A little low on acidity, but otherwise a very nice wine. Dark and red fruits, olive, mineral. Soft tannins. Easy drinking. Spot on match for a spicy ribeye.
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Tasted blind. Enveloping nose. Strawberries, camphor, and rainwater aromas. Hints of lit cigar that some might call dirty, but I call a welcome touch of funk. The palate shows autumn herbs amidst juicy red and blue fruit. This has impressive length, with peaks of camphor and fine tannins.
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Coming together very nicely. Rich polished fruit, with a zesty black cherry flavor, softening tannins and a nicely nuanced finish of syrah spiciness and cabernet florality. Could last for another 5+ years easily.
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Clearly an outlier here, but this dark garnet smelled of raisins and stewed plums. Once by that, oak, smoke, vanilla, toast etc. Little structure, rather short, and generally unappealingly average.
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on the nose is 100% syrah yet this is 2/3 cabernet the fruit is in harmony with the tannins and earth and got better as the evening evolved best wine of the early new year so far
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K&L Pacific Northwest Tasting (K&L Redwood City): Savory nose, not bacon, but some pork product... smoked ham maybe? Medium-bodied with dark fruits, balanced but not terribly complex. Finishes a bit short. Good, but a little disappointing given winemaker and price.
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I put the wine through a Vintur Aerator and then decanted this vintage for an hour. This is really a nice bottle of wine. I have one bottle left and will let it rest for a couple more years and the try again! Color: dark purple to black purple. Aroma: blackberry, dark cherries and blueberries. Tasting notes: Full-bodied with blackberry, spices, smoked meat, dark chocolate and violets…nicely balanced. The French oak adds an elaborate layer of smoky caramel! I really enjoyed this wine!
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Pop and pour in a hot spring evening. If I could rate this wine solely on the nose I would go at least a 95, but hey, that's why the nose gets its own scoring portion, ya know? In one word, I would say RESTRAINED, which is the last thing I expected from this cab/syrah blend (maybe it's the cab that is holding back the usual K syrah power). The nose is not just explosive, but it's very complicated - an infusion of sweet black cherries, bittersweet chocolate and even some dark leather and tar (the leather especially carries in the background on the tongue, along with some nice smoked porkbelly flavors) that both resounds from the glass and does its best to fill out the room around the glass. The initial flavor profile are blueberry pancakes and butter, with that underlying leather and bacon. The tannins don't overpower, instead they have a very restrained (there's that descriptor again) presence, more like plush denim than anything else. I can dig that profile, especially for a wine that's only been in bottle for six months or so. It's the midpalate and the finish that both vex and worry me - they aren't the requisite components that this wine needs right now to push is into the mid 90s, and I think that's the cab that's causing for this letdown. I'm going to try this again on day two and see if some more time in a closed bottle does something to open up the wine. But I think that in 2-3 years this wine will be much improved, it's just not this wine's time at the present.
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Decanted for 2 1/2 hours. Deep and dark lavender with a reddish-chrystal rim. Brilliant nose of candied cranberry, strawberry, spice, leather and slight plum. Well layered and integrated. Long finish and the tannins are silky with a little velvet. This is more elegant than it is plush. Nice concentration, however, different than some of his other wines. The Francophiles will appreciate this and I am rather surprised. This Cabernet - Syrah blend seems like Grange des Peres meets St. Estephe. Superlative. It's a little shut down and would benefit from a couple more years of cellaring. If you were to drink now, some major coaxing is mandatory. Drink 2013 - 2025.
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The Walla Walla Wildman: Charles Smith / K Vintners (Wine Exchange - Orange, CA): Brick ruby purple with aromas of currant, blackberry, and spices. There is nice acidic bite and firm tannins on the palate. The fruit could use a little more depth but the flavors are pleasant with notes of raspberry, herbs, and earth. This seems somewhat restrained but maybe it is in a closed phase.
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7/30/2019 - wine4ever Likes this wine:
A little low on acidity, but otherwise a very nice wine. Dark and red fruits, olive, mineral. Soft tannins. Easy drinking. Spot on match for a spicy ribeye.
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6/30/2018 - Doc90 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Tasted blind. Enveloping nose. Strawberries, camphor, and rainwater aromas. Hints of lit cigar that some might call dirty, but I call a welcome touch of funk. The palate shows autumn herbs amidst juicy red and blue fruit. This has impressive length, with peaks of camphor and fine tannins.
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12/18/2017 - casebo85 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Very good wine. Classic K Vintner nose with a beautiful, full finish. Could probably hold for another year or two, but I would drink it up.
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4/19/2017 - sanjuanlewis Likes this wine: 95 Points
Stellar!
