Wow – Can’t believe it’s been five years since the last bottle. Life goes by fast, but this wine is aging like a friggin' champ! Nose: Deep blackberry/blueberry – tons of meat and bacon and BBQ sauce and black pepper and paprika – this is great. Palate: Tannins still dry but a bit rounded around the edges. Medium acidity, just enough to keep the mouth watering. Frying bacon, smoked meat, mushrooms glazed in balsamic, hay in a barn, vegetable garden after the rain, cracked pepper – I could keep riffing, but it’s already ridiculous. This has all sorts of crazy/complex flavors that you can pick out differently as the wine evolves over the course of the evening. Darker, sweeter elements of clove, cedar and mocha are woven in well, and play a tertiary role to the fruit and savory elements. Popped this, decanted it, and grilled some sausages and veggies – life is good, people!
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Three years since my last bottle, and this note is for the final remaining bottle I had in the cellar. I am fond of this wine, as I have so many good memories of the vineyard and the Macks, who used to live on and own the property. Moving forward, also seeing a close friend of mine now get fruit from the same plot, for Steve's Riverain wines. I opened this bottle y/day, so about a day ago. This is a bit more old era for me, as it drinks a bit bigger than the syrahs I pursue these days, yet what Jim Mack seemed to figure out well even back in that era of 5-6 years ago, and even in the vintage of 2007 which can tend to be bigger, was that he never let the wines get big. He consistently pulled back the oak and bumped up the whole cluster, what I recall was a pretty strong 30/30 approach. In tasting this wine, labeled at 14.1%, there is some frame here, which can be seen in the wine's dark color and to an extent, the darker fruit tones of blackberry. Aromatics of brewed coffee, potpourri, olive. And with what Michael Browne and Jim did so well, they didn't lose sight of the acidity and even some red fruit tones. There is dark chocolate here, licorice and some good lingering structure, all in the finish. The wine does warm as it travels down the palate and the 14+ alc does register after 2 glasses but it's reigned in enough to work. I suspect this wine will go longer and for my palate it should peak in 2016 and with the larger fruit tones, I'd not wait past that point.
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What Syrah is all about. Full bodied with lush dark fruits on a core of earthy and mild crushed olives lingering through the finish. Why didn't I buy 3 of these?
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I'm a big fan of what Carlisle does with this fruit so I was excited to try this wine. Unfortunately this followed a Darnaud Croze-Hermitage Les Trois Chenes which was deliciously loaded with spice, white pepper and acidity. After that one, this seemed much bigger and riper. There is some spice and decent acidity but last night, late in the lineup, the wine just seemed to big for my tastes. I'd like to try this by itself sometime when my palate is fresh.
Decanted 75 minutes- very fruit forward- a touch of heat on finish- full bodied- medium finish- moderate value- needs a couple more years for peak but great now. For future bottles I will decant minimum 2 hours.
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Deep and dark fruit. Nice spice/pepper elements and plenty of lift. Lots of extraction, but well balanced and easy to drink. No need to wait on these. Great syah from a vineyard that continues to impress.
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Dark, fruit driven, and refined. Glorious fruit on the nose, with tons of black raspberries and blueberies, and smoky bacon; rich and concentrated (but restrained) dark fruit flavors, with spice and black pepper; lovely well-integratred tannins for balance, and a long, bright finish. Decided to try something a bit bold for traditional thanksgiving dinner. It went reasonably well with the dark meat, stuffing and gravy, and it was enjoyed by all, but most agreed that it would have gone a bit better with tomorrow's annual barbecue with smoked ribs and brisket.
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Really liked the nose of this wine. Got a little funk and gaminess on the nose and palate after a short decant, but it dissipated over time. Very dark opaque wine with a deep purple hue and some sediment. Intense blackberry fruit that had a nice lift from the medium acidity level and finished with medium body after an entry of full body. Would of scored this a 93 at times, but didn't stay at that level for long, though I think additional cellar time may allow it to stay there longer. An upper tier CA syrah.
