Deep red color, no signs of age. Fruit, leather and smoke on the nose. Fine and firm tannins. Nice and long finish. Ready to drink now and over the next several years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Opens with a rich berry nose. The palate shows blackberry, roasted meat, some blueberry. Bright berry fruit on the mid-palate. Smooth tannins, bit drying. Nice acidity and balance. Finishes long but with perhaps a touch of heat. Perhaps a bit past peak. I'd drink up over the next two years. Went well with bone-in pork chops.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very enjoyable once it had time to open up. Fresh cherry and blackberry fruit on top of fresh turned earth. Some spice. Maraschino cherry juice on the finish. Tannins are present, but subtle and nicely supportive. Decanting for an hour allowed the fresh flavors to emerge.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nose is earthy (wet forest variety), but with some ripe fruit underneath. Palate is beautifully-textured, still full-bodied but not heavy, deeply-flavored, expansive, wonderful vitality, with a nice light chocolate on the finish. A delight, and has plenty of life left. Very impressive.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This wine shows a nice compromise between modern and classic with ripe fruit yet admirable complexity and verve. The aromas are pure and rich with notes of blackberry, creosote, smoked meat, and lavender. The palate is so well balanced with juicy fruit, firm tannins, and great persistence. I think this is from a transitional period at Copain, the wine really works as a hybrid of styles.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Still deep in color. Rich fruit in the nose and flavor with blueberries, blackberries, currants, licorice, and lavender. Nice complexity and a long finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wow! This is really something. Dark berries pushing through a savory custard with smoky Spanish ham. This is after being open for only 10 minutes. Perfectly mature but will still go for years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Medium purple color, some bricking. Aromatically, wow: black and green olives, tar, black pepper, campfire smoke, chorizo, pork fat, all on top of still-alive blueberry and blackberry fruit. Velvety and rich texturally, still some tannins but its quite smooth. Blueberry and black currant compote flavors meld with bacon fat, black olives, smoky charcoal, black tea, paved road. Wow, there is a ton going on in this wine and the mouthfeel is fantastic. My only bottle, but I’d be wary of holding onto any more for more than a year or two? But wonderful performance.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This is holding up well. Bottle was decanted and served the same. It took some air to pull in the fruit but there is still acidity and fruit here, with perhaps a touch of secondary coming in to the flavor profile. Does not seem to be in any rush to age.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
With pork roast. This still had decent fruit. Was a bit steely but good. This is drink up now. Fun to drink next to other 2006s. This was # 2 after the Thompson.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Funny reading the notes below, as this wine seemed almost just medium bodied next to the 2006 Saxum JBV (grenache blend) and 2006 Carlisle JBV Syrah. It was a little shy with notes of cool blueberries, black cherries, fresh plums, blackcurrants and something 'chalky' like grafite or pencil shavings. Somewhat tight. As it heats notes of tar and smoke also peep through, but it remains tight in comparison to the others. A vague hint of salinity distracts but remains vague and not too much. Tannins not yet entirely soft. 91+ as it could gain a point or two if tannins soften a bit more and it opens up and intensifies it's nose and flavours. Decanted for 1h45m and served slightly chilled.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nose: The nose shows a riper side with dark red cherries, licorice, blue fruits, liqueur, blueberry pie, and some glycerin tones.
Taste: Full bodied with youthful tannins. The structure is there, but it isn't overpowering with licorice, dark red cherries, liqueur tones, and some glycerin.
Overall: This is one the rich side and there is a slight sting from the heat. But, it does work if you want a bigger Syrah.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
My third and final bottle, and pretty clearly the best. Here the fruit was much more pure and defined, not to mention really tasty. Otherwise, this was a classic Paso Syrah from a warm year. Lots of black olive, black and blue fruits, iodine and a slightly heavy texture and palate weight. Should hold for a few years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
- Crimsom color with medium forming legs and aromas of blackberry, raspberry, cherry and black pepper. It's somewhat balanced and has flavours of blackberry and cherry with a full body. Narrow texture - This is finally starting to come around but still a bit uninteresting and flat.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This shows a lighter hand than the 05 we drank at the same time but otherwise the notes are really similar--light wild berry and smoke with better acidity and some powdery floral notes.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Drank over two nights. Not my favorite vintage or these or maybe just in a weird place...fruit was there but was lacking some of the secondary characteristics I was hoping for. Still very well made wine, easy to drink.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very enjoyable and made for a good pairing with summer BBQ. Spicy, dark fruits with some decent minerality. Would be happy to drink this wine every week.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very fruity with dark berries and some tannins when first opened. After decanting for two hours, secondary flavors developed and tannins softened up. However, on the palate, I feel the flavors were never totally in balance. Nose is light and the finish wasn't very noticeable. ( I am holding a pretty high standard here)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted for 45 minutes. Very typical Copain JB, that is a tremendous push of dark fruits, camphor, blue flowers, and smoke that make an immediate and firm palate impression. Unlike my last bottle though in 2008, the fruit in the mid palate section seems to be in a bit of a rambunctious, adolescent phase, peeking out on some sips, hiding around the corner on the next. All the material seems present for a quality experience, as was this bottle, but I do suspect maybe a couple more years would level things out a tad, and deliver a more mature, complete wine. Very nice.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