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8/1/2016 - Mr.Overhill Likes this wine: 93 Points
Coming together very nicely. Rich polished fruit, with a zesty black cherry flavor, softening tannins and a nicely nuanced finish of syrah spiciness and cabernet florality. Could last for another 5+ years easily.
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1/5/2015 - mulder wrote: 93 Points
Black fruit and a little smokey, cayuse funky, with cured meat characteristic on the nose. Dark fruits, black olive, and minerals notes.
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12/21/2014 - smphelps wrote: 82 Points
Clearly an outlier here, but this dark garnet smelled of raisins and stewed plums. Once by that, oak, smoke, vanilla, toast etc. Little structure, rather short, and generally unappealingly average.
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1/11/2014 - bugdoced wrote: 94 Points
on the nose is 100% syrah yet this is 2/3 cabernet
the fruit is in harmony with the tannins and earth and got better as the evening evolved
best wine of the early new year so far
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8/28/2010 - zscheiner Likes this wine: 89 Points
K&L Pacific Northwest Tasting (K&L Redwood City): Savory nose, not bacon, but some pork product... smoked ham maybe? Medium-bodied with dark fruits, balanced but not terribly complex. Finishes a bit short. Good, but a little disappointing given winemaker and price.
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8/23/2010 - dawgdaze Likes this wine: 90 Points
67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Syrah
I put the wine through a Vintur Aerator and then decanted this vintage for an hour. This is really a nice bottle of wine. I have one bottle left and will let it rest for a couple more years and the try again!
Color: dark purple to black purple. Aroma: blackberry, dark cherries and blueberries. Tasting notes: Full-bodied with blackberry, spices, smoked meat, dark chocolate and violets…nicely balanced. The French oak adds an elaborate layer of smoky caramel!
I really enjoyed this wine!
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4/6/2010 - Mr.Overhill wrote: 91 Points
Pop and pour in a hot spring evening. If I could rate this wine solely on the nose I would go at least a 95, but hey, that's why the nose gets its own scoring portion, ya know? In one word, I would say RESTRAINED, which is the last thing I expected from this cab/syrah blend (maybe it's the cab that is holding back the usual K syrah power). The nose is not just explosive, but it's very complicated - an infusion of sweet black cherries, bittersweet chocolate and even some dark leather and tar (the leather especially carries in the background on the tongue, along with some nice smoked porkbelly flavors) that both resounds from the glass and does its best to fill out the room around the glass. The initial flavor profile are blueberry pancakes and butter, with that underlying leather and bacon. The tannins don't overpower, instead they have a very restrained (there's that descriptor again) presence, more like plush denim than anything else. I can dig that profile, especially for a wine that's only been in bottle for six months or so. It's the midpalate and the finish that both vex and worry me - they aren't the requisite components that this wine needs right now to push is into the mid 90s, and I think that's the cab that's causing for this letdown. I'm going to try this again on day two and see if some more time in a closed bottle does something to open up the wine. But I think that in 2-3 years this wine will be much improved, it's just not this wine's time at the present.
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2/1/2010 - Matt Scott wrote: 94 Points
Decanted for 2 1/2 hours. Deep and dark lavender with a reddish-chrystal rim. Brilliant nose of candied cranberry, strawberry, spice, leather and slight plum. Well layered and integrated. Long finish and the tannins are silky with a little velvet. This is more elegant than it is plush. Nice concentration, however, different than some of his other wines. The Francophiles will appreciate this and I am rather surprised. This Cabernet - Syrah blend seems like Grange des Peres meets St. Estephe. Superlative. It's a little shut down and would benefit from a couple more years of cellaring. If you were to drink now, some major coaxing is mandatory.
Drink 2013 - 2025.
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1/27/2010 - Badfish wrote: 90 Points
The Walla Walla Wildman: Charles Smith / K Vintners (Wine Exchange - Orange, CA): Brick ruby purple with aromas of currant, blackberry, and spices. There is nice acidic bite and firm tannins on the palate. The fruit could use a little more depth but the flavors are pleasant with notes of raspberry, herbs, and earth. This seems somewhat restrained but maybe it is in a closed phase.
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1/16/2010 - randalleron wrote:
Laur enjoyed.
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12/27/2009 - ChinonRouge wrote: 92 Points
A young wine. Nice finish. Give it some time. It will be even more impressive in a few years. Recommended.
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11/6/2009 - soyhead wrote: 91 Points
nose -roasted meat, cola, oak
mouth -full flavored yet not heavy - blueberry, blackberry, very juicy fresh fruits making for a yummy midpalate
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