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Opened and got a couple hours air while pouring 3 tastes then sat under gas for 5 days. Notes from day 6. Beautiful aromas of violets, black olive, anise, smoked meat, white pepper... Juicy full bodied texture, tart blackberry/blueberry, with smoke, iron and a creamy mouth enveloping goodness. Beautiful balance at this stage. Tannins kick in and hang on through the tart, juicy finish. Still has years to go but kicking ass tonight!
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NO formal notes taken, tasted over 2 days. My impressions were of a cool climate syrah, balancing fruit with gaminess, ample acidity, and nice mouthfeel. Could use a few years to really blossom.
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Really nice stuff. Has beautiful meats and florals on the nose with the ever-present dark fruit. It has a medium body, nice acidity and a beautiful elegance. After about 7 hours opened it developed a dense olive note that I love in syrah. If tasted blind, I think I would have thought this was a St. Jopseh or Cote Rotie....very French in its composition.
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This is my second time with this wine (3rd if you count a friends corked bottle) and it is delicious. I usually consider Bennett Valley to be more cool climate Syrah, but this has such personality and vibrant fruit. Obviously, the vintage helps in that. Great black raspberry fruit with some grilled meats and a nice backbone of acidity. Long finish. I don't know how well this will age out but I would drink over the next five years. Why wait? Delicious.
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Jemrose Wine Dinner Jujube: Third wine of the Jujube Jemrose Winery dinner, paired with jujube and pork stuffed red pepper with red curry and mushrooms. Nose and palate are predominately earthy with hints of clean red fruits shining through- damp earth, tomato paste, black pepper, anise, bell pepper, smoke, roasted, mushrooms, cranberries, raspberries, black cherries, tobacco, and leather especially on the dry, tannic finish. Big, bold flavors with lots of tannic grip and long leathery finish. Seems dominated by tannins at this point; possible needs age or longer decant but nether of these factors could I control at this dinner.
Wine Rating: A-. Its a balance between old and new world, but really well made. Complex enough without being dominated by oak or alcohol. No telling if the tannins will relax with more time as the oak is balanced enough so that I really could not attribute the tannic structure predominately to the grape or barrel. Acidity is fair though the tannins are in control at this point. I enjoyed it but won't lie I balked at the regular $45 retail price tag; at this level you can find some Rhones that are more approachable.
Pairing: B-. The curry knocked out any fruit the wine offered, as well as the sweetness of the red pepper. The leathery finish does help to cleanse the spice off the palate, but otherwise I preferred each on its own.
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In Sonoma with Eric and Brian (Enoteca Della Santina Next Door): A delicious Syrah. Purple in color. The nose has black raspberries with some black pepper. It is not a monster, and typical of norther cal Syrahs in that there is a lot of structure, but the fruit fills it out and there is an interesting complexity. Just the slightest note of roasted coffee beans. The juicy texture makes it easy to drink. Very nice.
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Dark, inky, teeth staining. Really wanted to like this bottle more. Smooth but slightly acidic with tannic finish. Wanted a touch more sweetness out of this wine, no perceptible ripe fruit. Good, but not great.
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Decanted off the sediment, and there was a lot of it. Initial nose was big black and blue fruit but that was gone after maybe 15 minutes and some barnyard funk. Deep dark purple with long droopy legs. A little alcohol on the nose but mostly leather and charred meat. Big texture, fruit forward and chalky. Reminds me of an '03 Robert Foley PS with all that chalk. Going to give it some air and get some steaks on the grill. An hour later...Great with grilled rib eyes. The meat is countering the chalk somewhat and it's fleshing out a bit showing some white and black pepper to compliment the fruit. Smoking good for $29. Surely going back to the store for more. After hour 2 it's producing lots of black licorice as well. Yum.
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OC Blind Wine Crew Does Dinner and Italian (Again!) (Il Barone, Newport Beach CA): This wine really showed a french profile, barnyardy in character but not off-putting, which I sometimes feel when I get this kind of note. Stable, saddle, leather and still young and youthful with dark fruit. This bottle did not show like the one I wrote up in August 2010, which lacked these nuances. Not sure why I found so much variation between the two but I preferred the funk and nuance of this one.