decanted for 3 hours. This is somewhat closed right now. While still showing that funky Copain creosote dark fruit mix, the fruits are a little bit muted. Enjoyable but I'll wait a couple of years before the next bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dark inky purple; dark black berries, juicy red raspberry as well, dried herbs, black licorice with a touch of burnt black cherry pie crust; rich, silky entry, excellent balance, medium + tannins, quite juicy but with good structure, medium + acidity, good juicy berry notes in the finish with a little heat. Very nicely structured and classy.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Rather boring wine - chocolate on the nose, blue fruit and spice on the palate with nice structure. Hollow mid-palate. Not sure if aging will improve this - my guess is it won't. In a word - forgettable.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
At the Club with friends. PnP and it took about 30 minutes to fully open. Jammy but with definition and a perfect match with the hot food from the buffet tables and above all the meat dishes. Plenty of life left in this wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Great full bodied Syrah fruit in a more refined and integrated package than I was expecting. Drank well with an hour's decant. A touch better than comparable Copain central coast Syrahs from that era.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Chablis dinner with xhoser (Mykha's, Glen Ellyn): Aromas of incense and dark fruit with smoky, meaty overtones. Powerful, but balanced, with flavors of red fruit, herbs and boysenberry. 92-93 pts.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Chablis Tasting (Mykha's, Glen Ellyn, Illinois): Opened by Berno. This was the 6th Copain Syrah I've had (the 1st James Berry) and almost always a solid 90+ scorer. Not decanted. Deep purple color. Rich and thick texture. Full bodied with solid tannins. Notes of currant and black cherry. 93 points.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
N: plums, alcohol, spice and that cloying overripe red fruit syrah has sometimes, as well as some reduction. P: Plush texture, very fruity and primary on the attack. Good length. Some heat on the finish. This is not my style of wine...Unbalanced. 15% abv.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Classic Copain "Cali meets the Rhone" -- big grapes vs Wells' deft hand, definitely meets in the middle. Delicious but still very young, decant for a while if you are going to consume this in the next 6 months.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
C- Dense, dark N- Rosted meat, violets T- Full-bodied, heavy tannins, game, asphalt, tar, dark stewed fruit without sweetness. Very "dense" wine of Cote Rotie style. Not for the faint of heart.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Listed alcohol 14.9%. A number of note writers have made mention of heat, some more prominent than others. In my view, there is some but it's not all that bothersome to me. Some flowers and fruit bowl-like notes in the aromatic. Bit chalky, some game, blue and black fruit and soil. There is a decent amount of intensity here, tar and some mocha and astrignence in the finish. Even some acid lying in there, blue fruited in tone. I opened this last night at dinner FWIW, so about 18 hours of slow ox time. From that, I'd guess this wine can do several days slow ox or last a few more years. I actually like this bottle better than the last one I drank in 2010. Joe (glaze3), you and I are seeing this wine pretty much the same way and I wrote my note before I read yours.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Opened for 5 hours but not decanted. Smokey, dark fruited nose that becomes more floral with air. Dense blue/black tarry fruit that still has a bit of a chalky feel to it. Nice acid and still fairly tannic, picks up a bit of a "Copain" floral note and has some heat that's probably here to stay, but nothing unreasonable for Central coast fruit. Overall a pretty nice James Berry that avoids become cloying or sweet, but will hold my last bottle for a few more years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
EWG goes blind for Syrah (Elements Kitchen, Pasadena,Ca): Served blind. Darkly fruited with notes of tar. Mostly reserved and there was a touch of heat. The palate is pretty displaying nice balance including good acid and tannin. A touch of heat is the only reservation but I liked this one.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
lazy with my alcohol level recording, but this has to be higher than the others? part of a vertical tasting 04-07. decanted over a couple of hours. this is just plain awful. an over extracted mess. undrinkable.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tons of upside this wine is still a baby. Don't touch another bottle for at least 2-3 years maybe more. Starts with an incredible nose which I loved. Tastes like a wine that was just released rather than a wine that was released 3 years ago. To be honest I still like what Justin does with his own James Berry fruit this wine is certainly no slouch.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Deep violet. Captivating nose of violets, berries, and black fruits. Rich, well-structured, good dark fruit. Still a slight tannic edge, but not out of balance. Not terribly complex at this stage, but no hurry to drink.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This is big, round, lush and comfortable like an old leather chair. But there's not much structure and virtually no acidity. Lots of black fruit, olive and still some oak. I'm not sure what happens to this in 5 to 10 years so if you like this style, drink it now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
15 months since my last bottle. Opened last night, poured a big glass, enjoyed over about 90 mins. Starts off slowly but as the room temp (call it 65 dgrees) warms the wine, it fleshes out. Last night my ending impression was "fruit bowl' in tone. Tonight, similar kind of approach, enjoyed with a homemade pea soup and garden salad from the yard. Still sense the floral aromatic as the last bottle, less dominant this time. My closing impressions are these--this is a dark wine, with deep flavors that are mainly blue with some black, and a full bodied weight. This is not a shy wine. It carries a deep core of flavor, a soily note but it squarely in the CA mode. Fruit driven, expressive and big shouldered. I can still see my comment from 2009 having some validity, to let it age but I would say this wine has softened quite a bit since last year. Drink window would be now (to enjoy the depth and span of the wine) or wait through 2012. It can hold a bit longer but I'll finish my last one in late 2011.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Had a bottle for Littlegirl's wake. This was very nice but could use a year or two more in the bottle. Glad I have several of these. The 01 Banfi was a nicer wine this night.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
free and easy down the road I go - dirks Bentley. Wells is a stunning wine maker and this beast of a vineyard is nicely tamed. Really a great little wine. Drink up....it won't get any better!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nice dark fruit and black olive on the nose with a little spice mixed in on the finish. However, the nose was much better than the finish which was a tad thin. Fared okay with coffee spiced ribeye.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Rich, ripe, totally Paso Robles. The fruit is leaning torward dark fruits like bosenberry and current. Firm but supple tannins are noted. The structure is classic from winemaker Wells Guthrie. I really like this wine.....
