Part of a large tasting, wasn't able to take detailed notes.
For a 2006 I thought this wasn't showing much age. Beautifully balanced fruit, medium-full bodied, but had a nice framework of tannins and acidity that kept it focused. Really enjoyed this and thought it unlike most goopy rich Cali syrah.
Drinking beautifully now but can cellar for awhile longer.
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drank 20 minutes after decanting. Very ripe and extracted, really sweet, nice and fragrant, oaky. More open an hour after decanting, really sweet and syrupy on the nose.
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decanted 15 minutes after opening. Initially served too warm. Really jammy nose with blueberries, leather, potpourri, cedar, eucalyptus notes. Fragrant and delicious Californian syrah. One hour in decanter the nose was beautiful and luscious, but the acidity got higher on the palate and the tannins got a little grippy.
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One of the very few California wines I’ve had that had improved with age. Loads of olive, red currant, black cherry, violet, earth, iron fillings, minerals. The savory elements are prominent but the fruit is still wonderfully supple. It almost goes a bit too far as the fruits have just a slight raisin component however the complexity and savory elements give it great breath of flavors. Super interesting and not like any California Syrah I’ve had.
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really ripe and jammy upon opening. Served 1½ hours after decanting. Not as sweet as expected on the palate. Minty and metallic. Acidity was higher than expected, and tannins were still here.
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PnP. Still a very big wine with over-the-top ripe/nearly jammy black fruits. Alcohol came through a touch too much for my taste, but there is certainly a lot going on with this wine and it more than just a fruit bomb.
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On the one hand, it's the best showing yet for this vintage - still a fair amount of blackberry fruit present, along with a saline note lying somewhere between beef blood and sweat, with a modest amount of unresolved tannins on the finish. On the other hand, that saline note lies quite far in the background; most of what is here is blackberry liqueur, and not much more. I don't see those remaining tannins changing the story a great deal.
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Very youthful still. The nose is flamboyant with blackberry, smoked meats and violets. The body is thick and concentrated with blackberry, minerals, smoked meat and spice flavors coming through. I rate this less than I did a few years ago as I think it has taken on a bit of a sweat jammy element that mars some of the wines focus but still overall a very good wine.
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Decanted for two hours before service. There are occasional hints of something nice in here, but they're buried underneath astringency and tannins, making it an unappealing drink right now.
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Wow this is good. Beautiful nose but then just opens with layers of flavor and a fleshy mouth feel. Concentrated black fruits, smoke, roasted meats, spices. Long finish and great balance.
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San Francisco; 4/15/2014-4/18/2014 (San Francisco Area): Young and rich with spicy nose, roast meat feel. Good solid core of ripe fruit that carries the wine from start to finish. Young wine and on the fruit, very much a cote rotie style wine with a riper Californian edge. Elegant and full of promise. Should be treated like a great cote roties and allowed to age . Very very good. 93 at this stage but lots of potential. Wait 5yrs
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Eucalyptus and mint. Deep wine with a great deal of complexity. Not sweet or syrupy what so ever! Fruit did come out more towards the end. Decanted for an hour and drank over 4 hours.
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Wow... Fantastic example of a single vineyard syrah - approachable but with such a depth behind it. Seriously wowed me from my base expectations. Not the type of score I gladly throw around, but I would buy all day at the $80ish I acquired at (not sure about list price).
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Looking fairly inky in the glass. Lovely floral nose, just a bit thin and alcoholic midpalate, although the solid of core of blueberry was quite pleasant . Black pepper added complexity after a little time in the glass. This was generally warm and simple, but still fun to drink.
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Pop and pour into a decanter, and started drinking straightaway, which was unfair to the wine, but so it goes. In the glass, opaque maroon-red. On the nose, an initial burst of alcohol that blew off after about 10 minutes, followed by a blast of somewhat astringent blackberry and a touch of dill, with a long tannin-driven finish. Not at all sure where this is going, but again, this really needed a multi-hour decant.
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I'm a bit hazy on this wine as I only had a small taste after having had a lot of other things to drink. This reminded me of a number of other Kongsgaard syrahs that I have had, and they were all outstanding. Great depth f fruit without sweetness, meatiness and full palate coverage.
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Fantastic. Power matched with elegance and a sense of restraint, layering dark fruits, floral elements, earth and other savoury elements together in a seamless package. This is a big wine, but really well balanced with a sense of freshness to the fruit flavours, great balance and flavours that just persist and resonate long after each sip.
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Ooo, aahhhhhhhhhhhhh, and the finish lasts longer than that. One down, three more in the cellar. Certainly a reason to drive slower, eat broccoli (beside the fact that broccoli tastes good,) exercise, laugh with friends, not go skydiving... I have to be on this planet long enough to appreciate those last three bottles.
Young but extraordinary now. A prodigy. Smooth, chalky, complex, sexy. I could go into the black cherry and pepper and other 50 flavors but I would miss many and that would not be fair. All of them are critical and who wants to give away an ending better than Casablanca without cliche? But remember Casablanca was not cliche in its day. It is a stereotype because it is so emulated. Drink this Kongsgaard and you are drinking history and future. They should be talking about this wine 50 years from now. What fun it will be to say I knew her when she was three.
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California tasting with the "No Name" wine club in Copenhagen. (Kenneths place): Nose: sweet blackberry, buttermilk and ripe banana. Palate: Wild and very primary fruit of black currant and blackberries. A lot of black and green pepper. Extremely overdone but the alcohol was to much for me in this wine. A lot of the others really enjoyed this but to me I could not get past the alcohol (and I am not squemish).
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Uncorked DK does Northern Rhône - Guigal, Chave, Chapoutier and more (Premisse, Copenhagen): This is also inky black. The nose is sweet with a certain level of acid, loads of coffee and herbs. In the mouth everything is in balance and the wine is very intense. Very long aftertaste with sweet candied fruit and salty herbs (seaweed?). In spite of the huge concentration there is also good lift. This is not in the same league as the 2005, but not fat either. Some in the group found combination of sweet fruit and the acid to be "artificial", but bearing in mind how naturally these wines are made I think it is just part of the fascination. (U:94,6)
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2/22/2023 - Rbhan12 Likes this wine:
Part of a large tasting, wasn't able to take detailed notes.
For a 2006 I thought this wasn't showing much age. Beautifully balanced fruit, medium-full bodied, but had a nice framework of tannins and acidity that kept it focused. Really enjoyed this and thought it unlike most goopy rich Cali syrah.
Drinking beautifully now but can cellar for awhile longer.
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3/29/2022 - Peech wrote: 91 Points
pop and poured. Sooooo ripe, soooo jammy, sooo sharp and alcoholic. Like alcoholic Ribena. Lots of overripe honeydew melon. So sweet on the palate.
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3/11/2022 - Peech Likes this wine: 94 Points
drank 20 minutes after decanting. Very ripe and extracted, really sweet, nice and fragrant, oaky. More open an hour after decanting, really sweet and syrupy on the nose.
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10/9/2021 - Peech Likes this wine: 95 Points
decanted 15 minutes after opening. Initially served too warm. Really jammy nose with blueberries, leather, potpourri, cedar, eucalyptus notes. Fragrant and delicious Californian syrah. One hour in decanter the nose was beautiful and luscious, but the acidity got higher on the palate and the tannins got a little grippy.
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5/13/2021 - brettay wrote: 94 Points
One of the very few California wines I’ve had that had improved with age. Loads of olive, red currant, black cherry, violet, earth, iron fillings, minerals. The savory elements are prominent but the fruit is still wonderfully supple. It almost goes a bit too far as the fruits have just a slight raisin component however the complexity and savory elements give it great breath of flavors. Super interesting and not like any California Syrah I’ve had.
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2/16/2021 - Peech Likes this wine: 92 Points
really ripe and jammy upon opening. Served 1½ hours after decanting. Not as sweet as expected on the palate. Minty and metallic. Acidity was higher than expected, and tannins were still here.
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2/15/2021 - mxpbuy Likes this wine: 92 Points
PnP. Still a very big wine with over-the-top ripe/nearly jammy black fruits. Alcohol came through a touch too much for my taste, but there is certainly a lot going on with this wine and it more than just a fruit bomb.
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12/9/2018 - jshufelt wrote: 90 Points
On the one hand, it's the best showing yet for this vintage - still a fair amount of blackberry fruit present, along with a saline note lying somewhere between beef blood and sweat, with a modest amount of unresolved tannins on the finish. On the other hand, that saline note lies quite far in the background; most of what is here is blackberry liqueur, and not much more. I don't see those remaining tannins changing the story a great deal.
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11/11/2018 - mclanew wrote: 92 Points
Very youthful still. The nose is flamboyant with blackberry, smoked meats and violets. The body is thick and concentrated with blackberry, minerals, smoked meat and spice flavors coming through. I rate this less than I did a few years ago as I think it has taken on a bit of a sweat jammy element that mars some of the wines focus but still overall a very good wine.
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6/16/2017 - canan wrote: 95 Points
BYO Dinner (AOC): Jammy and fresh blackberry fruit and still very young wine??? Needs update..
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12/31/2014 - jshufelt wrote: 85 Points
Decanted for two hours before service. There are occasional hints of something nice in here, but they're buried underneath astringency and tannins, making it an unappealing drink right now.
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10/16/2014 - AlexHop wrote: 95 Points
Nose is pepper and a little floral. Big huge mouth with fruit and pepper and dark fruit. Very long beautiful finish. Tasted at Meadowood.
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4/18/2014 - mclanew Likes this wine: 94 Points
Wow this is good. Beautiful nose but then just opens with layers of flavor and a fleshy mouth feel. Concentrated black fruits, smoke, roasted meats, spices. Long finish and great balance.
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4/16/2014 - Papies wrote: 93 Points
San Francisco; 4/15/2014-4/18/2014 (San Francisco Area): Young and rich with spicy nose, roast meat feel. Good solid core of ripe fruit that carries the wine from start to finish. Young wine and on the fruit, very much a cote rotie style wine with a riper Californian edge. Elegant and full of promise. Should be treated like a great cote roties and allowed to age . Very very good. 93 at this stage but lots of potential. Wait 5yrs
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3/14/2014 - theodore3 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Just ok. Decanted for an hour but still a bit tart.
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10/11/2013 - dougie Likes this wine: 93 Points
Eucalyptus and mint. Deep wine with a great deal of complexity. Not sweet or syrupy what so ever! Fruit did come out more towards the end. Decanted for an hour and drank over 4 hours.
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1/1/2013 - TastesGoodToMe Likes this wine: 91 Points
Excellent Syrah. But I agree with PETITBLANC that this was "a bit thin and alcoholic midpalate". I liked the '07 much more.
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10/19/2012 - petitblanc wrote: flawed
Not sure where this bottle got damaged along the way, but showing VA and little else.
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6/5/2012 - mrmedoes wrote: 94 Points
Wow... Fantastic example of a single vineyard syrah - approachable but with such a depth behind it. Seriously wowed me from my base expectations. Not the type of score I gladly throw around, but I would buy all day at the $80ish I acquired at (not sure about list price).
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1/14/2012 - petitblanc wrote: 91 Points
Looking fairly inky in the glass. Lovely floral nose, just a bit thin and alcoholic midpalate, although the solid of core of blueberry was quite pleasant . Black pepper added complexity after a little time in the glass. This was generally warm and simple, but still fun to drink.
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12/27/2011 - jshufelt wrote: 88 Points
Pop and pour into a decanter, and started drinking straightaway, which was unfair to the wine, but so it goes. In the glass, opaque maroon-red. On the nose, an initial burst of alcohol that blew off after about 10 minutes, followed by a blast of somewhat astringent blackberry and a touch of dill, with a long tannin-driven finish. Not at all sure where this is going, but again, this really needed a multi-hour decant.
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8/19/2011 - cortoncharlie wrote: 85 Points
YUCK! over extracted fruit bomb.
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5/29/2011 - J @ y H @ c k wrote: 92 Points
I'm a bit hazy on this wine as I only had a small taste after having had a lot of other things to drink. This reminded me of a number of other Kongsgaard syrahs that I have had, and they were all outstanding. Great depth f fruit without sweetness, meatiness and full palate coverage.
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5/29/2011 - salil wrote: 93 Points
Fantastic. Power matched with elegance and a sense of restraint, layering dark fruits, floral elements, earth and other savoury elements together in a seamless package. This is a big wine, but really well balanced with a sense of freshness to the fruit flavours, great balance and flavours that just persist and resonate long after each sip.
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12/30/2010 - arniec Likes this wine: 92 Points
Medium weight. Lots of fruit. Very nice.
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10/16/2009 - Thralow wrote: 97 Points
Ooo, aahhhhhhhhhhhhh, and the finish lasts longer than that. One down, three more in the cellar. Certainly a reason to drive slower, eat broccoli (beside the fact that broccoli tastes good,) exercise, laugh with friends, not go skydiving... I have to be on this planet long enough to appreciate those last three bottles.
Young but extraordinary now. A prodigy. Smooth, chalky, complex, sexy. I could go into the black cherry and pepper and other 50 flavors but I would miss many and that would not be fair. All of them are critical and who wants to give away an ending better than Casablanca without cliche? But remember Casablanca was not cliche in its day. It is a stereotype because it is so emulated. Drink this Kongsgaard and you are drinking history and future. They should be talking about this wine 50 years from now. What fun it will be to say I knew her when she was three.
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5/20/2009 - Zweder wrote: 95 Points
Occasional tasting group: Just training our blind tasting skills. (@ PVa): The bouquet explodes from the glass. A lot of sweetness. Eucalyptus, mint, chocolate cassis, blackberries, blueberries. Enormously concentrated and with a lot of everything in a good way. Great wine!
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4/24/2009 - canan wrote:
California tasting with the "No Name" wine club in Copenhagen. (Kenneths place): Nose: sweet blackberry, buttermilk and ripe banana.
Palate: Wild and very primary fruit of black currant and blackberries. A lot of black and green pepper. Extremely overdone but the alcohol was to much for me in this wine.
A lot of the others really enjoyed this but to me I could not get past the alcohol (and I am not squemish).
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1/9/2009 - gorm wrote: 95 Points
Uncorked DK does Northern Rhône - Guigal, Chave, Chapoutier and more (Premisse, Copenhagen): This is also inky black. The nose is sweet with a certain level of acid, loads of coffee and herbs. In the mouth everything is in balance and the wine is very intense. Very long aftertaste with sweet candied fruit and salty herbs (seaweed?). In spite of the huge concentration there is also good lift. This is not in the same league as the 2005, but not fat either. Some in the group found combination of sweet fruit and the acid to be "artificial", but bearing in mind how naturally these wines are made I think it is just part of the fascination.
(U:94,6)
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10/10/2008 - Thralow wrote: 90 Points
Whoa, way too young. This was better after being left open for 24 hours. The next day it was a 91... someday? 95.
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