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i drank this with my girlfriend with spaghetti and meatballs. the wine took the cake. it's brilliant purple out of the glass. the nose was so tight at first, but with mere minutes it started to show it's true force. blackberries, mocha, meat drippings, vanilla cola exude from the nose. over time i picked up more clove and cinnamon. the palate is dense and tannic as hell. the mouthfeel is tremendous. this is no fruit bomb though. it has serious complexity and tremendous weight. there's tons of red licorice, plum skins and some herbs and pepper. i kept getting this black cherry fountain soda note as well. this is new world syrah done, in my opinion, incredibly well . it's clearly an unfiltered wine, because the sediment is insane. it has lots of great secondary characteristics, but it's also got this lush fruit and gushy mouthfeel that is so sonoma. this really needs five years at least, and could easily last longer. incredible wine that i will desperately try to find more of.
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Oh yeah, pours out blackish with a purple robe. Smell of smoky raspberries and cinnamon. Full and viscous on the tongue with gentle acidity gliding through a bomb of red berry concentrate. Ladled and saucy of a generous nature lay across a velvet sheet. The finish lingers like a hot chick waiting for an apology.
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Great stuff once again. Starts out a little tight, showing a core of olives, plums and dark berried fruit, and with some air it really opens out as peppery spice, violets and meaty accents emerge. There's a sense of real brightness and purity to the flavours, with refreshing acidity beneath the fruit and firm tannins on the back end that suggest this has plenty of time ahead. Lovely right now, but it's still very primary and I suspect this will be even more enjoyable after a few years.
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A delicious wine. This was a solid example of how a new world winemaker can be faithful to his origins yet still deliver a wonderfully balanced, eminently drinkable package. We popped it into the decanter at the start of lunch, and it kept growing with time - wish we had decanted it some 30 minutes before. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it tremendously. Deep pruple colour, 14.1%, and you could sort of tell, but the alcohol was never too intrusive. Apart from a little touch of glycerol, it had a really nice deep Syrah nose, with lots of fresh plum scents, blackberries, some prunes, cassis and then opening up into roast meat with bits of herb and peppery spice. Clearly new world in its fruit forwardness, but oh so attractive. After all that lush fruit on the nose, the palate was almost surprising in its clean, fresh brightness. There was certainly a mouthfull of lovely blue and black berry flavours, and there were touches of alcohol and oak here and there, but what struck me most was the impressively fresh balance that made the wine so very drinkable and allowed it to pair with most of the dishes on the table. The mid-palate echoed some of roasted meat and spice notes picked up on the nose, and some charred wood and violet notes emerged on the finish alongside a little layer of firm but very fine tannins. Delicious stuff. Great now, but I would love to try it in another 5-6 years' time to see how it has evolved.
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Decanted and then drank over about 90 mins. While I would have wanted to let this sit for a few hours, fate claimed it too soon! Very dark color, quite purple and lending to black. Some of the whole cluster still infuses the aromatics. Delicious iron, dark berry, a hint of funk and saddle and slightly chalky quality, along with some nice decadence but not sweet. This really showed well and I'll vote a forward look by saying this wine seemed even to be a bit closed and with more time, if it unwinds out some more, this could turn into a head turner of a CA syrah.
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Flat out awesome Syrah. Still very young, with some tannic rough edges that I expect will smooth out with time, but there's a gorgeous core of deep black fruit and plummy flavours accented with wild spicy, peppery and meaty notes and fantastic balance and length.
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Wow this wine is really singing that's for sure. Joan and I absolutely loved this bottle. It's so good now why wait to drink my last bottle. I love syrahs made from the Cardiac Hill vineyard. This one might even be better than the Carlisle made from the same vineyard. Both are great that's for sure.
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A great bottle of wine, with great texture on the palate. Blueberries, raspberries, charred oak, smokey bacon balanced with nice acidity and minerality. This wine needs a few years as it is still quite tannic. Well done Jim!