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
what a great nose of boysenberry with hints of the structure and wood to follow. On the palate the dark and blue fruits are up front, followed by a little gamey funk with plenty of wood showing, as I believe this is still very young and primary and only going to get better in the coming years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Aromatically - olive, charr, and red fruit. On the palate nice density is present and fine grain tannin but the wine does not posses any real elegance or personality.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
14.9% alcohol. A youngster but it's showing beautifully because it is so well-made. Inky purple color. Gorgeous nose of blue fruit, meat, spice, and minerals. In the mouth, it could be brutish because it has loads of structure, but the balance and is impeccable. It's not an elegant wine, but there is something almost delicate in how it maintains balance on such structure, like a dancing bear. Loads of fruit in the mouth, with forceful complexity. Strong acidity and a long finish, which has beautifully done tannins. Drinking well but definitely better with age. A-
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
nice funk wafting from the decanter with black and blue berries. After about 90 minutes in decanter, started nice and round, nice balance, a little tight tannins with enough acid to keep it very clean and fresh. The underlying ripe boysenberry with some gamey notes really made this special for me. got bigger as the night went on. Showed very young.. gotta keep my hands off these for 3-4 more years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dark ruby red. Aromas of red, blue fruit and smoke. Comes to life on the palate with rasberry, blueberries and black cherry. Great mouthfeel. Rich, pure and well balanced. Aftertaste lingers for 40+ seconds. Extremely satisfying. Is Justin Smith's James Berry Vineyard one of the world's finest for Rhone varietals? I vote yes!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Friday Night Grand Crew: California Syrah and Grenache Shoot-out (My Place): Purple color. Forward nose of raspberry, cream, toast and vanillin. Palate is rich with spice, meat and black pepper. Not as full bodied as other syrahs in the line up. Very chewy in the finish. My #9, Group #10. 1 guess for Grenache.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Big ripe nose of dark fruits, asphalt, and smoke. Going in the nose had me thinking that this was going to be your typical James Berry, but it is not! Boysenberries and raspberries dominate on entry with asphalt and a charred wood. There is a huge amount of minerality as this finishes that really separates it from others expressions of this vineyard. Still quite tannic at this time ( starting kind of dusty but after being open for 5 hours really clamp down and become more aggressive. It is enjoyable now with about an hour of air, but did really shut down at about 5 hours, so I will not open another for at least a year.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Drank with Emily at Corduroy for Christmas dinner. Decanted and drank over 2 hours. Beautiful thick ruby core. Began with intense dark fruit and I was pleasantly surprised by the tinge of acid. The wine seemed to gain weight as it evolved to show rich spicy and roasted elements, also coffee and cocoa. Long finish. Paired wonderfully with my lamb loin.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Possibly my favorite expression of the James Berry Vineyard. Love the stem inclusion and lower alcohol. Beautifully structured wine that has a long life ahead.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dark ruby color. Black cherry jello. Tastes of raspberry, cherry, licorice and kirsch. Charred oak that has integrated reasonably well. Well balanced. Rich powerful finish. Firm tannins. Quite young. 14.9% alcohol.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Drank over two days. The fist day I picked up sweet blue fruit, a hint of smoked meat, strained yoghurt. The wine was big but with a nice spine of acidity and a tinge of minerality on the finish. I found it a little unintersting on day1. On Day 2 however, there were some nice characteristics soming through, the fruit was obvioulsy mor in the background and the mineral streak was cranked up. I like where this is heading, but definitely needs a couple more years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Popped and poured, enjoyed over three hours. Dark and brooding color. Black olives, tar, dark fruits, pepper. Strikingly elegant, fresh and pure. Nice balance of sweet and savory, superb finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Drank next to the 2004 Copain James Berry, an intentional comparison, as I opened the 2004 to go with it, along with previously drinking the 2005 about a week ago. Has more white flower aromatics versus the 2004, along with steely element, perhaps some heat. A juicy and broad palate, still young but as opposed to the 2004, pretty well packed and needs more time in the bottle. Forward and expressive.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Pop and pour. Slight funk blows off with a quick swirl, revealing a high velocity attack of dried berries, black olives and charred beef. Very warm initially, but with air, the alcohol trades its volatility for glycerol weight and sweet fruit. Ultimately unfurls huge spice, citrus and floral aromatics. The finish is persistent, yet ethereal. It almost seems to evaporate on the tongue leaving behind fine tannin, and a minerally residual taste of crushed pencil lead. Plenty of energy in here to prop up its weight. Seems to hit a sweet spot with about 2hrs of air. Suggest a commensurate decant, or enjoy it’s full evolution in the glass if you’ve got a bottle to spend some time with.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Had next to the Thompson over 3 days. Aromatically this was a bit more Aussie like. Enjoyable. Mixture of mint, white pepper and a dusty element. Didn’t change much over the 3 days. This wine showed more fruit and less tannin, or at least the fruit was hiding the tannin. I really went back and forth on this wine. At times I found it uninteresting … and then later I found it very intriguing. In the end this was more up and down than the Thompson but equally as pleasurable.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Not quite outstanding, but excellent indeed. Not too extracted or oaked, which led to some tightly wound tannins. There was some nice mineral action going on with smoky dark fruit and spice. I think another 5+ years in the cellar will do wonders for it. @ $35, I'm not in a hurry to buy any more.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nose starts out with notes of violets and vanilla. After a while it takes on some deeper, more complex aromas--meaty and maybe some slightly green notes. Palate has lots of jazzy acidity and a hint of chocolate. Very nice now and likely to improve.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Definitely needs a few years. Seems only to give up fruit after 2 and a half hours and then it shows only the deep black fruit. I get lots of smoke/chimney aromas as well that seem to integrate over time open in bottle (no decanter used). I thouroughly enjoyed my experience with this wine but know (as I have with all Copain Wine) this is going to be fantastic in several years. Very tightly wound tannins seam to dissolve across the tougue and leave a 40second finish of yummy nummy goodness...93 points
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Still early on this but wanted to try it. Nose is incredible, on the palate this is still a bit all over the map but day 2 it was coming together nicely....had alongside an 06 LC Cherry Red. Different varietals but same year/same location (Westside Paso) and this wine really came across darker with more depth and less sweetness than the zin based LC (though I love Matt's wines for other reasons). It was interesting to taste side by side. This wine on day 2 was finishing with a creamy blueberry finish that was awesome. The front/middle of the wine had so much going on I don't have the vocab to describe but it was pure and intense. For the life of me I cannot understand why quality CA Syrah does not have a bigger market...selfishly I'm happy it's not becoming more expensive so I'll keep my mouth shut.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
With Cocq au Riesling at Paul Rankin's (also brought a bottle McPrice Meyers). This indeed like the other notes say. This will be good but needs bottle age. It is a bit wild and disjointed but has everything, fruit, balance and life. Had the same feeling on a Pinot from Copain last week. Excellent wine for 2012 and beyond.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted. This one needs a couple of years in the bottle but Wells has done a fine job with dark fruits and minerals that last a very long time. I do not notice the high alcohol because of the great balance. Very nice. I am glad I bought a few of these.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Admittedly a bit disappointed BUT I think it's just very shut down for now, will need at least a few years to sing; tight, tight fruit with too much oak showing through. I popped and poured and it admittedly opened a bit more by glass number two but I don't plan to open my other bottles any time soon
