannic, primary, black fruit with pepper and spice. Solid and tasty, if not exciting right now. B, with B+ potential I hope.
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12/12/2009 - mclgreenville wrote: 88 Points
I used to much bigger Syrahs and I think sleepyhaus is right now point. Very reserved. Quick and clean finish. In fact, so clean I was left wondering if I was drinking syrah at all. THe good news is that you can drink this wine with about anything. Really nice nose and a dark cherry flavor profile. Little pepper as well. Not sure I love this wine but I enjoyed it. I will decant for a bit next time to see if that makes a difference.
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12/12/2009 - monkeylug wrote: 92 Points
Better than I remember, complex nose to a wine full of fruit with a satisfying, dark cherry finish. A blind taste would lead one to think they were drinking a wine of at least twice the price.
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12/5/2009 - Pinot Evil wrote: 92 Points
Northern Rhone Blind Tasting Dinner (Bill & Brenda's): Consistent with prior notes, silky cherry nicely balanced not tasted blind but runner up for evening.
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12/2/2009 - sleepyhaus wrote: 89 Points
Very nice. This is the restrained type of syrah that I prefer. Just the slightest bit of sharpness keeps it refreshing, but I don't get any green here. Drank over the course of hours and the first whiff was the most floral but good evolution means a couple of years should do this well. Later got a massive dose of ground black pepper. Very good. (88-90)
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12/1/2009 - Rayburn wrote: 88 Points
Nice blue/black fruits, but needs TIME
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11/30/2009 - Hazeo wrote: 90 Points
Quite a lot of green bell pepper and spices, perhaps slightly overwhelming for me, but counterpointed with dark fruit and acidity. I agree with Keith that a little more fruit would've been welcome. But this medium bodied wine is a nice weekday northern rhone syrah. 88
Day 2 - Had a glass left last night, vacupumped and fridged. Tonight the green pepper toned down a lot and became a lot more nuanced and elegant as a result. And I felt it was much more balanced and integrated wine, while retaining the nice midpalette weight. Excellent. Perhaps my current bottles need to sleep a little bit. 90
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11/29/2009 - pete s. wrote: 90 Points
Two hour decant. Tight nose initially. Over the course of the night, pleasant aromas of black cherry, rubber, earth, and a bit of funk came through. Pepper/spice backbone rounded out by tasty red fruit, licorice and lavender. Great mouthfeel ends with sweet tannins. My first experience with N. Rhone and not disappointed.
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11/28/2009 - Keith Levenberg wrote: 89 Points
Lots of Northern Rhone character to this one with its pungent aroma and intense kick of pepper on the palate. Not as much fruit as I would have expected, though, and I wanted a little more to balance out the structure, which is fierce with its rap-DJ turntable screech of tannin.
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11/27/2009 - topher18 wrote: 88 Points
Deep purple. Nose has green pepper, vanilla/oak, black fruit. Nice acidity, light tannins. Tastes run more to blackberry and a bit of cherry and black licorice. Finish is mid-length and ends a little bitter.
color 5/5
nose 6/10
taste 16/20
balance 7/10
finish 4/5
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11/27/2009 - gunpwdr wrote: 91 Points
Nose: Northern Rhone syrah all over the nose - sage/licorice, underbrush, lotus seed paste, tar, blackberry, black cherries. Palate: Sage, tar, fig sauce, blackberries on the attack. Great acidity and lively tannins come to the fore on the mid-palate, giving way to a lavender framed, cherry/licorice finish. Truly delicious syrah and drinking great now.
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11/23/2009 - will2wine wrote: 91 Points
A deep, rich nose of roasted meat, sage, black pepper and anise just steams from the glass. Big black and red fruit upfront are joined by pepper, spice and molten red licorice midpalate. This closes down a bit at the back end and could probably use some time.
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11/22/2009 - King Cab wrote: 90 Points
Medium garnet color. No variation on the edge. Nose of steamed meats, blueberry, underbrush, crushed river stones, and leather. The palate has a very bright and lively mouthfeel. A light to mid-weight ine, this has some great blueberry pie, red cheries, white pepper, a chalkiness, some soil, some tar, a bit of bruised leather, and a slight hint of funkadelicness. I get it: Its a very reasonably priced Rhone masquerading as a Cote Rote. Nice.
Great acid level with a slightly boosted alcohol note that dissipates quickly, say after an hour. Great long brightness on the tongue keep this fun and playful, but broaches serious and refined. Great effort and wonderful QPR. The funkidelicness keeps me at bay ever so slightly.
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11/22/2009 - Joelene wrote: flawed
corked, leakage stains down the full length of the cork, shame
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11/21/2009 - geoffucla wrote: 87 Points
Hmm, very vegetal on the nose and palate. Green bell pepper, some jalapeno without the spice. A bit thin as well. Decanted it 2 hours, and that helped bring some fruit out, but still vegetal and thin. Very dark red in color. I'm not sure if time will help this, but I hope so.
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11/19/2009 - DRod wrote: 91 Points
I really liked this little number. On the pop-and-pour pure barnyard on the nose and similar on the palate. After a bit of airtime the barnyard settles down a bit and opens up some nice cassis and cinnamon-y spices on the finish. Nice and dry on the finish with a good hit of acidity, and it had the backbone to stand up to my meal of spicy thai food. Got this at a wonderful price, but I'd be happy to pay 25 for it.
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11/19/2009 - jim dixon wrote: 90 Points
Normally to get such a terrific expression of Northern Rhone syrah you have to pay a LOT more than this. A great find for those of us who can't afford most Côte-Rôties: smokey/meaty, full of dark fruit, acidic (relative to flabby aussies) and mildly funky. Update: I was surprised to find this wine declined on day two.
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11/14/2009 - quatrevingts wrote:
Drank shortly after shipping and it was very disappointing, tasting mostly of alcohol with a bit of black olive. Hoping it will be better after some age or maybe just some rest.
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11/8/2009 - Pinot Evil wrote: 92 Points
Loved this one, not your mothers fruit bomb, silky cherry nicely balanced, could make you a northern Rhone lover at this price.
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11/7/2009 - acyso wrote: 88 Points
Aromas of tart raspberries and a hint of black pepper. Chocolate and plums on the palate. Surprisingly smooth and very pleasant mouthfeel.
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10/30/2009 - amateurwino wrote: 91 Points
consistent with previous note.
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10/26/2009 - pjaines wrote:
Oooh this is a broody, monstorous wine straight out of the bottle. It literally kicks your teeth out of your mouth However, it opens up quite quickly into something less aggresive. On the nose this has deep notes of black fruit - a lot of heat, some liquorice. In the mouth the alcohol is too prominent at the moment and really overwhelmes everything. There is quite a lot of grip with some lovely gritty tannins that work well against the fruit. Way too young right now but in 2-4 years this will be a pretty decent wine. Needs food.
Edit: Drunk 4 hours later and most importantly from a different shaped glass. The difference is profound. Softer, less aggresive - more complexity and more refined. Tasting from the other glass again the wine was harsh and full. The moral of the story? Choose your glass well
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10/21/2009 - thewineoceros wrote: 88 Points
Powerful purple and brooding. This looks serious and exhibits a forest and red/black fruit nose maybe with some spice and meaty tones. Abundance of red/black fruit and spice wash around with a lot of potential clarity to come. Nicely balanced. Needs a bit more time maybe to develop complexity and prefers the company of food.
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10/5/2009 - KeithAkers wrote: 88 Points
Fine Vines Fall Grand Tasting (OneSixtyBlue, Chicago IL): nose: ripe and somewhat extracted nose of red and black cherries, currants, and red berries. Good balance, but this doesn't really smell like a northern rhone at all
taste: excellent medium/full feel with more international flavors of red cherries, currants and tart tones of red berries. Decent depth and smooth tannins
overall: This tastes like it could come from anywhere. Its a well made wine and is very good, but it doesn't speak of the northern rhone at all
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9/29/2009 - NCO wrote:
Very nice wine, elegant (not the fruit bomb style), rather medium bodied, nice earthy notes.
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9/24/2009 - amateurwino wrote: 92 Points
Recent TNs, mostly CA cabs; 9/7/2009-9/28/2009 (New York): Delicious. This is squarely in the wheelhouse of what I expect from a Chave Offerus - an earthy, funky, Burgundian Rhone. There's fruit, vibrant pepper, garrigue, earth, you name it in here. Terrific complexity and balance, especially for the price range. This is required drinking for serious wine drinkers in my book.
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9/2/2009 - tahava wrote: 90 Points
Nicely balanced young syrah with lots of crushed dark berries, ink, smoky aromas and good length. Shows good qualities of the area and grape with moderate oak. Comparable to more prestigious Northern Rhone wines for a decent price.
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9/1/2009 - Edv wrote: 89 Points
Si vous désirez connaître ce que sent le poivre, ceci est votre vin!
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8/16/2009 - DSchnider wrote: 90 Points
Surprisingly jammy, but aromatic and easy on the spice. Great nose. Can't compare to the Pierre Gaillards from Saint-Joseph, but still quite nice. Aerated two hours.
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7/22/2009 - 5laton wrote: 85 Points
A bit glossy for my preference, showing a ripe and licorice-y side today. The following day the wine shows intensely smoky aromatics, with a hint of a savory, salame note. But there's still an intense black currant ripeness that I find offputting, and I'm searching in vain for the violet and olive or gently herbal notes I seek in St. Joseph. Tthe concentration is good and the acid fresh, however, so I hope/expect this will improve with a couple of years in bottle.
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7/9/2009 - Zinor wrote: 90 Points
Fantastic wine. Beat some of the Cote-Roties I have had.
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6/14/2009 - wabi47 wrote: 91 Points
good density; black cherry, cassis, black olive, pencil lead; full mid palate; good acidity keeps it from being too heavy; good match with lamb
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6/12/2009 - peternelson wrote: 90 Points
Red Carpet: Pepper, smoke, red blk frt, good, solid
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3/6/2009 - petterib wrote: 92 Points
En strålende nord-Rhone vin, mye frukt og en anelse tobakk. Vel balansert med tydelige tanniner og god syre. Denne vinen er drikkeklar nå, men kan trolig ligge inntil 5 år og fortsatt utvikles.
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2/21/2009 - mmurry wrote: 94 Points
Varietals of the Rhone & the "Rhone Rangers" (Farpointe Cellar): The nose had cherry, graphite, raspberry, and earth. The palate had cherry, raspberry, earth, and pencil lead.
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11/1/2008 - goofy Yno wrote: 89 Points
nice wine. good nose of earth, grilled meat, blackberry. very balanced mouth with good acidity, medium finish.
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