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Dark color, with a charred element to the palate. Loads of dark fruit, some gingerbread/cinnamon notes, blueberry finishing acidity, in fact, lots of blue notes. There is a ferrous quality to the finish with a medium weight. Does not express big intensity or forwardness but rather a gentler, darker feel married together. And, with 24 hours being open, I polished off the rest of it tonight. This wine grows on me...the dark color, the gentle texture and dark blue accents of fruit. I would say this wine peaks in 12-18 months and goes through 2012.
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I recall really liking this bottle when we sampled it very early on this past January at Falltacular 09. For reference, this is Jim's vineyard, with Michael Browne (Kosta Browne) as the winemaker. 30% whole cluster and new oak. Black pepper, bacon fat and dark flavors but not heavy styled or thick. Call it medium weight with blackberry, fresh smoky blueberry. Like with the Jemrose Grenache, the weight and the flavors match nicely. Excellent, much as it was 4 months ago.
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An evening with Michael Browne and Jim Mack (La Madia, Chicago IL): nose: very deep and sumptuous nose filled with dark red cherries, olives, black fruits, black currants and bits of charcoal. There is a real cool air to it as it straddles the line between new and old world
taste: big and rich tones with a polished medium/full feel with dark red cherries, red and black currants, bits of spices and black fruits. Nice and deep with rich tannins that make themselves known, but don't interfere too much
overall: has the ability to be a real stunner. This is what cool-climate cali syrah is all about with good fruit flavors, but also some real nice northern rhone flavors thrown into the mix
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Dinner with Jim Mack & Michael Browne (La Madia, Chicago): Red fruits, black fruits, blue fruits, mint, dark spices, touch of meat juice, and a kind of brambly fruit tinge. Fruit forward nose, but the nuances make it intriguing. My scribbles after tasting start with "dark dark silky sweet." That's exactly what this wine is--great dark black & blue fruits, smokey tones, nice wood & spice hints. Good tannins on a finish that feels warm, plush, and dark but stays focused over its good length.
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12/25/2017 - tannictongue Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drank this last '07 on Christmas. Amen...was still strong but definitely time to drink up.
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7/30/2016 - isaacjamesbaker wrote: 93 Points
Wow – Can’t believe it’s been five years since the last bottle. Life goes by fast, but this wine is aging like a friggin' champ! Nose: Deep blackberry/blueberry – tons of meat and bacon and BBQ sauce and black pepper and paprika – this is great. Palate: Tannins still dry but a bit rounded around the edges. Medium acidity, just enough to keep the mouth watering. Frying bacon, smoked meat, mushrooms glazed in balsamic, hay in a barn, vegetable garden after the rain, cracked pepper – I could keep riffing, but it’s already ridiculous. This has all sorts of crazy/complex flavors that you can pick out differently as the wine evolves over the course of the evening. Darker, sweeter elements of clove, cedar and mocha are woven in well, and play a tertiary role to the fruit and savory elements. Popped this, decanted it, and grilled some sausages and veggies – life is good, people!
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11/29/2014 - WDK Likes this wine: 92 Points
Nicely balanced medium body and a long finish. Not a teeth stainer, but more of a cool climate style. Really tasty
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8/23/2014 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Three years since my last bottle, and this note is for the final remaining bottle I had in the cellar. I am fond of this wine, as I have so many good memories of the vineyard and the Macks, who used to live on and own the property. Moving forward, also seeing a close friend of mine now get fruit from the same plot, for Steve's Riverain wines. I opened this bottle y/day, so about a day ago. This is a bit more old era for me, as it drinks a bit bigger than the syrahs I pursue these days, yet what Jim Mack seemed to figure out well even back in that era of 5-6 years ago, and even in the vintage of 2007 which can tend to be bigger, was that he never let the wines get big. He consistently pulled back the oak and bumped up the whole cluster, what I recall was a pretty strong 30/30 approach. In tasting this wine, labeled at 14.1%, there is some frame here, which can be seen in the wine's dark color and to an extent, the darker fruit tones of blackberry. Aromatics of brewed coffee, potpourri, olive. And with what Michael Browne and Jim did so well, they didn't lose sight of the acidity and even some red fruit tones. There is dark chocolate here, licorice and some good lingering structure, all in the finish. The wine does warm as it travels down the palate and the 14+ alc does register after 2 glasses but it's reigned in enough to work. I suspect this wine will go longer and for my palate it should peak in 2016 and with the larger fruit tones, I'd not wait past that point.