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A bit closed really on the nose. Dark fruit with a good amount of floral characteristics. Nicely balanced palate, I don't think this is as hot as others have said, dark cherry, blackberry and mocha... a bit high on the oak quite frankly. I think this needs some serious time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted three hours. Initially a bit warm on the nose, but this was not to last long as exotic shots of incense, blackberry pie and clove really added contemplation and intrigue. One of the bigger Copains I have ever had, which should be no surprise when seeing the source, but I was still amazed at how damn fresh this tasted, with the fruit gaining in clarity and definition with every sip. In fact, by the last glass I was tempted to call it “zesty”. Time will be most fortunate to those who can be patient with this one, and if not, decant the hell out of it!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Popped and poured. What a whole cluster f*ck! That's the first thing that went through my mind when I plunged my nose into the glass. If President Bush ever decides to sign a bill allowing "stem" cell research--they should look no further than the 06 Copain James Berry. The only thing at the outset that distracted me from how much I liked the nose (hints of sage and the usual Copain underbrush as well) was the color. The Deep blue and purple with bright magenta edges was a mesmerizing combination. I decided to let the wine sit in the glass for a half hour (much tougher to do than even differential equations) before finally tasting. When my lips hit the glass, I was immediately bombarded with everything that a wine can possess--tannin, alcohol, acid, fruit, and oak. The alcohol nosed its way in first, followed by chewy blue and black fruits surrounded by an acidic punch, oak, and an undercurrent of earthiness and smoke. On the finish, the tannins put an all out kung fu grip on your tongue and wouldn't relent for ay least 30 seconds. At this point, I decided to give the wine some more time to flesh itself out and let me tell you--flesh itself out it did! The heat and tannins with the Kung Fu grip were now a thing of the past and what was left had now transformed into a comfort wine. A richness and freshness had developed with plush blue and black fruits leaving your mouth coated in velvet. I felt like George Costanza in that Seinfeld episode where his girlfriend didn't care what he looked like so he decided to do what no self respecting mand would--drape himself in velvet. That was me at this point, a 36 year old George Costanza decked out in a velvet track suit. Life couldn't get any better! 93pts.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
50% whole cluster, 33% new oak and 14.9% alcohol, perhaps the biggest wine alcohol-wise of the 2006s, save the Thompson (I believe). My notes have a big star next to the wine, as well. Structure and plush fruit. Pure blue and black fruit. Shows some early silkiness and purity, which then is replaced by a cloak of stems and mocha wood that covers on the back end through the finish. Looks to be a killer interpretation of James Berry by Wells again.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
2/18/2023 - sstoloff wrote: 92 Points
Potent mature Syrah—dark fruits, licorice, tar, smoke, brambles. Held up beautifully. One left
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/4/2022 - kris.h Likes this wine: 92 Points
Deep red color, no signs of age. Fruit, leather and smoke on the nose. Fine and firm tannins. Nice and long finish. Ready to drink now and over the next several years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/22/2021 - oaxaca90049 wrote:
this once gorgeous wine was unfortunately past it's prime.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/4/2020 - zinnut wrote: 92 Points
A beautiful, mature syrah. Time to drink these.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/4/2020 - M DU VIN Likes this wine: 94 Points
Deep, deep color and a superb palate of black fruit, leather and cigar box. IMHO this wine should last for another 5 to 8 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/15/2020 - Charlie C Likes this wine: 90 Points
Opens with a rich berry nose. The palate shows blackberry, roasted meat, some blueberry. Bright berry fruit on the mid-palate. Smooth tannins, bit drying. Nice acidity and balance. Finishes long but with perhaps a touch of heat. Perhaps a bit past peak. I'd drink up over the next two years. Went well with bone-in pork chops.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/9/2020 - OldHick95 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very enjoyable once it had time to open up. Fresh cherry and blackberry fruit on top of fresh turned earth. Some spice. Maraschino cherry juice on the finish. Tannins are present, but subtle and nicely supportive. Decanting for an hour allowed the fresh flavors to emerge.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/2/2020 - cdunn wrote: 94 Points
Nose is earthy (wet forest variety), but with some ripe fruit underneath. Palate is beautifully-textured, still full-bodied but not heavy, deeply-flavored, expansive, wonderful vitality, with a nice light chocolate on the finish. A delight, and has plenty of life left. Very impressive.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/6/2020 - 1961Vintage Likes this wine: 93 Points
Needs a lot of air. Second day absolutely brilliant. First day sweet and fruity. You decide where you want to consume. Still plenty of life remaining.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/31/2019 - Badfish Likes this wine:
This wine shows a nice compromise between modern and classic with ripe fruit yet admirable complexity and verve. The aromas are pure and rich with notes of blackberry, creosote, smoked meat, and lavender. The palate is so well balanced with juicy fruit, firm tannins, and great persistence. I think this is from a transitional period at Copain, the wine really works as a hybrid of styles.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/10/2019 - buckeye76 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Still deep in color. Rich fruit in the nose and flavor with blueberries, blackberries, currants, licorice, and lavender. Nice complexity and a long finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/20/2018 - ahirsch Likes this wine: 94 Points
Wow! This is really something. Dark berries pushing through a savory custard with smoky Spanish ham. This is after being open for only 10 minutes. Perfectly mature but will still go for years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/29/2017 - isaacjamesbaker wrote: 94 Points
Medium purple color, some bricking. Aromatically, wow: black and green olives, tar, black pepper, campfire smoke, chorizo, pork fat, all on top of still-alive blueberry and blackberry fruit. Velvety and rich texturally, still some tannins but its quite smooth. Blueberry and black currant compote flavors meld with bacon fat, black olives, smoky charcoal, black tea, paved road. Wow, there is a ton going on in this wine and the mouthfeel is fantastic. My only bottle, but I’d be wary of holding onto any more for more than a year or two? But wonderful performance.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/25/2016 - rwstorer wrote: 90 Points
Similar note to previous
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/6/2016 - Grinner wrote: 93 Points
20th Annual Lyon 10 Year Retrospective: The Mish Mash (Lyon Den): Big black fruited wine with pepper, anise, and leather notes. More meat and iron on day 2, also 93pts.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/3/2016 - Frank Murray III wrote:
This is holding up well. Bottle was decanted and served the same. It took some air to pull in the fruit but there is still acidity and fruit here, with perhaps a touch of secondary coming in to the flavor profile. Does not seem to be in any rush to age.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/19/2016 - jonleerhp Likes this wine: 90 Points
Two hour decant. Thought it had a good nose and pretty wine but still tannic on the finish. Enjoyable but not my favorite.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/15/2016 - BillyRayValentine wrote: 89 Points
Agree with the excellent recent notes. Wish it had a bit more acidity to balance the richness. Nice wine, in its prime. No reason to hold.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/15/2015 - MichielV wrote: 88 Points
With pork roast. This still had decent fruit. Was a bit steely but good. This is drink up now. Fun to drink next to other 2006s. This was # 2 after the Thompson.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/1/2015 - SineQuaNon Likes this wine: 91 Points
Funny reading the notes below, as this wine seemed almost just medium bodied next to the 2006 Saxum JBV (grenache blend) and 2006 Carlisle JBV Syrah. It was a little shy with notes of cool blueberries, black cherries, fresh plums, blackcurrants and something 'chalky' like grafite or pencil shavings. Somewhat tight. As it heats notes of tar and smoke also peep through, but it remains tight in comparison to the others. A vague hint of salinity distracts but remains vague and not too much. Tannins not yet entirely soft. 91+ as it could gain a point or two if tannins soften a bit more and it opens up and intensifies it's nose and flavours. Decanted for 1h45m and served slightly chilled.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/18/2015 - nfafoglia Likes this wine: 92 Points
Nose of scorched earth and black licorice. Jammy black fruit and smoke on the palate.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/17/2015 - KeithAkers wrote: 88 Points
Nose: The nose shows a riper side with dark red cherries, licorice, blue fruits, liqueur, blueberry pie, and some glycerin tones.
