No obvious sign of cork failure but wine was oxidized. Actually tasted like it would have been great as part of a fortified wine. But just another wasted bottle. Hope others have better luck with theirs.
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I'm impressed by how long lived this is, however even after this long I still get mostly fruit and not a lot of secondary flavors, even after 2 hrs in the glass
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Wine industry dinner. One of the Somms brought this. Really interesting in that it was reminiscent of a northern Rhône except the burn on the throat showing the higher alcohol of the warmer climate. Interesting wine. Would drink again. Favorite Aussie wine?
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Jammy, herbal (hint of cough medicine), dry but sweet tasting, thick, everything an Australian Shiraz represents. Won’t get better with more age. Serve with BBQ.
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nice nose, big but not in that overblown way some aussie shiraz in this era tends to be, lingering finish. I see no reason to think this won't hold up for more years, I'm unsure as to whether it will get better than it is right now
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Woof! What a wine. Not the Shiraz fruit bomb that I’d suspected (recent bottle of 2007 Hickinbotham - basically like drinking port). Powerful, intense, masculine, jammy but not porty or cloying.
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~ 2 hours of aeration in wide-bottom decanter, iirc. Very good. A little more than 4 years since the last one, and this is doing just fine. It's shed a good deal of its youthful fat and a good, but not all, degree of its oak influence. Full-bodied, good+ sense of place, slightly less so for its sense of variety, but without a doubt it's a good drop that works just as well on its own as with food; I prefer it with food, only. Some more freshness on day 2 suggests this has another 5-8 years at this level; I really see no reason to wait, it's ready. For the style, it's highly recommended
Pulled from my cellar where is has rested since release. This is a carnival of characters with dark fruit, teriyaki, bacon fat, olive tapenade, moist forest floor, hollowed out decomposing log, leather, coco, and coffee. Tannic still with plenty of acid; the finish is as long as the day. Our assessment, considering the abundant secondary characteristics, that this was on the decline and opening now was a bit of a fortuitous save. And while I don’t disagree that now is the time to drink these wines, Day 2 was noticeable brighter with fresher blue fruits and structure even more pronounced. Overall conclusion, these are far from going dead anytime soon but why wait? This was a fabulous bottle and I’m so pleased we were able to share with a dear friend.
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Been impatiently waiting since 2010. Worth it. Nose of cherry and cherry wood, smooth mon middle of tongue and a finish that is smoooth. Great time to drink.
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Some funky nose that blew off after a few minutes. I haven't had an Aussi Syrah in quite some time. While I liked it, I still prefer Rhone, Washington and Central Coast. I dod like the Clarendon Hills and I will check on this in time, as well as I am looking forward to the 07 Astralis.
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Bllind Syrah (John's house): Splash decanted and served blind. There was nothing to get excited about here. Quite a bit of eucalyptus, clearly Australian. I guessed Gletzer Godolphin - wrong. I am surprised that I scored this 93 four years ago.
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Blind Syrah From Anywhere (John's House, Mpls, MN): Very dark red plus color. PNP, drank a glass single blind over 3 hours. Good syrah character; meaty nose, cedarbox, orange peel, light eucalyptus. On the palate there's black fruits olive tapenade, full bodied, tangy, very plush, and just a hair of volatility early on, but quite long and soft. Pegged this as Aussie, and guessed wrong between the '10 Two Hands and this.
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Worldwide Blind Syrah Tasting (3 Day Wine Review World Headquarters, Minneapolis, MN): Eucalyptus overload. My least favorite wine of the day. Wild game, chewy tannins and bitter. Time has not done well for this wine. Drink now? 88 points Day 3: Glad I saved some of this wine. This is too young at this point. Day 3 reveals cherry, blueberries, spices, menthol, floral, white pepper and tar. Medium plus finish. 90 to 93. Recommendation: Hold for 5 years.
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Double decanted for 2 hrs, deep ruby with the rim starting to lighten, black & blue fruit with a whiff of bacon, med. tannins, mod/long finish; delicious & better than my prior bottle, drink or hold
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Rich chocolate and ground coffee support the dark fruits and campfire scorched bread notes. Sweet. Tannins finally starting to calm down. Yummy but I personally have been moving away from this very concentrated ripe style over the years.