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5/16/2014 - nickpelletier Likes this wine: 90 Points
Nice nose of vanilla spices and red ripe fruits. Nice balance. A new world Syrah (in the good sense).
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2/15/2014 - Mountster27 wrote: 93 Points
What Syrah is all about.
Full bodied with lush dark fruits on a core of earthy and mild crushed olives lingering through the finish.
Why didn't I buy 3 of these?
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11/26/2013 - Outplaying wrote:
I'm a big fan of what Carlisle does with this fruit so I was excited to try this wine. Unfortunately this followed a Darnaud Croze-Hermitage Les Trois Chenes which was deliciously loaded with spice, white pepper and acidity. After that one, this seemed much bigger and riper. There is some spice and decent acidity but last night, late in the lineup, the wine just seemed to big for my tastes. I'd like to try this by itself sometime when my palate is fresh.
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11/12/2013 - plitton wrote: 92 Points
Delicious raspberries. Fruity without being over-extracted or in-your-face. Light tannins and clean finish. Really nice.
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8/30/2013 - Bigbadbrewsky wrote: 94 Points
Delicious flavor. Crazy pedigree from wine makers. I love the value in this Syrah.
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6/23/2013 - N.Bonaparte wrote: 92 Points
See my prior reviews- great value
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4/24/2013 - N.Bonaparte wrote: 92 Points
See my prior review.
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2/1/2013 - N.Bonaparte wrote: 93 Points
60 min decant- silky smooth throughout. Medium bodied. Above average finish. Great value.
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1/11/2013 - N.Bonaparte wrote: 93 Points
45 min decant- drank at room temperature(recommended)- great mouth coating 'grip' on the wine and moderately complex- great finish-awesome value
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1/6/2013 - vinole wrote: 92 Points
Consistent with previous TN of 8/13/12.
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12/10/2012 - N.Bonaparte wrote: 92 Points
Decanted 75 minutes- very fruit forward- a touch of heat on finish- full bodied- medium finish- moderate value- needs a couple more years for peak but great now. For future bottles I will decant minimum 2 hours.
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11/30/2012 - DPMc wrote: 93 Points
Deep and dark fruit. Nice spice/pepper elements and plenty of lift. Lots of extraction, but well balanced and easy to drink. No need to wait on these. Great syah from a vineyard that continues to impress.
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11/22/2012 - wahoo70 wrote: 91 Points
Dark, fruit driven, and refined. Glorious fruit on the nose, with tons of black raspberries and blueberies, and smoky bacon; rich and concentrated (but restrained) dark fruit flavors, with spice and black pepper; lovely well-integratred tannins for balance, and a long, bright finish. Decided to try something a bit bold for traditional thanksgiving dinner. It went reasonably well with the dark meat, stuffing and gravy, and it was enjoyed by all, but most agreed that it would have gone a bit better with tomorrow's annual barbecue with smoked ribs and brisket.
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8/13/2012 - vinole wrote: 92 Points
Really liked the nose of this wine. Got a little funk and gaminess on the nose and palate after a short decant, but it dissipated over time. Very dark opaque wine with a deep purple hue and some sediment. Intense blackberry fruit that had a nice lift from the medium acidity level and finished with medium body after an entry of full body. Would of scored this a 93 at times, but didn't stay at that level for long, though I think additional cellar time may allow it to stay there longer. An upper tier CA syrah.