Taste: Full bodied with youthful tannins. The structure is there, but it isn't overpowering with licorice, dark red cherries, liqueur tones, and some glycerin.
Overall: This is one the rich side and there is a slight sting from the heat. But, it does work if you want a bigger Syrah.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/11/2015 - rralls wrote:
Great stuff.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/29/2014 - Backdoctor wrote: 92 Points
A big monster of a wine. Opened up nicely with some time in the glass.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/22/2014 - TMacpherson Likes this wine: 95 Points
Great wine. Ready to drink now but just make sure it gets some air.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/7/2014 - Dale M wrote: 92 Points
My third and final bottle, and pretty clearly the best. Here the fruit was much more pure and defined, not to mention really tasty. Otherwise, this was a classic Paso Syrah from a warm year. Lots of black olive, black and blue fruits, iodine and a slightly heavy texture and palate weight. Should hold for a few years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/12/2014 - JR512 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Its definitely ready to drink. Beautiful nose, crimson color and enjoyable syrah. Wish I had more!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/2/2014 - Mike Dildine Likes this wine: 93 Points
Just terrific. Meaty, smoky, deep and rich. Really a treat.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/23/2014 - rwstorer wrote: 89 Points
- Crimsom color with medium forming legs and aromas of blackberry, raspberry, cherry and black pepper. It's somewhat balanced and has flavours of blackberry and cherry with a full body. Narrow texture - This is finally starting to come around but still a bit uninteresting and flat.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/16/2014 - S1 Likes this wine:
This shows a lighter hand than the 05 we drank at the same time but otherwise the notes are really similar--light wild berry and smoke with better acidity and some powdery floral notes.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/15/2013 - cpsmith33 wrote: 90 Points
Drank over two nights. Not my favorite vintage or these or maybe just in a weird place...fruit was there but was lacking some of the secondary characteristics I was hoping for. Still very well made wine, easy to drink.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/1/2013 - BillyRayValentine wrote: 88 Points
Agree with recent tasting notes but this wine fell a little flat for me. Nothing bad, just nothing great. Meh.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/4/2013 - Sovinator Likes this wine: 91 Points
Very enjoyable and made for a good pairing with summer BBQ. Spicy, dark fruits with some decent minerality. Would be happy to drink this wine every week.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/28/2013 - wcchang wrote: 92 Points
Very fruity with dark berries and some tannins when first opened. After decanting for two hours, secondary flavors developed and tannins softened up. However, on the palate, I feel the flavors were never totally in balance. Nose is light and the finish wasn't very noticeable. ( I am holding a pretty high standard here)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/10/2013 - Dale M wrote: 91 Points
Decanted for 45 minutes. Very typical Copain JB, that is a tremendous push of dark fruits, camphor, blue flowers, and smoke that make an immediate and firm palate impression. Unlike my last bottle though in 2008, the fruit in the mid palate section seems to be in a bit of a rambunctious, adolescent phase, peeking out on some sips, hiding around the corner on the next. All the material seems present for a quality experience, as was this bottle, but I do suspect maybe a couple more years would level things out a tad, and deliver a more mature, complete wine. Very nice.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/13/2012 - S1 wrote:
decanted for 3 hours. This is somewhat closed right now. While still showing that funky Copain creosote dark fruit mix, the fruits are a little bit muted. Enjoyable but I'll wait a couple of years before the next bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/14/2012 - JR512 wrote: 92 Points
very inky and heavy tannins when first opened. after decanting for 45 minutes, wine opened up. lots of fruit and delicious.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/31/2012 - pjhr wrote: 92 Points
Nice nose but the palate was a bit closed compared to previous bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/9/2012 - peternelson wrote: 93 Points
Dark inky purple; dark black berries, juicy red raspberry as well, dried herbs, black licorice with a touch of burnt black cherry pie crust; rich, silky entry, excellent balance, medium + tannins, quite juicy but with good structure, medium + acidity, good juicy berry notes in the finish with a little heat. Very nicely structured and classy.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/23/2012 - bound4er wrote: 89 Points
Rather boring wine - chocolate on the nose, blue fruit and spice on the palate with nice structure. Hollow mid-palate. Not sure if aging will improve this - my guess is it won't. In a word - forgettable.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/16/2012 - parathesis wrote: 92 Points
Very nice. Drinking well. Glad I have several more
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/15/2012 - nbrue wrote: 93 Points
At the Club with friends. PnP and it took about 30 minutes to fully open. Jammy but with definition and a perfect match with the hot food from the buffet tables and above all the meat dishes. Plenty of life left in this wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/12/2012 - silton wrote: 92 Points
Great full bodied Syrah fruit in a more refined and integrated package than I was expecting. Drank well with an hour's decant. A touch better than comparable Copain central coast Syrahs from that era.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/25/2012 - Berno wrote: 92 Points
A lot more fruit and ripeness than the '05. Wonderfully well made.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/24/2012 - AllRed wrote: 92 Points
Chablis dinner with xhoser (Mykha's, Glen Ellyn): Aromas of incense and dark fruit with smoky, meaty overtones. Powerful, but balanced, with flavors of red fruit, herbs and boysenberry. 92-93 pts.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/24/2012 - Vino Me wrote: 93 Points
Chablis Tasting (Mykha's, Glen Ellyn, Illinois): Opened by Berno. This was the 6th Copain Syrah I've had (the 1st James Berry) and almost always a solid 90+ scorer. Not decanted. Deep purple color. Rich and thick texture. Full bodied with solid tannins. Notes of currant and black cherry. 93 points.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/31/2011 - Tony Molester Does not like this wine:
N: plums, alcohol, spice and that cloying overripe red fruit syrah has sometimes, as well as some reduction.