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Dark ruby. Dark nose with loads of spices, black fruits and olives. Medium tannins (6.5/10) with balanced acidity and a full body. Layered palate with baking spices, bacon, blackberries, black cherries and a touch of olives. Long and lingering finish. Drink till 2024.
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Fragrant nose of vanilla cookie and mint with underlying blackberry compote. The mouth has big blackberry notes with leather and a little baking spice. The minty notes come back as eucalyptus on the long 20+ second finish. It’s a big, powerful wine for sure. Drink in the next 3 years or so.
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Decanted for an hour then back in the bottle to SO for several more, deep ruby, classic syrah with black & blue fruit but somewhat closed, med. tannins, mod/long finish; very good & better on day 2. Will hold my other bottle for another couple of years
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Drinking very well. Big in the way one expects most of the Aussie Shiraz's sent to the US to be, but not overly ponderous or cloying. Oak was present but not obtrusive. (I don't know what kind the producer uses, but this didn't taste like the American oak sometimes used with Australian shiraz) some complexity, fruit dominant on the palate. Really quite nice, if unexciting. Fairly long finish. 93ish
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excellent syrah. nose was outstanding. big and rich on the palate but a nice beam of acidity running thru. a slight mint flavor was a new one for me in a aussie syrah. easily could go another 5-10 years
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Decanted and drank over three hours. Needed about a half hour to get going. Mint, black fruit, spice, mineral. Some real developmental complexity. More "French" than "Australian". Nice bottle.
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Tasted blind. Cough syrup, cocoa, Ricola nose that shows a lot of oak and toast. Sweet and heavy-handed palate with some very ripe nondescript fruit, mocha, and Ben-Gay. Yikes.
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Blind (themed) tastings can be a lot of fun; non-themed tastings can be too, and this bottle (quite unlike the others that night) was fun because of its differences. This was huge compared to the others, lightly confected, fat and chewy, but with some aromas and flavors that kept it real. In the end, and while it was fun at the time, this is not something I would drink again at all - unless, as I say, it was in the spirit of a blind tasting with good company. Not sure where it's going from here, could well hold or improve, though the lack of tannic structure and low(er) acidity is worrisome.
Served double-blind; aerated in decanter 60 minutes (very funky at first, I think I loved it most in the first few minutes after the cork was popped). Loads of sediment. Loads.
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Inky dark and you have to really look to see any aging around the edges. This is a rich and complex Syrah that deftly straddles the old and new worlds. Others have remarked on a strong eucalyptus streak, but I didn't taste that. I found it to be well balanced, and it had a lovely, lingering finish. This is a really outstanding Syrah from one of the top producers.
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A Cool Early Fall Wednesday Afternoon (Rocknroller's (Kevin's)): Very dark purple red color. Decanted for about 30 minutes and drank 1 glass over an hour plus. This just blasts you eucalyptus, a medicinal Hall's eucalyptus cough drop like character that shrouds the black brooding fruits for some time, it lessens, but is still quite prominent for my tastes. The palate is also dominated by the eucalyptus for the first 20-30 minutes. Eventually you get the deep dark plum and black cherry fruits, a bit savory, edgy, and has a lot of heat on the finish that never really resolves.
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Hanging out at Kevin's (Rocknroller): Nose: Eucaluptus and lots of sweet plum. Palate: The Eucaluptus and plum show in the palate as well. Black fruits also present. Nice.
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Deep purple. Some dark fruits and toffee on the nose. Smooth round dark overripe fruits. Jammy in a positive way. Very well integrated (the opposite of a disjointed wine). Really enjoyable.
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Lots of wines for a 25/50 Party (Lori & Mike's 25/50 Party): I was surprised to see this labeled as Syrah (not Shiraz). Inky purple in color. The nose is big with black raspberries, charred oak, black pepper. On the palate, this drinks much younger than 9 years. Juicy black raspberries. some heat, but delicious jammy fruit. Fun wine with years left.