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7/30/2012 - River Rat wrote:
Opened and got a couple hours air while pouring 3 tastes then sat under gas for 5 days. Notes from day 6. Beautiful aromas of violets, black olive, anise, smoked meat, white pepper... Juicy full bodied texture, tart blackberry/blueberry, with smoke, iron and a creamy mouth enveloping goodness. Beautiful balance at this stage. Tannins kick in and hang on through the tart, juicy finish. Still has years to go but kicking ass tonight!
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6/24/2012 - bbcc66 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Nice nose. Dark blueberry & rasberry tastes.
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1/28/2012 - jdabrowski1027 wrote: 93 Points
NO formal notes taken, tasted over 2 days. My impressions were of a cool climate syrah, balancing fruit with gaminess, ample acidity, and nice mouthfeel. Could use a few years to really blossom.
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12/31/2011 - tooch wrote: 92 Points
Really nice stuff. Has beautiful meats and florals on the nose with the ever-present dark fruit. It has a medium body, nice acidity and a beautiful elegance. After about 7 hours opened it developed a dense olive note that I love in syrah. If tasted blind, I think I would have thought this was a St. Jopseh or Cote Rotie....very French in its composition.
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11/22/2011 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 92 Points
This is my second time with this wine (3rd if you count a friends corked bottle) and it is delicious. I usually consider Bennett Valley to be more cool climate Syrah, but this has such personality and vibrant fruit. Obviously, the vintage helps in that. Great black raspberry fruit with some grilled meats and a nice backbone of acidity. Long finish. I don't know how well this will age out but I would drink over the next five years. Why wait? Delicious.
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9/20/2011 - WineKnurd wrote: 90 Points
Jemrose Wine Dinner Jujube: Third wine of the Jujube Jemrose Winery dinner, paired with jujube and pork stuffed red pepper with red curry and mushrooms. Nose and palate are predominately earthy with hints of clean red fruits shining through- damp earth, tomato paste, black pepper, anise, bell pepper, smoke, roasted, mushrooms, cranberries, raspberries, black cherries, tobacco, and leather especially on the dry, tannic finish. Big, bold flavors with lots of tannic grip and long leathery finish. Seems dominated by tannins at this point; possible needs age or longer decant but nether of these factors could I control at this dinner.
Wine Rating: A-. Its a balance between old and new world, but really well made. Complex enough without being dominated by oak or alcohol. No telling if the tannins will relax with more time as the oak is balanced enough so that I really could not attribute the tannic structure predominately to the grape or barrel. Acidity is fair though the tannins are in control at this point. I enjoyed it but won't lie I balked at the regular $45 retail price tag; at this level you can find some Rhones that are more approachable.
Pairing: B-. The curry knocked out any fruit the wine offered, as well as the sweetness of the red pepper. The leathery finish does help to cleanse the spice off the palate, but otherwise I preferred each on its own.
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8/21/2011 - Martin Redmond wrote: 91 Points
Recap of 2011 Family Winemakers of California Tasting - San Francisco (Fort Mason Center - Festival Pavilion): Dark fruit, sweet wood, and smoky aromas. On the palate, dark fruit, vanilla flavors. Full bodied anad supple with a medium long finish.
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8/17/2011 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 92 Points
In Sonoma with Eric and Brian (Enoteca Della Santina Next Door): A delicious Syrah. Purple in color. The nose has black raspberries with some black pepper. It is not a monster, and typical of norther cal Syrahs in that there is a lot of structure, but the fruit fills it out and there is an interesting complexity. Just the slightest note of roasted coffee beans. The juicy texture makes it easy to drink. Very nice.
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8/16/2011 - daniel.jay wrote: 90 Points
Dark, inky, teeth staining. Really wanted to like this bottle more. Smooth but slightly acidic with tannic finish. Wanted a touch more sweetness out of this wine, no perceptible ripe fruit. Good, but not great.
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6/17/2011 - River Rat wrote:
Decanted off the sediment, and there was a lot of it. Initial nose was big black and blue fruit but that was gone after maybe 15 minutes and some barnyard funk. Deep dark purple with long droopy legs. A little alcohol on the nose but mostly leather and charred meat. Big texture, fruit forward and chalky. Reminds me of an '03 Robert Foley PS with all that chalk.