P: Plush texture, very fruity and primary on the attack. Good length. Some heat on the finish.
This is not my style of wine...Unbalanced.
15% abv.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/9/2011 - pjhr wrote: 93 Points
Delicious blackberry, spice, and dark chocolate notes on the nose and palate with chewy tannins on the finish. Should continue to age well.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/8/2011 - jimmythesaint wrote:
Gobbs amount of fruit and some heat on the first day. Second day better but still big fruit, some spiced rub and no heat.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/25/2011 - jbposell wrote: 92 Points
Classic Copain "Cali meets the Rhone" -- big grapes vs Wells' deft hand, definitely meets in the middle. Delicious but still very young, decant for a while if you are going to consume this in the next 6 months.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/17/2011 - konadog wrote:
should have decanted but didn't so wasn't yielding a whole lot plus I was having a bad tasting day. not flawed but not rated.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/25/2011 - VinoMax wrote: 94 Points
C- Dense, dark N- Rosted meat, violets T- Full-bodied, heavy tannins, game, asphalt, tar, dark stewed fruit without sweetness. Very "dense" wine of Cote Rotie style. Not for the faint of heart.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/18/2011 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Listed alcohol 14.9%. A number of note writers have made mention of heat, some more prominent than others. In my view, there is some but it's not all that bothersome to me. Some flowers and fruit bowl-like notes in the aromatic. Bit chalky, some game, blue and black fruit and soil. There is a decent amount of intensity here, tar and some mocha and astrignence in the finish. Even some acid lying in there, blue fruited in tone. I opened this last night at dinner FWIW, so about 18 hours of slow ox time. From that, I'd guess this wine can do several days slow ox or last a few more years. I actually like this bottle better than the last one I drank in 2010. Joe (glaze3), you and I are seeing this wine pretty much the same way and I wrote my note before I read yours.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/6/2011 - jeanluc07 wrote: 93 Points
big bold wine in a "rotie-ish" style (bold and finesse combined). wish i had more than one left
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/27/2011 - glaze3 wrote:
Opened for 5 hours but not decanted. Smokey, dark fruited nose that becomes more floral with air. Dense blue/black tarry fruit that still has a bit of a chalky feel to it. Nice acid and still fairly tannic, picks up a bit of a "Copain" floral note and has some heat that's probably here to stay, but nothing unreasonable for Central coast fruit. Overall a pretty nice James Berry that avoids become cloying or sweet, but will hold my last bottle for a few more years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/21/2011 - WetRock wrote:
EWG goes blind for Syrah (Elements Kitchen, Pasadena,Ca): Served blind. Darkly fruited with notes of tar. Mostly reserved and there was a touch of heat. The palate is pretty displaying nice balance including good acid and tannin. A touch of heat is the only reservation but I liked this one.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/3/2011 - jeff nowak wrote:
lazy with my alcohol level recording, but this has to be higher than the others? part of a vertical tasting 04-07. decanted over a couple of hours. this is just plain awful. an over extracted mess. undrinkable.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/28/2011 - HenryW wrote: 90 Points
Black and purple fruit. Some lavendar on the nose. Mocha flavors.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/23/2011 - WST wrote: 90 Points
Still a baby. Dense dark berries, a little minerality, although couldn't be mistaken for a N Rhone. Lasted 2 weeks on my argon winekeeper.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/3/2011 - Screameagle wrote: 91 Points
Tons of upside this wine is still a baby. Don't touch another bottle for at least 2-3 years maybe more. Starts with an incredible nose which I loved. Tastes like a wine that was just released rather than a wine that was released 3 years ago. To be honest I still like what Justin does with his own James Berry fruit this wine is certainly no slouch.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/7/2011 - pjhr wrote: 92 Points
Delicious blackberry, boysenberry, and spice notes on the nose and palate with soft tannins on the finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/24/2011 - Sellar Rat Likes this wine: 91 Points
Deep violet. Captivating nose of violets, berries, and black fruits. Rich, well-structured, good dark fruit. Still a slight tannic edge, but not out of balance. Not terribly complex at this stage, but no hurry to drink.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/21/2011 - Anonymous Does not like this wine:
This is big, round, lush and comfortable like an old leather chair. But there's not much structure and virtually no acidity. Lots of black fruit, olive and still some oak. I'm not sure what happens to this in 5 to 10 years so if you like this style, drink it now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/14/2011 - pilot360 wrote:
Very fruit driven, huge wine. Would benefit from a few years to mellow out a little.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/27/2011 - jonphillips wrote: 91 Points
Let the last one sit another year
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/28/2010 - Frank Murray III wrote:
15 months since my last bottle. Opened last night, poured a big glass, enjoyed over about 90 mins. Starts off slowly but as the room temp (call it 65 dgrees) warms the wine, it fleshes out. Last night my ending impression was "fruit bowl' in tone. Tonight, similar kind of approach, enjoyed with a homemade pea soup and garden salad from the yard. Still sense the floral aromatic as the last bottle, less dominant this time. My closing impressions are these--this is a dark wine, with deep flavors that are mainly blue with some black, and a full bodied weight. This is not a shy wine. It carries a deep core of flavor, a soily note but it squarely in the CA mode. Fruit driven, expressive and big shouldered. I can still see my comment from 2009 having some validity, to let it age but I would say this wine has softened quite a bit since last year. Drink window would be now (to enjoy the depth and span of the wine) or wait through 2012. It can hold a bit longer but I'll finish my last one in late 2011.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/6/2010 - gzim wrote: 92 Points
super nose of white flower, still a bit of tannins to integrate. hold for 3 years
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/24/2010 - parathesis wrote: 92 Points
Had a bottle for Littlegirl's wake. This was very nice but could use a year or two more in the bottle. Glad I have several of these. The 01 Banfi was a nicer wine this night.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/4/2010 - williamswhine wrote: 90 Points
Decent syrah-- dark and inky in color, dark berry nose, full bodied, fairly long finish. Nice bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/31/2010 - bonedocnine wrote: 91 Points
free and easy down the road I go - dirks Bentley. Wells is a stunning wine maker and this beast of a vineyard is nicely tamed. Really a great little wine. Drink up....it won't get any better!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/19/2010 - HenryW wrote: 89 Points
Purple floral notes on the nose and a hint of sweat. Palate has some chocolate flavors to go with the dark fruit. Aggressive tannins.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/2/2010 - jimmythesaint wrote:
Nice dark fruit and black olive on the nose with a little spice mixed in on the finish. However, the nose was much better than the finish which was a tad thin. Fared okay with coffee spiced ribeye.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/31/2010 - bonedocnine wrote: 93 Points
Rich, ripe, totally Paso Robles. The fruit is leaning torward dark fruits like bosenberry and current. Firm but supple tannins are noted. The structure is classic from winemaker Wells Guthrie. I really like this wine.....