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New Years eve at Kevin and Vicki's 2014: 1 hour decant. Quite a lot of menthol/eucalyptus on the nose. I rather enjoyed this initially but it seemed to build and towards the end, I wasn't getting anything else on the nose except eucalyptus. The palate is rich with soft, deep, dark cocoa.
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New Years Eve Celebration (Rocknroller's (Kevin & Vicki's Place)): Very dark purple color. Decanted 1 hr and slow-O 1 hr. Drank 1 glass over 90 minutes. Lots of eucalyptus up front, black fruits, mocha, tar and some savory notes. The palate is layered and concentrated with lush black fruits, creme de cassis, blackberry, menthol, mocha, lots of glycerin, tar, a little roasted game with silky tannins. Some evolution since a year ago. 92+pts.
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dark inky color, with, believe it or not, mint and glycerin flavors, long finish after an hour open, then smooths and blends in the crushed berry. quite a unique and involved syrah experience! YOUNG but delicious.
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I tasted against the silver oak Alex valley 08 - somewhat odd pairing but I like the Cabernet quite a bit. The two wines were well matched, but I give pivot range an edge due to its exotic vegetals and deeper flavors. On the other hand the silver oak was a little fruitier.
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The wine looks inky colored. Initially, the palette screamed of bubble gum. The legs are fast--no sediment--smells like strawberry jam, chocolate and honey. It tastes like black currant (cassis), chocolate and honey. The body is medium/full and has a silky texture. Long finish with medium acidity.
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Big big wine. Dark, inky purple. Loaded with black fruit. Blueberry, black cherry, plum and even a touch of pomegranate. Some black pepper, maybe a hint of clove as well. Chewy tannins that were well integrated and this could wait another decade before opening another bottle. If you drink this now then decant for a few hrs but if you wait I think you will be rewarded.
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Minneapolis Wine Club: Double Blind BYOB Event (Shari's House, Mpls, MN): Purple red color. PNP, drank 1 glass blind over 90 minutes. The nose was just screaming eucalyptus, a little meatiness, some heat, black fruits. Everything on the nose was overwhelmed by the eucalyptus and it didn't change for at least an hour. Finally, and suddenly, the eucalyptus virtually blew off completely and revealed a core of lush black fruits with crème de cassis and blackberry crème brule. A fresh pour brought back the overwhelming eucalyptus. The palate was deeply concentrated, blackberry, crème de cassis, mouth coating glycerin, spice and pepper, round tannins. This drinks young and shows the potential to improve, needs significant air at this point - I would suggest 2+ hours of decant or give this 2+ years.. 90-92pts.
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Excellent Syrah. Somewhat of licorice taste in the background. Very smooth and gentle. I am not a Syrah fan and may not be giving it full credit, but it is delicious.
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Extremely big and and powerful. You could make a meal out of this it's so big. Mint, soy sauce, black fruit and fair amount of heat. Lacks a bit of balance because of high alcohol content. Started to sing after 4-5 hours in the decanter.
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Big, big wine, purple and viscous. It's juicy with black fruit and a smokey nose. It needs more time, alcohol is well integrated. Hoping the second half of the bottle drinks even better on day two.
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This is a truly exceptional wine; I prefer the '05 but the somewhat more restrained fruit and savory flavors are interestingly balanced by some fresh herbs including mint and rosemary. This was much better on the second day, so my expectation would be it needs another year in the cellar.
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12/10/2023 - elevwine wrote:
No obvious sign of cork failure but wine was oxidized. Actually tasted like it would have been great as part of a fortified wine. But just another wasted bottle. Hope others have better luck with theirs.
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12/3/2023 - JGinMO wrote: 91 Points
I'm impressed by how long lived this is, however even after this long I still get mostly fruit and not a lot of secondary flavors, even after 2 hrs in the glass
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11/18/2023 - Snowey Likes this wine:
Wine industry dinner. One of the Somms brought this. Really interesting in that it was reminiscent of a northern Rhône except the burn on the throat showing the higher alcohol of the warmer climate. Interesting wine. Would drink again. Favorite Aussie wine?
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12/29/2022 - SSGibson wrote:
My last bottle, which was unfortunately past its prime. We only drank half and then went to the cellar for something to compare to be sure.
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12/21/2022 - Dokendores wrote:
Jammy, herbal (hint of cough medicine), dry but sweet tasting, thick, everything an Australian Shiraz represents. Won’t get better with more age. Serve with BBQ.
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12/19/2022 - thalver wrote:
nice nose, big but not in that overblown way some aussie shiraz in this era tends to be, lingering finish. I see no reason to think this won't hold up for more years, I'm unsure as to whether it will get better than it is right now
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1/3/2022 - Cake & Fine Wine wrote: 93 Points
Woof! What a wine. Not the Shiraz fruit bomb that I’d suspected (recent bottle of 2007 Hickinbotham - basically like drinking port). Powerful, intense, masculine, jammy but not porty or cloying.
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3/27/2021 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine:
~ 2 hours of aeration in wide-bottom decanter, iirc. Very good. A little more than 4 years since the last one, and this is doing just fine. It's shed a good deal of its youthful fat and a good, but not all, degree of its oak influence. Full-bodied, good+ sense of place, slightly less so for its sense of variety, but without a doubt it's a good drop that works just as well on its own as with food; I prefer it with food, only. Some more freshness on day 2 suggests this has another 5-8 years at this level; I really see no reason to wait, it's ready. For the style, it's highly recommended
http://www.italianwine.blog
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3/26/2021 - thesternowl wrote: 93 Points
Pulled from my cellar where is has rested since release. This is a carnival of characters with dark fruit, teriyaki, bacon fat, olive tapenade, moist forest floor, hollowed out decomposing log, leather, coco, and coffee. Tannic still with plenty of acid; the finish is as long as the day. Our assessment, considering the abundant secondary characteristics, that this was on the decline and opening now was a bit of a fortuitous save. And while I don’t disagree that now is the time to drink these wines, Day 2 was noticeable brighter with fresher blue fruits and structure even more pronounced. Overall conclusion, these are far from going dead anytime soon but why wait? This was a fabulous bottle and I’m so pleased we were able to share with a dear friend.
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2/28/2021 - ddingley Likes this wine: 93 Points
Slight menthol on the nose with raspberry and blueberry. Medium to full body, smooth tannins, could go several more years. Excellent.
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8/20/2020 - bowesmana Likes this wine: 94 Points
Eucalyptus, licorice, chocolate and licorice. Inky purple, long long finish, smooth integrated tannins.
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7/26/2020 - danielbleier Likes this wine: 93 Points
consistent with notes of 5/22/2015 - still going strong
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3/11/2020 - Timk257 wrote:
Been impatiently waiting since 2010. Worth it. Nose of cherry and cherry wood, smooth mon middle of tongue and a finish that is smoooth. Great time to drink.
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1/25/2020 - bablues wrote: 92 Points
Some funky nose that blew off after a few minutes. I haven't had an Aussi Syrah in quite some time. While I liked it, I still prefer Rhone, Washington and Central Coast. I dod like the Clarendon Hills and I will check on this in time, as well as I am looking forward to the 07 Astralis.
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10/22/2019 - Hoffmnron wrote: 95 Points
Delicious
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10/19/2019 - galewskj wrote: 88 Points
Bllind Syrah (John's house): Splash decanted and served blind. There was nothing to get excited about here. Quite a bit of eucalyptus, clearly Australian. I guessed Gletzer Godolphin - wrong. I am surprised that I scored this 93 four years ago.
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10/18/2019 - rocknroller wrote: 91 Points
Blind Syrah From Anywhere (John's House, Mpls, MN): Very dark red plus color. PNP, drank a glass single blind over 3 hours. Good syrah character; meaty nose, cedarbox, orange peel, light eucalyptus. On the palate there's black fruits olive tapenade, full bodied, tangy, very plush, and just a hair of volatility early on, but quite long and soft. Pegged this as Aussie, and guessed wrong between the '10 Two Hands and this.
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10/18/2019 - 3daywinereview.com wrote: 90 Points
Worldwide Blind Syrah Tasting (3 Day Wine Review World Headquarters, Minneapolis, MN): Eucalyptus overload. My least favorite wine of the day. Wild game, chewy tannins and bitter. Time has not done well for this wine. Drink now? 88 points
Day 3: Glad I saved some of this wine. This is too young at this point. Day 3 reveals cherry, blueberries, spices, menthol, floral, white pepper and tar. Medium plus finish. 90 to 93.
Recommendation: Hold for 5 years.
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9/21/2019 - jsmorris707 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Double decanted for 2 hrs, deep ruby with the rim starting to lighten, black & blue fruit with a whiff of bacon, med. tannins, mod/long finish; delicious & better than my prior bottle, drink or hold
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5/19/2019 - Thief Likes this wine: 93 Points
Rich chocolate and ground coffee support the dark fruits and campfire scorched bread notes. Sweet. Tannins finally starting to calm down. Yummy but I personally have been moving away from this very concentrated ripe style over the years.
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4/19/2019 - Quarked wrote: 93 Points
Nice mix of dark fruits (blueberry pie) and bits of bacon and olive. Quite complex, not overdone, and drinking quite youthfully.
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3/3/2019 - elevwine wrote:
This bottle was well past it’s prime.
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11/9/2018 - Millennial Drinkers wrote: 93 Points
Dark ruby. Dark nose with loads of spices, black fruits and olives. Medium tannins (6.5/10) with balanced acidity and a full body. Layered palate with baking spices, bacon, blackberries, black cherries and a touch of olives. Long and lingering finish. Drink till 2024.
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10/27/2018 - Artmount wrote: 90 Points
mild shiraz
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10/4/2018 - pgm wrote: 93 Points
Fragrant nose of vanilla cookie and mint with underlying blackberry compote. The mouth has big blackberry notes with leather and a little baking spice. The minty notes come back as eucalyptus on the long 20+ second finish. It’s a big, powerful wine for sure. Drink in the next 3 years or so.
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8/22/2018 - SSGibson Likes this wine: 93 Points
Amazing! Notes same as last; still young, and glad I have one more bottle in the cellar to try again in a year or two.
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4/6/2018 - jsmorris707 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted for an hour then back in the bottle to SO for several more, deep ruby, classic syrah with black & blue fruit but somewhat closed, med. tannins, mod/long finish; very good & better on day 2. Will hold my other bottle for another couple of years
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1/2/2018 - thalver wrote:
Drinking very well. Big in the way one expects most of the Aussie Shiraz's sent to the US to be, but not overly ponderous or cloying. Oak was present but not obtrusive. (I don't know what kind the producer uses, but this didn't taste like the American oak sometimes used with Australian shiraz) some complexity, fruit dominant on the palate. Really quite nice, if unexciting. Fairly long finish. 93ish
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11/26/2017 - wiscgrad wrote: 95 Points
excellent syrah. nose was outstanding. big and rich on the palate but a nice beam of acidity running thru. a slight mint flavor was a new one for me in a aussie syrah. easily could go another 5-10 years
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11/19/2017 - SSGibson Likes this wine: 93 Points
Notes same as last; still drinking very well.
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11/4/2017 - BrunelloBob wrote: 92 Points
Decanted and drank over three hours. Needed about a half hour to get going. Mint, black fruit, spice, mineral. Some real developmental complexity. More "French" than "Australian". Nice bottle.
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5/29/2017 - aaronsoj Likes this wine: 93 Points
The wine was a delightful ruby with a darker hue on the edge.
The nose was equal parts caramel and raspberry. The aromas were understated but powerful.
The palate was vibrant and balanced.
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4/20/2017 - THF49 Likes this wine: 94 Points
dark purple color; nose of berries, plum; full mouth feel with tons of minerality; dark chocolate, nut meg, tobacco
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4/5/2017 - MurphyCellar Likes this wine: 97 Points
Amazing. Perhaps the most complex and balanced wine I've ever tasted.
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3/21/2017 - Bowmanifesto wrote: 93 Points
Love, love, love, love is all you need. Big, bold, bodacious, beautiful. Piggott Range is expensive and worth it. Period.
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3/6/2017 - danielbleier Likes this wine: 93 Points
consistent with notes of 5/22/2015
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1/25/2017 - andtheodor wrote:
Tasted blind. Cough syrup, cocoa, Ricola nose that shows a lot of oak and toast. Sweet and heavy-handed palate with some very ripe nondescript fruit, mocha, and Ben-Gay. Yikes.
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1/9/2017 - Tim Heaton wrote:
Blind (themed) tastings can be a lot of fun; non-themed tastings can be too, and this bottle (quite unlike the others that night) was fun because of its differences. This was huge compared to the others, lightly confected, fat and chewy, but with some aromas and flavors that kept it real. In the end, and while it was fun at the time, this is not something I would drink again at all - unless, as I say, it was in the spirit of a blind tasting with good company. Not sure where it's going from here, could well hold or improve, though the lack of tannic structure and low(er) acidity is worrisome.
Served double-blind; aerated in decanter 60 minutes (very funky at first, I think I loved it most in the first few minutes after the cork was popped). Loads of sediment. Loads.
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11/20/2016 - SSGibson Likes this wine: 93 Points
Inky dark and you have to really look to see any aging around the edges. This is a rich and complex Syrah that deftly straddles the old and new worlds. Others have remarked on a strong eucalyptus streak, but I didn't taste that. I found it to be well balanced, and it had a lovely, lingering finish. This is a really outstanding Syrah from one of the top producers.
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9/14/2016 - rocknroller wrote: 89 Points
A Cool Early Fall Wednesday Afternoon (Rocknroller's (Kevin's)): Very dark purple red color. Decanted for about 30 minutes and drank 1 glass over an hour plus. This just blasts you eucalyptus, a medicinal Hall's eucalyptus cough drop like character that shrouds the black brooding fruits for some time, it lessens, but is still quite prominent for my tastes. The palate is also dominated by the eucalyptus for the first 20-30 minutes. Eventually you get the deep dark plum and black cherry fruits, a bit savory, edgy, and has a lot of heat on the finish that never really resolves.
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9/14/2016 - Mattshank wrote: 90 Points
Hanging out at Kevin's (Rocknroller): Nose: Eucaluptus and lots of sweet plum. Palate: The Eucaluptus and plum show in the palate as well. Black fruits also present. Nice.
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11/12/2015 - socalwinenerd Likes this wine: 92 Points
Deep purple. Some dark fruits and toffee on the nose. Smooth round dark overripe fruits. Jammy in a positive way. Very well integrated (the opposite of a disjointed wine). Really enjoyable.
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10/19/2015 - MaineMark wrote: 93 Points
Delicious fruity and balanced Syrah. Drinking very well now, but undoubtedly has several more years left.
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8/9/2015 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 94 Points
Lots of wines for a 25/50 Party (Lori & Mike's 25/50 Party): I was surprised to see this labeled as Syrah (not Shiraz). Inky purple in color. The nose is big with black raspberries, charred oak, black pepper. On the palate, this drinks much younger than 9 years. Juicy black raspberries. some heat, but delicious jammy fruit. Fun wine with years left.
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6/14/2015 - Bowmanifesto wrote: 94 Points
Boom. Massive Clarendon impact with a suave subtlety in layered delights. A vinous paradox of power and restraint in one bottle.
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5/22/2015 - danielbleier Likes this wine: 93 Points
Fennel and mint on the nose, black fruit and coffee notes when tasted. A huge wine, as you must expect, but not an overwhelming fruit bomb.
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4/12/2015 - Watchster wrote: 94 Points
Drinking well right now, but has years left. Very balanced. Paired perfectly with lamb loin.
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1/1/2015 - galewskj wrote: 93 Points
New Years eve at Kevin and Vicki's 2014: 1 hour decant. Quite a lot of menthol/eucalyptus on the nose. I rather enjoyed this initially but it seemed to build and towards the end, I wasn't getting anything else on the nose except eucalyptus. The palate is rich with soft, deep, dark cocoa.
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12/31/2014 - rocknroller wrote: 92 Points
New Years Eve Celebration (Rocknroller's (Kevin & Vicki's Place)): Very dark purple color. Decanted 1 hr and slow-O 1 hr. Drank 1 glass over 90 minutes. Lots of eucalyptus up front, black fruits, mocha, tar and some savory notes. The palate is layered and concentrated with lush black fruits, creme de cassis, blackberry, menthol, mocha, lots of glycerin, tar, a little roasted game with silky tannins. Some evolution since a year ago. 92+pts.
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12/11/2014 - George C ATLANTA Likes this wine: 94 Points
dark inky color, with, believe it or not, mint and glycerin flavors, long finish after an hour open, then smooths and blends in the crushed berry. quite a unique and involved syrah experience! YOUNG but delicious.
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7/26/2014 - Iceman611 wrote: 95 Points
I tasted against the silver oak Alex valley 08 - somewhat odd pairing but I like the Cabernet quite a bit. The two wines were well matched, but I give pivot range an edge due to its exotic vegetals and deeper flavors. On the other hand the silver oak was a little fruitier.
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5/10/2014 - 321Nomad Likes this wine: 94 Points
The wine looks inky colored. Initially, the palette screamed of bubble gum. The legs are fast--no sediment--smells like strawberry jam, chocolate and honey. It tastes like black currant (cassis), chocolate and honey. The body is medium/full and has a silky texture. Long finish with medium acidity.
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3/13/2014 - JDV.DDSPHD Likes this wine: 96 Points
Big big wine. Dark, inky purple. Loaded with black fruit. Blueberry, black cherry, plum and even a touch of pomegranate. Some black pepper, maybe a hint of clove as well. Chewy tannins that were well integrated and this could wait another decade before opening another bottle. If you drink this now then decant for a few hrs but if you wait I think you will be rewarded.
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1/10/2014 - bubbachumps wrote: 90 Points
Well extracted. Not terribly complex. This suffered in comparison to the '06 QC Cab consumed beforehand.
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12/14/2013 - rocknroller wrote: 91 Points
Minneapolis Wine Club: Double Blind BYOB Event (Shari's House, Mpls, MN): Purple red color. PNP, drank 1 glass blind over 90 minutes. The nose was just screaming eucalyptus, a little meatiness, some heat, black fruits. Everything on the nose was overwhelmed by the eucalyptus and it didn't change for at least an hour. Finally, and suddenly, the eucalyptus virtually blew off completely and revealed a core of lush black fruits with crème de cassis and blackberry crème brule. A fresh pour brought back the overwhelming eucalyptus. The palate was deeply concentrated, blackberry, crème de cassis, mouth coating glycerin, spice and pepper, round tannins. This drinks young and shows the potential to improve, needs significant air at this point - I would suggest 2+ hours of decant or give this 2+ years.. 90-92pts.
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11/6/2013 - Hoffmnron Likes this wine: 93 Points
Excellent Syrah. Somewhat of licorice taste in the background. Very smooth and gentle. I am not a Syrah fan and may not be giving it full credit, but it is delicious.
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10/22/2013 - brainchasm wrote: 95 Points
Amazing, and too early to boot! I hope I can keep this other bottle for 2+ years!
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9/2/2013 - mpmullic wrote:
Extremely big and and powerful. You could make a meal out of this it's so big. Mint, soy sauce, black fruit and fair amount of heat. Lacks a bit of balance because of high alcohol content. Started to sing after 4-5 hours in the decanter.
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8/31/2013 - MaineMark wrote: 94 Points
Fantastic nose and first drink out of the bottle. Wonderful complexity, and smoothness.
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8/17/2013 - Cphofmann Likes this wine: 93 Points
Big, big wine, purple and viscous. It's juicy with black fruit and a smokey nose. It needs more time, alcohol is well integrated. Hoping the second half of the bottle drinks even better on day two.
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7/9/2013 - Iceman611 Likes this wine: 94 Points
This is a truly exceptional wine; I prefer the '05 but the somewhat more restrained fruit and savory flavors are interestingly balanced by some fresh herbs including mint and rosemary. This was much better on the second day, so my expectation would be it needs another year in the cellar.
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