Going to give it some air and get some steaks on the grill.
An hour later...Great with grilled rib eyes. The meat is countering the chalk somewhat and it's fleshing out a bit showing some white and black pepper to compliment the fruit. Smoking good for $29. Surely going back to the store for more.
After hour 2 it's producing lots of black licorice as well. Yum.
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4/24/2011 - Loren Sonkin wrote: flawed
Winemakers you know (Mike G. visits) (Mike Posk's): Corked
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3/13/2011 - Vertical wrote: 91 Points
Syrah of the night by consensus
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2/19/2011 - Frank Murray III wrote:
OC Blind Wine Crew Does Dinner and Italian (Again!) (Il Barone, Newport Beach CA): This wine really showed a french profile, barnyardy in character but not off-putting, which I sometimes feel when I get this kind of note. Stable, saddle, leather and still young and youthful with dark fruit. This bottle did not show like the one I wrote up in August 2010, which lacked these nuances. Not sure why I found so much variation between the two but I preferred the funk and nuance of this one.
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2/13/2011 - isaacjamesbaker wrote: 93 Points
i drank this with my girlfriend with spaghetti and meatballs. the wine took the cake. it's brilliant purple out of the glass. the nose was so tight at first, but with mere minutes it started to show it's true force. blackberries, mocha, meat drippings, vanilla cola exude from the nose. over time i picked up more clove and cinnamon. the palate is dense and tannic as hell. the mouthfeel is tremendous. this is no fruit bomb though. it has serious complexity and tremendous weight. there's tons of red licorice, plum skins and some herbs and pepper. i kept getting this black cherry fountain soda note as well. this is new world syrah done, in my opinion, incredibly well . it's clearly an unfiltered wine, because the sediment is insane. it has lots of great secondary characteristics, but it's also got this lush fruit and gushy mouthfeel that is so sonoma. this really needs five years at least, and could easily last longer. incredible wine that i will desperately try to find more of.
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1/13/2011 - GreatLibations wrote: 91 Points
Oh yeah, pours out blackish with a purple robe. Smell of smoky raspberries and cinnamon. Full and viscous on the tongue with gentle acidity gliding through a bomb of red berry concentrate. Ladled and saucy of a generous nature lay across a velvet sheet. The finish lingers like a hot chick waiting for an apology.
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1/12/2011 - salil wrote: 92 Points
Great stuff once again. Starts out a little tight, showing a core of olives, plums and dark berried fruit, and with some air it really opens out as peppery spice, violets and meaty accents emerge. There's a sense of real brightness and purity to the flavours, with refreshing acidity beneath the fruit and firm tannins on the back end that suggest this has plenty of time ahead. Lovely right now, but it's still very primary and I suspect this will be even more enjoyable after a few years.
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1/12/2011 - Paul S wrote: 92 Points
A delicious wine. This was a solid example of how a new world winemaker can be faithful to his origins yet still deliver a wonderfully balanced, eminently drinkable package. We popped it into the decanter at the start of lunch, and it kept growing with time - wish we had decanted it some 30 minutes before. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it tremendously. Deep pruple colour, 14.1%, and you could sort of tell, but the alcohol was never too intrusive. Apart from a little touch of glycerol, it had a really nice deep Syrah nose, with lots of fresh plum scents, blackberries, some prunes, cassis and then opening up into roast meat with bits of herb and peppery spice. Clearly new world in its fruit forwardness, but oh so attractive. After all that lush fruit on the nose, the palate was almost surprising in its clean, fresh brightness. There was certainly a mouthfull of lovely blue and black berry flavours, and there were touches of alcohol and oak here and there, but what struck me most was the impressively fresh balance that made the wine so very drinkable and allowed it to pair with most of the dishes on the table. The mid-palate echoed some of roasted meat and spice notes picked up on the nose, and some charred wood and violet notes emerged on the finish alongside a little layer of firm but very fine tannins. Delicious stuff. Great now, but I would love to try it in another 5-6 years' time to see how it has evolved.