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/10/2010 - gzim wrote: 92 Points
what a great nose of boysenberry with hints of the structure and wood to follow. On the palate the dark and blue fruits are up front, followed by a little gamey funk with plenty of wood showing, as I believe this is still very young and primary and only going to get better in the coming years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/21/2010 - Harrypotter wrote: 90 Points
Aromatically - olive, charr, and red fruit. On the palate nice density is present and fine grain tannin but the wine does not posses any real elegance or personality.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/5/2010 - gutt22 wrote:
14.9% alcohol. A youngster but it's showing beautifully because it is so well-made. Inky purple color. Gorgeous nose of blue fruit, meat, spice, and minerals. In the mouth, it could be brutish because it has loads of structure, but the balance and is impeccable. It's not an elegant wine, but there is something almost delicate in how it maintains balance on such structure, like a dancing bear. Loads of fruit in the mouth, with forceful complexity. Strong acidity and a long finish, which has beautifully done tannins. Drinking well but definitely better with age. A-
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/20/2010 - gzim wrote: 94 Points
nice funk wafting from the decanter with black and blue berries. After about 90 minutes in decanter, started nice and round, nice balance, a little tight tannins with enough acid to keep it very clean and fresh. The underlying ripe boysenberry with some gamey notes really made this special for me. got bigger as the night went on. Showed very young.. gotta keep my hands off these for 3-4 more years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/1/2010 - Mike Dildine wrote: 94 Points
Dark ruby red. Aromas of red, blue fruit and smoke. Comes to life on the palate with rasberry, blueberries and black cherry. Great mouthfeel. Rich, pure and well balanced. Aftertaste lingers for 40+ seconds. Extremely satisfying. Is Justin Smith's James Berry Vineyard one of the world's finest for Rhone varietals? I vote yes!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/22/2010 - Nanda wrote: 93 Points
Friday Night Grand Crew: California Syrah and Grenache Shoot-out (My Place): Purple color. Forward nose of raspberry, cream, toast and vanillin. Palate is rich with spice, meat and black pepper. Not as full bodied as other syrahs in the line up. Very chewy in the finish. My #9, Group #10. 1 guess for Grenache.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/31/2009 - glaze3 wrote:
Big ripe nose of dark fruits, asphalt, and smoke. Going in the nose had me thinking that this was going to be your typical James Berry, but it is not! Boysenberries and raspberries dominate on entry with asphalt and a charred wood. There is a huge amount of minerality as this finishes that really separates it from others expressions of this vineyard. Still quite tannic at this time ( starting kind of dusty but after being open for 5 hours really clamp down and become more aggressive. It is enjoyable now with about an hour of air, but did really shut down at about 5 hours, so I will not open another for at least a year.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/24/2009 - waragi wrote:
Drank with Emily at Corduroy for Christmas dinner. Decanted and drank over 2 hours. Beautiful thick ruby core. Began with intense dark fruit and I was pleasantly surprised by the tinge of acid. The wine seemed to gain weight as it evolved to show rich spicy and roasted elements, also coffee and cocoa. Long finish. Paired wonderfully with my lamb loin.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/20/2009 - emdub wrote: 95 Points
Possibly my favorite expression of the James Berry Vineyard. Love the stem inclusion and lower alcohol. Beautifully structured wine that has a long life ahead.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/31/2009 - jonphillips wrote: 93 Points
Not quite as good on day two
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/26/2009 - kstoddard wrote: 91 Points
Dark ruby color. Black cherry jello. Tastes of raspberry, cherry, licorice and kirsch. Charred oak that has integrated reasonably well. Well balanced. Rich powerful finish. Firm tannins. Quite young. 14.9% alcohol.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/15/2009 - jimmythesaint wrote: 91 Points
Nice balance and quite smooth for a young wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/18/2009 - ebrown35 wrote: 93 Points
Drank over two days. The fist day I picked up sweet blue fruit, a hint of smoked meat, strained yoghurt. The wine was big but with a nice spine of acidity and a tinge of minerality on the finish. I found it a little unintersting on day1. On Day 2 however, there were some nice characteristics soming through, the fruit was obvioulsy mor in the background and the mineral streak was cranked up. I like where this is heading, but definitely needs a couple more years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/8/2009 - blondon wrote:
Popped and poured, enjoyed over three hours. Dark and brooding color. Black olives, tar, dark fruits, pepper. Strikingly elegant, fresh and pure. Nice balance of sweet and savory, superb finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/25/2009 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Drank next to the 2004 Copain James Berry, an intentional comparison, as I opened the 2004 to go with it, along with previously drinking the 2005 about a week ago. Has more white flower aromatics versus the 2004, along with steely element, perhaps some heat. A juicy and broad palate, still young but as opposed to the 2004, pretty well packed and needs more time in the bottle. Forward and expressive.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/20/2009 - Jody Smith wrote: 93 Points
Pop and pour. Slight funk blows off with a quick swirl, revealing a high velocity attack of dried berries, black olives and charred beef. Very warm initially, but with air, the alcohol trades its volatility for glycerol weight and sweet fruit. Ultimately unfurls huge spice, citrus and floral aromatics. The finish is persistent, yet ethereal. It almost seems to evaporate on the tongue leaving behind fine tannin, and a minerally residual taste of crushed pencil lead. Plenty of energy in here to prop up its weight. Seems to hit a sweet spot with about 2hrs of air. Suggest a commensurate decant, or enjoy it’s full evolution in the glass if you’ve got a bottle to spend some time with.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/27/2009 - jasonh wrote: 91 Points
Had next to the Thompson over 3 days.
