Deep purple color, big nose of dark fruit and spice the wine is pretty massive, with huge upfront fruit, lots of spice and acidity and relatively smooth tannins. It still has tons of life but should be drunk over the next 2-5 years.
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P&P. Even after several hours, the nose is my least favorite part - potpourri, sun ripened blackberry, and alcohol. In the mouth this is great - green olive in brine, black fruit, good acidity, and a steely minerality (scorched earth? LOL) added on the finish. Exceptional and captivating. This has time left to enjoy.
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Excellent wine. One of the best American Syrah I’ve had. Still youthful, with Syrah red fruit, French oak notes, pepper, and a slight amount of meat. Not as complex as it’s Rhône sisters and brothers but straddles the line between old and new world well by being balanced and lacking the over alcoholic and over extraction of many Central Californian Shiraz, not mentioning any names,... ahem Alban and Saxum. Clearly cooler climate in Carneros even in 2007. I’d say it’s got 10 years more in the tank with high hopes for secondary complexity.
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A huge, monolithic wine. Initial olive on nose dissipated quickly leaving a wall of dense blackberry to coat the palate. Still good acidity, will hold here for 4 or 5 years.
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90 min decant. Deep opaque eggplant color. Big nose of black olive, soy, beef stock, blackberry and raspberry. Wow, big punch of flavor that is similar to nose but more dominated by black olive. Full bodied and viscous mouthfeel. A little out of balance with Very High acidity and lower tannins. Very interesting wine. About 91; full throttle and unique but not really my style. Girlfriend really enjoyed this one.
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Decanted for 2 hrs, wonderful ripe dark fruits nose, with a front loaded expression of the dark fruits, but a surprisingly quick finish, leaving me wanting for more. Paired beautifully with our filets, but it was a slightly underwhelming quaff.
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Awesome. Black olives, pepper, mocha on the nose. A wonderful mouthfeel, with a just perfect acidic punch in the middle so often lacking in rich Cali syrahs. Finish is long. This huge wine is so perfectly balanced, it almost feels light somehow. I loved it.
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Poured from a magnum. Very tasty. It's a bit more meaty while still having a very nice fruit profile. Enjoyable. Still young. Could use at least another 10 years.
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After an hour of decanting this is a delicious but serious wine. The whole package - great nose, nice balance with power and long finish. Black fruits, smoked meats, olive, minerals and spices. Early stages of developing a bit of complexity. High in alcohol but you don’t notice much. Think it has at least five more years of prime drinking ahead.
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Double decanted then SO'd for a few hrs, deep ruby, (looks like a young wine), big nose & palate of blue/blackberry with some spice, mod. tannins, long finish; delicious & ready to drink, but definitely no rush
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Pretty great. Big blueberry, concord grape, anise, mint, smoked meat. This is still pretty sizable I'd guess there are still great things to be seen from this in years to come.
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Reva 06 vs Poker Face Dinner (Bistro Boheme): Lovely and fresh black/blueberry with a touch of vanilla and oak. Has also developed nice flavors of olive tapenade and smoked meat.. A nicely well aged syrah that is a pleasure to drink.
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Incredible syrupy texture packed with an powerful blast of smoked meat, black/blueberry, vanilla, oak, and anise. The body is silky smooth but lacking the structural backbone and minerality to further improve. The wine delivers on what you would expect (big fruit) and remains the best Napa Syrah out there. For full payoff decant 3 hours.
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This is the third bottle we've had. Two hours of decanting. The good news is that it seems to be coming together, and is less disjointed. The ambiguous news is that I'm still unsure where this is headed; some of the complexity present in previous bottles seemed to be absent with this bottle, leaving us with a pleasant syrah, but without the mineral complexity or mid-palate sweetness that we would expect from bottles in this price range. Tune in for the next bottle in a couple of years.
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Decanted for two hours before service. In the glass, dark red with a very slight auburn tint at the rim. On the nose, a somewhat muted mixture of crushed blackberry and mocha. On the palate, initially dominated by blackberry liqueur, with secondary notes of pepper and anise, followed by a bruising wall of tannins on the mid-palate and finish. 3.5 hours in, we finally started to see softer notes emerge, and more fruit, but even then, this was nowhere close to being ready for prime time. Reading the other notes, it makes me wonder if I had an off bottle.
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This is the most memorable and extraordinary Syrah I can recall ever having. While not as big or forward as some of the powerful, concentrated, forward fruit filled South Australian Shiraz' I have had, this cousin Syrah was the most complex and and polished. Dark color, full bodied, complex full flavors of black berry, black raspberry, hints of mocha, crème de cassis anise and touch of white pepper with a siky smooth polished symphonic finish that goes on and on.
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For a syrah this wine in not your standard heavy syrah. Nose is Jamy with good cheery notes, spice notes some oak, the taste is mild with little tannis good linger.
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Highly opaque with deep garnet color. A little rim variation with no sediment. No flaws. Medium fruit intensity with raspberries, leather, and green olives. Off dry. Low acid. Medium minus tannin. Medium Alcohol. Medium finish.
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Dark bluish red. Deep and vibrant nose of blueberries, blackberries, black tea, black calamata olives, flowers, oxidized iron and blood. Intense and elegant showing good amounts of minerality. Not as powerful as the 2006, but a great wine in its own right.
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Disappointing. I love Syrah and I love Kongsgaard. In the past I have loved Kongsgaard Syrah. Sure this is Excellent, but then again it does cost over $150 a bottle. Therefore, I had higher expectations. I look forward to it getting better with age.
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9/30/2023 - skifree wrote: 94 Points
Another great bottle, so much depth and salinity. Got better as the night wore on.
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10/11/2022 - NY Wino Likes this wine: 94 Points
Deep purple color, big nose of dark fruit and spice the wine is pretty massive, with huge upfront fruit, lots of spice and acidity and relatively smooth tannins. It still has tons of life but should be drunk over the next 2-5 years.
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2/26/2022 - mclanew wrote: flawed
Tainted
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6/5/2020 - skifree wrote:
P&P. Even after several hours, the nose is my least favorite part - potpourri, sun ripened blackberry, and alcohol. In the mouth this is great - green olive in brine, black fruit, good acidity, and a steely minerality (scorched earth? LOL) added on the finish. Exceptional and captivating. This has time left to enjoy.
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3/25/2020 - Bordeaux_Jon Likes this wine: 94 Points
Excellent wine. One of the best American Syrah I’ve had. Still youthful, with Syrah red fruit, French oak notes, pepper, and a slight amount of meat. Not as complex as it’s Rhône sisters and brothers but straddles the line between old and new world well by being balanced and lacking the over alcoholic and over extraction of many Central Californian Shiraz, not mentioning any names,... ahem Alban and Saxum. Clearly cooler climate in Carneros even in 2007. I’d say it’s got 10 years more in the tank with high hopes for secondary complexity.
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1/6/2020 - Michigan Mostberg wrote: 90 Points
A huge, monolithic wine. Initial olive on nose dissipated quickly leaving a wall of dense blackberry to coat the palate. Still good acidity, will hold here for 4 or 5 years.
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11/29/2019 - RockyII Likes this wine: 91 Points
90 min decant. Deep opaque eggplant color. Big nose of black olive, soy, beef stock, blackberry and raspberry. Wow, big punch of flavor that is similar to nose but more dominated by black olive. Full bodied and viscous mouthfeel. A little out of balance with Very High acidity and lower tannins. Very interesting wine. About 91; full throttle and unique but not really my style. Girlfriend really enjoyed this one.
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10/25/2019 - Rbtrage wrote: 95 Points
The best syrah I have ever had.
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2/26/2019 - jshufelt wrote: 90 Points
Consistent with previous tasting notes.
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1/20/2019 - bhrubin Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted for 2 hrs, wonderful ripe dark fruits nose, with a front loaded expression of the dark fruits, but a surprisingly quick finish, leaving me wanting for more. Paired beautifully with our filets, but it was a slightly underwhelming quaff.
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11/24/2018 - bigneil Likes this wine: 97 Points
Awesome. Black olives, pepper, mocha on the nose. A wonderful mouthfeel, with a just perfect acidic punch in the middle so often lacking in rich Cali syrahs. Finish is long. This huge wine is so perfectly balanced, it almost feels light somehow. I loved it.
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3/31/2018 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Poured from a magnum. Very tasty. It's a bit more meaty while still having a very nice fruit profile. Enjoyable. Still young. Could use at least another 10 years.
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11/5/2017 - mclanew Likes this wine: 94 Points
After an hour of decanting this is a delicious but serious wine. The whole package - great nose, nice balance with power and long finish. Black fruits, smoked meats, olive, minerals and spices. Early stages of developing a bit of complexity. High in alcohol but you don’t notice much. Think it has at least five more years of prime drinking ahead.
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10/24/2017 - jsmorris707 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Decanted for an hour then back in the bottle, similar to prior note; delicious, drink or hold
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9/6/2017 - jsmorris707 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Decanted, similar to prior note; delicious, drink or hold
Better on day 2 (raised a point)
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8/7/2017 - deetz wrote: 95 Points
Blueberry/blackberry and meaty. Sweet fruit core on the mid palate and thick, viscous mouthfeel. Exceptional density.
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5/17/2017 - jsmorris707 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Double decanted then SO'd for a few hrs, deep ruby, (looks like a young wine), big nose & palate of blue/blackberry with some spice, mod. tannins, long finish; delicious & ready to drink, but definitely no rush
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10/1/2016 - jshufelt wrote: 91 Points
Consistent with last couple of notes. This is evolving at a glacial rate.
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3/27/2016 - theoz wrote: 93 Points
Pretty great. Big blueberry, concord grape, anise, mint, smoked meat. This is still pretty sizable I'd guess there are still great things to be seen from this in years to come.
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6/19/2015 - canan wrote: 94 Points
Reva 06 vs Poker Face Dinner (Bistro Boheme): Lovely and fresh black/blueberry with a touch of vanilla and oak. Has also developed nice flavors of olive tapenade and smoked meat..
A nicely well aged syrah that is a pleasure to drink.
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4/11/2015 - jshufelt wrote: 91 Points
Consistent with previous tasting notes.
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10/24/2014 - jaylew1 wrote: 93 Points
Terrific stuff. Somehow lacking the wow factor of a Saxum or SQN. Perhaps the Kongsgaard will outlast them? Time will tell.
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3/17/2014 - MAXIMUM SATISFACTION wrote: 96 Points
Incredible syrupy texture packed with an powerful blast of smoked meat, black/blueberry, vanilla, oak, and anise. The body is silky smooth but lacking the structural backbone and minerality to further improve. The wine delivers on what you would expect (big fruit) and remains the best Napa Syrah out there. For full payoff decant 3 hours.
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12/27/2013 - jshufelt wrote: 91 Points
This is the third bottle we've had. Two hours of decanting. The good news is that it seems to be coming together, and is less disjointed. The ambiguous news is that I'm still unsure where this is headed; some of the complexity present in previous bottles seemed to be absent with this bottle, leaving us with a pleasant syrah, but without the mineral complexity or mid-palate sweetness that we would expect from bottles in this price range. Tune in for the next bottle in a couple of years.
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12/14/2012 - jshufelt wrote: 91 Points
Showing a bit better this time around than the previous bottle, but still seems disjointed.
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10/27/2012 - jshufelt wrote: 89 Points
Decanted for two hours before service. In the glass, dark red with a very slight auburn tint at the rim. On the nose, a somewhat muted mixture of crushed blackberry and mocha. On the palate, initially dominated by blackberry liqueur, with secondary notes of pepper and anise, followed by a bruising wall of tannins on the mid-palate and finish. 3.5 hours in, we finally started to see softer notes emerge, and more fruit, but even then, this was nowhere close to being ready for prime time. Reading the other notes, it makes me wonder if I had an off bottle.
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9/30/2012 - TastesGoodToMe Likes this wine: 93 Points
Spectacular Syrah. Distinctive Hudson Vineyards juice crafted by one of Napa's finest winemakers.
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4/17/2012 - ToddS wrote:
Definitely a high caliber kind of wine. Plenty of stuffing to keep on going. Not quite as interesting as the Cabot One Barrel though.
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1/19/2012 - rmcnees wrote: 94 Points
This is the most memorable and extraordinary Syrah I can recall ever having. While not as big or forward as some of the powerful, concentrated, forward fruit filled South Australian Shiraz' I have had, this cousin Syrah was the most complex and and polished. Dark color, full bodied, complex full flavors of black berry, black raspberry, hints of mocha, crème de cassis anise and touch of white pepper with a siky smooth polished symphonic finish that goes on and on.
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10/16/2011 - mcneil7 wrote: 93 Points
For a syrah this wine in not your standard heavy syrah. Nose is Jamy with good cheery notes, spice notes some oak, the taste is mild with little tannis good linger.
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6/5/2010 - Mark H. LeQuire wrote: 93 Points
Highly opaque with deep garnet color. A little rim variation with no sediment. No flaws. Medium fruit intensity with raspberries, leather, and green olives. Off dry. Low acid. Medium minus tannin. Medium Alcohol. Medium finish.
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5/23/2010 - erikm9 wrote: 93 Points
Good not a long term drinker lacked structure
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4/4/2010 - bsate wrote: 93 Points
dark cherries and berries, great smell and taste
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2/14/2010 - gorm wrote: 95 Points
Dark bluish red. Deep and vibrant nose of blueberries, blackberries, black tea, black calamata olives, flowers, oxidized iron and blood. Intense and elegant showing good amounts of minerality. Not as powerful as the 2006, but a great wine in its own right.
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1/8/2010 - Thralow wrote: 90 Points
Disappointing. I love Syrah and I love Kongsgaard. In the past I have loved Kongsgaard Syrah. Sure this is Excellent, but then again it does cost over $150 a bottle. Therefore, I had higher expectations. I look forward to it getting better with age.
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