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8/29/2010 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Decanted and then drank over about 90 mins. While I would have wanted to let this sit for a few hours, fate claimed it too soon! Very dark color, quite purple and lending to black. Some of the whole cluster still infuses the aromatics. Delicious iron, dark berry, a hint of funk and saddle and slightly chalky quality, along with some nice decadence but not sweet. This really showed well and I'll vote a forward look by saying this wine seemed even to be a bit closed and with more time, if it unwinds out some more, this could turn into a head turner of a CA syrah.
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7/20/2010 - salil wrote: 92 Points
Flat out awesome Syrah. Still very young, with some tannic rough edges that I expect will smooth out with time, but there's a gorgeous core of deep black fruit and plummy flavours accented with wild spicy, peppery and meaty notes and fantastic balance and length.
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5/15/2010 - Screameagle wrote: 93 Points
Wow this wine is really singing that's for sure. Joan and I absolutely loved this bottle. It's so good now why wait to drink my last bottle. I love syrahs made from the Cardiac Hill vineyard. This one might even be better than the Carlisle made from the same vineyard. Both are great that's for sure.
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3/31/2010 - alanr Likes this wine: 90 Points
Rhone Rangers SF 2010: Nice lush, deep red fruits, some boysenberry, great acidity, shows a bit of ripeness.
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1/19/2010 - winelovr2001 wrote: 93 Points
A great bottle of wine, with great texture on the palate. Blueberries, raspberries, charred oak, smokey bacon balanced with nice acidity and minerality. This wine needs a few years as it is still quite tannic. Well done Jim!
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11/17/2009 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Dark color, with a charred element to the palate. Loads of dark fruit, some gingerbread/cinnamon notes, blueberry finishing acidity, in fact, lots of blue notes. There is a ferrous quality to the finish with a medium weight. Does not express big intensity or forwardness but rather a gentler, darker feel married together. And, with 24 hours being open, I polished off the rest of it tonight. This wine grows on me...the dark color, the gentle texture and dark blue accents of fruit. I would say this wine peaks in 12-18 months and goes through 2012.
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11/14/2009 - blondon wrote:
Rhone Dinner at Frank Murray's with Jim & Gloria Mack: Maple syrup, blueberries, sausage and pancakes. Yes, it did smell like breakfast in the glass. Nice balance, good finish.
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6/7/2009 - Frank Murray III wrote:
I recall really liking this bottle when we sampled it very early on this past January at Falltacular 09. For reference, this is Jim's vineyard, with Michael Browne (Kosta Browne) as the winemaker. 30% whole cluster and new oak. Black pepper, bacon fat and dark flavors but not heavy styled or thick. Call it medium weight with blackberry, fresh smoky blueberry. Like with the Jemrose Grenache, the weight and the flavors match nicely. Excellent, much as it was 4 months ago.
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5/12/2009 - KeithAkers wrote: 93 Points
An evening with Michael Browne and Jim Mack (La Madia, Chicago IL): nose: very deep and sumptuous nose filled with dark red cherries, olives, black fruits, black currants and bits of charcoal. There is a real cool air to it as it straddles the line between new and old world
taste: big and rich tones with a polished medium/full feel with dark red cherries, red and black currants, bits of spices and black fruits. Nice and deep with rich tannins that make themselves known, but don't interfere too much
overall: has the ability to be a real stunner. This is what cool-climate cali syrah is all about with good fruit flavors, but also some real nice northern rhone flavors thrown into the mix
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5/12/2009 - cobbpa wrote: 93 Points
Dinner with Jim Mack & Michael Browne (La Madia, Chicago): Red fruits, black fruits, blue fruits, mint, dark spices, touch of meat juice, and a kind of brambly fruit tinge. Fruit forward nose, but the nuances make it intriguing. My scribbles after tasting start with "dark dark silky sweet." That's exactly what this wine is--great dark black & blue fruits, smokey tones, nice wood & spice hints. Good tannins on a finish that feels warm, plush, and dark but stays focused over its good length.
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