Aromatically this was a bit more Aussie like. Enjoyable. Mixture of mint, white pepper and a dusty element. Didn’t change much over the 3 days. This wine showed more fruit and less tannin, or at least the fruit was hiding the tannin. I really went back and forth on this wine. At times I found it uninteresting … and then later I found it very intriguing. In the end this was more up and down than the Thompson but equally as pleasurable.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/21/2009 - Drankthewholebottle wrote: 89 Points
Not quite outstanding, but excellent indeed. Not too extracted or oaked, which led to some tightly wound tannins. There was some nice mineral action going on with smoky dark fruit and spice. I think another 5+ years in the cellar will do wonders for it. @ $35, I'm not in a hurry to buy any more.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/16/2009 - HenryW wrote: 91 Points
Nose starts out with notes of violets and vanilla. After a while it takes on some deeper, more complex aromas--meaty and maybe some slightly green notes. Palate has lots of jazzy acidity and a hint of chocolate. Very nice now and likely to improve.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/25/2009 - sluttywine wrote: 93 Points
Definitely needs a few years. Seems only to give up fruit after 2 and a half hours and then it shows only the deep black fruit. I get lots of smoke/chimney aromas as well that seem to integrate over time open in bottle (no decanter used). I thouroughly enjoyed my experience with this wine but know (as I have with all Copain Wine) this is going to be fantastic in several years. Very tightly wound tannins seam to dissolve across the tougue and leave a 40second finish of yummy nummy goodness...93 points
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/23/2009 - MBrown wrote: 93 Points
Still early on this but wanted to try it. Nose is incredible, on the palate this is still a bit all over the map but day 2 it was coming together nicely....had alongside an 06 LC Cherry Red. Different varietals but same year/same location (Westside Paso) and this wine really came across darker with more depth and less sweetness than the zin based LC (though I love Matt's wines for other reasons). It was interesting to taste side by side. This wine on day 2 was finishing with a creamy blueberry finish that was awesome. The front/middle of the wine had so much going on I don't have the vocab to describe but it was pure and intense. For the life of me I cannot understand why quality CA Syrah does not have a bigger market...selfishly I'm happy it's not becoming more expensive so I'll keep my mouth shut.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/6/2009 - MichielV wrote: 90 Points
With Cocq au Riesling at Paul Rankin's (also brought a bottle McPrice Meyers). This indeed like the other notes say. This will be good but needs bottle age. It is a bit wild and disjointed but has everything, fruit, balance and life. Had the same feeling on a Pinot from Copain last week. Excellent wine for 2012 and beyond.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/23/2009 - parathesis wrote: 93 Points
Decanted. This one needs a couple of years in the bottle but Wells has done a fine job with dark fruits and minerals that last a very long time. I do not notice the high alcohol because of the great balance. Very nice. I am glad I bought a few of these.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/26/2008 - ptheimer wrote: 89 Points
Admittedly a bit disappointed BUT I think it's just very shut down for now, will need at least a few years to sing; tight, tight fruit with too much oak showing through. I popped and poured and it admittedly opened a bit more by glass number two but I don't plan to open my other bottles any time soon
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/27/2008 - pakabear wrote: 91 Points
A bit closed really on the nose. Dark fruit with a good amount of floral characteristics. Nicely balanced palate, I don't think this is as hot as others have said, dark cherry, blackberry and mocha... a bit high on the oak quite frankly. I think this needs some serious time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/21/2008 - moutondoc wrote: 93 Points
very fruit forward, little hot on the nose that blew off after a minute. nice restrained effort.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/28/2008 - Dale M wrote: 94 Points
Decanted three hours. Initially a bit warm on the nose, but this was not to last long as exotic shots of incense, blackberry pie and clove really added contemplation and intrigue. One of the bigger Copains I have ever had, which should be no surprise when seeing the source, but I was still amazed at how damn fresh this tasted, with the fruit gaining in clarity and definition with every sip. In fact, by the last glass I was tempted to call it “zesty”. Time will be most fortunate to those who can be patient with this one, and if not, decant the hell out of it!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/19/2008 - Jared wrote: 93 Points
Popped and poured. What a whole cluster f*ck! That's the first thing that went through my mind when I plunged my nose into the glass. If President Bush ever decides to sign a bill allowing "stem" cell research--they should look no further than the 06 Copain James Berry. The only thing at the outset that distracted me from how much I liked the nose (hints of sage and the usual Copain underbrush as well) was the color. The Deep blue and purple with bright magenta edges was a mesmerizing combination. I decided to let the wine sit in the glass for a half hour (much tougher to do than even differential equations) before finally tasting. When my lips hit the glass, I was immediately bombarded with everything that a wine can possess--tannin, alcohol, acid, fruit, and oak. The alcohol nosed its way in first, followed by chewy blue and black fruits surrounded by an acidic punch, oak, and an undercurrent of earthiness and smoke. On the finish, the tannins put an all out kung fu grip on your tongue and wouldn't relent for ay least 30 seconds. At this point, I decided to give the wine some more time to flesh itself out and let me tell you--flesh itself out it did! The heat and tannins with the Kung Fu grip were now a thing of the past and what was left had now transformed into a comfort wine. A richness and freshness had developed with plush blue and black fruits leaving your mouth coated in velvet. I felt like George Costanza in that Seinfeld episode where his girlfriend didn't care what he looked like so he decided to do what no self respecting mand would--drape himself in velvet. That was me at this point, a 36 year old George Costanza decked out in a velvet track suit. Life couldn't get any better! 93pts.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/7/2008 - Frank Murray III wrote:
50% whole cluster, 33% new oak and 14.9% alcohol, perhaps the biggest wine alcohol-wise of the 2006s, save the Thompson (I believe). My notes have a big star next to the wine, as well. Structure and plush fruit. Pure blue and black fruit. Shows some early silkiness and purity, which then is replaced by a cloak of stems and mocha wood that covers on the back end through the finish. Looks to be a killer interpretation of James Berry by Wells again.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment