Outstanding in every way. Start with the cork which is a “technical” not natural cork; so absolutely no worries about ending up with a corked bottle after 15+ years of aging. The wine is fresh and vibrant all of the rough edges have been smoothed by time in the bottle. Dark rich berry fruit; marionberry, boysenberry, and blackberry predominate. the finish provides graphite and tobacco notes to balance out the upfront fruit. Sadly, only one bottle remains in our cellar…..
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We’ve been drinking this over the last ten years (well, infrequently, not a sip a month). It is just a really good full-bodied wine, still going strong.
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Very sad to have consumed my last bottle of this wine. Ken Wright has shown that he can craft top notch Syrah's in addition to his namesake Pinot Noirs.
Very robust at 13 years of age, with excellent fruit right out of the gate, powerful nose of brush, wet earth, and crushed aromatic fruit.
Long finish, a pleasure to drink
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Friday Tasting Group; Syrahs/Shirazes (Vintage Wines Ltd., San Diego, CA): From the winery's site: "The wine, all made in Carlton at Ken Wright Cellars, is from fruit sourced from Seven Hills vineyard which lies on the Oregon side of the Walla Walla AVA." However, I was unable even to SUBMIT a change request to reflect that.
N: Ripe berries with an aroma I couldn't ID? (Almost medicinal in nature?)
P: Med, poss LM, body; ALMOST swtish frt met by some puckerish astringency which slowly, fairly seamlessly morphs into quite a LONG, very, VERY slightly tangy finish with a definite swtness to its very, VERY fine tannins. Deserves/NEEDS into '20, then poss making its 20th? 14.5% ABV; My EXC+, likely progressing to SOME level of EXCEPTIONALITY! :) 95 pts WS
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Popped and poured and drank over the course of 3 hours with filet mignon. A bit smoky and meaty - pretty enjoyable. I think it has at least 3 years left.
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Opened early and left in bottle - poured an hour before dinner. A little tight at first, but opened nicely. Served with braised short ribs in cabernet sauce along with four cheese potatoes. A perfect match - savory meal with a bold, fruit on the back, lucious mouth feel.
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First tried this wine nearly four years ago and it has lived up to its promise. As a young wine, it was a blockbuster that needed a lot of air to strut its stuff. The 2014 version is more approachable, but still needs some time in the decanter to fully express itself. It has developed into a lovely savory dark and brambly-fruited Syrah. Rich and full-bodied, it shows its warm-vintage provenance. A really fantastic wine that shows the huge potential of the Walla Walla AVA.
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Very nice, rich, deep reddish purple. Tastes like a Northern Rhone from a warm year with good, but not overpowering blueberries and plums up front and a loooong, spicy, peppery finish on the back end. The alcohol and tannins are there to balance the fruit. It has so much body that it should have a long life ahead of it. Will try another bottle in a year or so.
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Extremely fragrant nose of menthol, tobacco and crushed blueberry. Still fairly defined by grippy tannins on pallet. But some significant plush dark notes. Short to medium finish. All in all, doesn't come together as a balanced wine but has redeeming qualities.
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Very nice wine. Somewhere between Northern Rhone and Paso Robles, with good primary dark fruit flavors, a little iron, and a nice pepper taste at the end. Tannins nicely integrated for a smooth mouth feel. This will last awhile, but is drinking beautifully right now.
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My previous note from 5/2012 suggested a bit of a hot finish and to not drink another for 9-12 months. This was right on. The hot finish had been reduced to a full dark wonderful bottle of wine. This is a perfect match to smoked meat with its full dark fruit and wonderful finish. This bottle has a lot of time left in it but I believe they are now in there drinking window. Drink now till 2017
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From 3L. Briefly decanted and followed over 3 hours. Full-bodied, ripe and expressive bottle, blueberry and blackberry nicely integrated with dark chocolate and grilled meat. Tannins were well hidden, which was surprising given that a couple recent 750's were extremely tannic.
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Decanted 30 minutes. Really coming together well. Seamless nose and palate, no heat, integrated oak elements, blackberry, red plum, creamy vanilla, and spearmint.
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This bottle was a perfect match to the smoked brisket and ribs that we enjoyed. It had a wonderful deep full feel to it that you could tell has lots of time left. This is going to continue to get better. I will pull my next bottle in about 9-12 months with the hope that the slightly hot finsh will be fully intergrated
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Popped at local restaurant, sipped and then decanted. Very tight initially but eventually opened up. Deep rich black fruit on the nose, and that carries over to the palate. Creamy mouthfeel. Only detriment was a hot finish.
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This wine was ultra rich and high in alcohol making it slightly out of balance. But the mouthfeel and deep, dark fruit flavor profile was very rewarding.
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Delicious. Dark, rich and impecably balanced. Nose and palate consist of ripe plums, blackberries, with hints of mesquite, annise, and grilled herbs. Just the right amount of vanilla as well. Long finish. Would highly recoommend.
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Wonderfully rich and well integrated. Plenty of fruit - dark berries: blackberries, a little hint of dark cherries for me. Some baking spice and a little pepper on the finish. Popped and poured at Terra Bistro, probably would have benefited from some time in a decanter as it got more complex the longer it was open. I think this was a WS94-95. I didn't think it was "that" good, but it was certainly delicious.
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Tammy's birthday (Jordyn's home, Lexington, KY): Decanted only 3 hours; needed much longer. Concentrated nose of black plum, blackberry, black licorice, spearmint, and picking up acetone character which began to blow off with time in the glass. Palate is redder than the nose, with black cherry and sweet dark berries, and blue/purple fruit from midpalate onward. Long, broad finish.
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Nice concentrated color, very dark ruby-purple. Nose has a little heat, some youthful yeasty aromas, but behind that is some authentic sweet blackberry, raspberry, and black cherry, spice, and fresh herbs, ending with faint edges of vanilla and spearmint. Very subtle oak treatment. More black cherry juice and black cherry skin on the palate, full-bodied with ideal level of extraction, slightly sweet red and purple fruit, finishing with earthy-herbal nuances, puckery tannins, and high acidity. This does lose some concentration at 3/4 palate, but then picks up again on the finish with sweet, tart red fruit. Still young, and needs several hours decanting. Will be awesome in 4-5 years.
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Decanted, then drank over the next couple hours. Blueberry and blackberry aroma. Nice taste of that same fruit upfront, but once it gets to the mid-palate, it seems to disappear and not have much of a finish. A bit of a tease.
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Decanted for an hour & served with 2 other Syrahs at a dinner party. My WOTN, although it finished a close second overall. Big expressive red fruit up front on the nose. Explosive on the palate as well, with great mouthfeel. Finish is smooth & long. A lot to like.
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Popped & poured at local restaurant. Exquisite nose of dark cherries & spice. Great mouthfeel, with well integrated tannins. Dark fruit, dark chocolate, some pepper and leather on the palate. Very, very nice.
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Pop and pour and followed over two hours. This is a big wine with a nice earthy and fruity nose. Lots of blacl fruits and vanilla and some licorice. There is some leather and earth but well hidden behind the fruit. This was quite approachable for such a young syrah.
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An absolutely intoxicating nose with very stand out tea rose notes along with floral perfume and a certain earthiness. The bouquet (a term I rarely use unless it truly comes off like a bouquet of flowers) continued to develop and evolve in the glass over the course of the 30 or so minutes I spent swirling and savoring this wine. The flavor had remarkable concentration and evoked softness - red fruits a light spiciness. Amazing complexity and velvety finish. At $34 this is an amazing deal.
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Opened last night and it was extremely tight, but with, I guess, a decent bouquet of camphor, boysenberry, and tar, so typical of Syrah. But I was struck by the alcohol and the over the top extraction, without the luscious mouthfeel of some of Cal's top syrahs. Figured it might open if given 24 hours to breathe. Maybe it's too young, so based on the reviews here and the rating of WS, i'll stick a bottle in my cave and try it in a few years. I really should give it a lower score, but the nose shows some promise. 87pts
Wow. Huge difference on the third night, with no sign whatsoever of oxidation. Finally revealing some nuances, blueberries, camphor, talcum powder, cherry melange. Maybe this does deserve its' WS score. 92pts
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Wow, what a wine. This wine really shows what Walla Walla is capable of. A potent, but approachable Sarah with great depth of fruit and flavor. Deep and dark brooding fruits that needs time (or extensive air) to come out. Dispute its youth, it is very well balanced and a pleasure to sip, but it will certainly be better in a year or two. It's worthy of the 95 pt. score that the Wine Spectator gave it.
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1/12/2024 - AMG4RPM Likes this wine: 95 Points
Outstanding in every way. Start with the cork which is a “technical” not natural cork; so absolutely no worries about ending up with a corked bottle after 15+ years of aging. The wine is fresh and vibrant all of the rough edges have been smoothed by time in the bottle. Dark rich berry fruit; marionberry, boysenberry, and blackberry predominate. the finish provides graphite and tobacco notes to balance out the upfront fruit. Sadly, only one bottle remains in our cellar…..
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8/5/2022 - 2Travel Likes this wine: 95 Points
We’ve been drinking this over the last ten years (well, infrequently, not a sip a month). It is just a really good full-bodied wine, still going strong.
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3/1/2020 - RCS73 wrote: 94 Points
Very sad to have consumed my last bottle of this wine. Ken Wright has shown that he can craft top notch Syrah's in addition to his namesake Pinot Noirs.
Very robust at 13 years of age, with excellent fruit right out of the gate, powerful nose of brush, wet earth, and crushed aromatic fruit.
Long finish, a pleasure to drink
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9/9/2019 - sanjuanlewis Likes this wine: 94 Points
Soft, ripe dark fruits, dried cherries, cocoa. Long smooth finish. Well balanced.
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5/25/2018 - srh Likes this wine:
Friday Tasting Group; Syrahs/Shirazes (Vintage Wines Ltd., San Diego, CA): From the winery's site: "The wine, all made in Carlton at Ken Wright Cellars, is from fruit sourced from Seven Hills vineyard which lies on the Oregon side of the Walla Walla AVA." However, I was unable even to SUBMIT a change request to reflect that.
N: Ripe berries with an aroma I couldn't ID? (Almost medicinal in nature?)
P: Med, poss LM, body; ALMOST swtish frt met by some puckerish astringency which slowly, fairly seamlessly morphs into quite a LONG, very, VERY slightly tangy finish with a definite swtness to its very, VERY fine tannins. Deserves/NEEDS into '20, then poss making its 20th? 14.5% ABV; My EXC+, likely progressing to SOME level of EXCEPTIONALITY! :) 95 pts WS
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2/25/2017 - Wine Sparty wrote: 92 Points
Popped and poured and drank over the course of 3 hours with filet mignon. A bit smoky and meaty - pretty enjoyable. I think it has at least 3 years left.
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1/21/2017 - Rollerball wrote: 92 Points
Floral too to bottom. Soft but pervasive. Long and inky.
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12/12/2016 - wino121 wrote: 93 Points
This has evoled nicely, apexing right now?
Maybe..
Drink it to find out-!
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8/8/2015 - maxmanx wrote:
PnP. Really nice Syrah and drinking well. I'm sure it will last a while longer, but it seems to be in a very good drinking window right now.
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1/18/2015 - EvanRose Likes this wine: 92 Points
Opened early and left in bottle - poured an hour before dinner. A little tight at first, but opened nicely. Served with braised short ribs in cabernet sauce along with four cheese potatoes. A perfect match - savory meal with a bold, fruit on the back, lucious mouth feel.
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9/25/2014 - EvanRose Likes this wine: 93 Points
Luscious, smooth, full bodied with a medium to long finish. Went perfectly with a standing rib roast
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9/22/2014 - wino121 wrote: 91 Points
It would have rated higher, but had a bit too much heat.
All in all, good.
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6/30/2014 - EvanRose Likes this wine: 93 Points
Solid fruit for a syrah, round and a long, smooth finish
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6/6/2014 - ewsds wrote: 95 Points
First tried this wine nearly four years ago and it has lived up to its promise. As a young wine, it was a blockbuster that needed a lot of air to strut its stuff. The 2014 version is more approachable, but still needs some time in the decanter to fully express itself. It has developed into a lovely savory dark and brambly-fruited Syrah. Rich and full-bodied, it shows its warm-vintage provenance. A really fantastic wine that shows the huge potential of the Walla Walla AVA.
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6/1/2014 - RhoneG Likes this wine: 95 Points
Delicious. Cherry, plum and blueberry with spice and licorice. The finish doesn't end.
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5/4/2014 - Castle Peak wrote: 91 Points
Big, meaty, smoky and spicy. After 3 hour decant was still fairly firm and heated. Lots of structure. Built to age.
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3/3/2014 - dfresh wrote: 92 Points
Balanced and structured wine. Moderate body but very balanced. Quite a bit of smoke and pepper.
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1/23/2014 - Rollerball wrote: 92 Points
Nice balance of the hedonistic and the intellectual.
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12/17/2013 - cmcclane wrote: 89 Points
Drank over 3 nights and it never seem to hit its stride and gain full balance.
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12/8/2013 - RhoneG Likes this wine: 95 Points
Very nice, rich, deep reddish purple. Tastes like a Northern Rhone from a warm year with good, but not overpowering blueberries and plums up front and a loooong, spicy, peppery finish on the back end. The alcohol and tannins are there to balance the fruit. It has so much body that it should have a long life ahead of it. Will try another bottle in a year or so.
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9/26/2013 - EvanRose Likes this wine: 90 Points
Opened up nicely, earthy with black fruit, smooth on the tongue
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8/19/2013 - dfresh wrote: 90 Points
Extremely fragrant nose of menthol, tobacco and crushed blueberry. Still fairly defined by grippy tannins on pallet. But some significant plush dark notes. Short to medium finish. All in all, doesn't come together as a balanced wine but has redeeming qualities.
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7/27/2013 - 2Travel Likes this wine: 94 Points
Very nice wine. Somewhere between Northern Rhone and Paso Robles, with good primary dark fruit flavors, a little iron, and a nice pepper taste at the end. Tannins nicely integrated for a smooth mouth feel. This will last awhile, but is drinking beautifully right now.
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2/12/2013 - NEwino wrote: 92 Points
My previous note from 5/2012 suggested a bit of a hot finish and to not drink another for 9-12 months. This was right on. The hot finish had been reduced to a full dark wonderful bottle of wine. This is a perfect match to smoked meat with its full dark fruit and wonderful finish. This bottle has a lot of time left in it but I believe they are now in there drinking window. Drink now till 2017
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12/21/2012 - Giggs Likes this wine: 94 Points
From 3L. Briefly decanted and followed over 3 hours. Full-bodied, ripe and expressive bottle, blueberry and blackberry nicely integrated with dark chocolate and grilled meat. Tannins were well hidden, which was surprising given that a couple recent 750's were extremely tannic.
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11/14/2012 - Giggs wrote: 94 Points
Decanted 30 minutes. Really coming together well. Seamless nose and palate, no heat, integrated oak elements, blackberry, red plum, creamy vanilla, and spearmint.
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5/25/2012 - carlsport wrote: 91 Points
Excellent with tri-tip.
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5/5/2012 - NEwino Likes this wine: 92 Points
This bottle was a perfect match to the smoked brisket and ribs that we enjoyed. It had a wonderful deep full feel to it that you could tell has lots of time left. This is going to continue to get better. I will pull my next bottle in about 9-12 months with the hope that the slightly hot finsh will be fully intergrated
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3/26/2012 - The Wine Write wrote: 90 Points
Popped at local restaurant, sipped and then decanted. Very tight initially but eventually opened up. Deep rich black fruit on the nose, and that carries over to the palate. Creamy mouthfeel. Only detriment was a hot finish.
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3/25/2012 - dfresh wrote: 88 Points
This wine was ultra rich and high in alcohol making it slightly out of balance. But the mouthfeel and deep, dark fruit flavor profile was very rewarding.
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12/11/2011 - BSpdx wrote: 93 Points
Delicious. Dark, rich and impecably balanced. Nose and palate consist of ripe plums, blackberries, with hints of mesquite, annise, and grilled herbs. Just the right amount of vanilla as well. Long finish. Would highly recoommend.
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12/10/2011 - 2Travel wrote: 94 Points
No formal notes, but very, very nice.
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10/14/2011 - JERB Likes this wine: 92 Points
Wonderfully rich and well integrated. Plenty of fruit - dark berries: blackberries, a little hint of dark cherries for me. Some baking spice and a little pepper on the finish. Popped and poured at Terra Bistro, probably would have benefited from some time in a decanter as it got more complex the longer it was open. I think this was a WS94-95. I didn't think it was "that" good, but it was certainly delicious.
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9/22/2011 - Giggs wrote: 94 Points
Tammy's birthday (Jordyn's home, Lexington, KY): Decanted only 3 hours; needed much longer. Concentrated nose of black plum, blackberry, black licorice, spearmint, and picking up acetone character which began to blow off with time in the glass. Palate is redder than the nose, with black cherry and sweet dark berries, and blue/purple fruit from midpalate onward. Long, broad finish.
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9/2/2011 - thatrick wrote: 91 Points
Decanted and drank over the next couple hours. Dark fruit dominates with just hints of earth and leather. Needs a few more years to develop.
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8/19/2011 - Giggs wrote:
93-94 points.
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7/25/2011 - Giggs wrote: 94 Points
Nice concentrated color, very dark ruby-purple. Nose has a little heat, some youthful yeasty aromas, but behind that is some authentic sweet blackberry, raspberry, and black cherry, spice, and fresh herbs, ending with faint edges of vanilla and spearmint. Very subtle oak treatment. More black cherry juice and black cherry skin on the palate, full-bodied with ideal level of extraction, slightly sweet red and purple fruit, finishing with earthy-herbal nuances, puckery tannins, and high acidity. This does lose some concentration at 3/4 palate, but then picks up again on the finish with sweet, tart red fruit. Still young, and needs several hours decanting. Will be awesome in 4-5 years.
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6/6/2011 - Wine Sparty wrote: 89 Points
Decanted, then drank over the next couple hours. Blueberry and blackberry aroma. Nice taste of that same fruit upfront, but once it gets to the mid-palate, it seems to disappear and not have much of a finish. A bit of a tease.
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6/5/2011 - The Wine Write wrote: 93 Points
Decanted for an hour & served with 2 other Syrahs at a dinner party. My WOTN, although it finished a close second overall. Big expressive red fruit up front on the nose. Explosive on the palate as well, with great mouthfeel. Finish is smooth & long. A lot to like.
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4/10/2011 - The Wine Write wrote: 94 Points
Popped & poured at local restaurant. Exquisite nose of dark cherries & spice. Great mouthfeel, with well integrated tannins. Dark fruit, dark chocolate, some pepper and leather on the palate. Very, very nice.
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3/4/2011 - t_moderne wrote: 91 Points
Pop and pour and followed over two hours. This is a big wine with a nice earthy and fruity nose. Lots of blacl fruits and vanilla and some licorice. There is some leather and earth but well hidden behind the fruit. This was quite approachable for such a young syrah.
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2/26/2011 - Jack Cranley wrote: 94 Points
An absolutely intoxicating nose with very stand out tea rose notes along with floral perfume and a certain earthiness. The bouquet (a term I rarely use unless it truly comes off like a bouquet of flowers) continued to develop and evolve in the glass over the course of the 30 or so minutes I spent swirling and savoring this wine. The flavor had remarkable concentration and evoked softness - red fruits a light spiciness. Amazing complexity and velvety finish. At $34 this is an amazing deal.
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2/20/2011 - essconsults wrote: 90 Points
Opened last night and it was extremely tight, but with, I guess, a decent bouquet of camphor, boysenberry, and tar, so typical of Syrah. But I was struck by the alcohol and the over the top extraction, without the luscious mouthfeel of some of Cal's top syrahs. Figured it might open if given 24 hours to breathe. Maybe it's too young, so based on the reviews here and the rating of WS, i'll stick a bottle in my cave and try it in a few years. I really should give it a lower score, but the nose shows some promise. 87pts
Wow. Huge difference on the third night, with no sign whatsoever of oxidation. Finally revealing some nuances, blueberries, camphor, talcum powder, cherry melange. Maybe this does deserve its' WS score. 92pts
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2/4/2011 - GlenviewGSW wrote: 96 Points
Excellent wine
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11/27/2010 - ewsds wrote: 94 Points
Wow, what a wine. This wine really shows what Walla Walla is capable of. A potent, but approachable Sarah with great depth of fruit and flavor. Deep and dark brooding fruits that needs time (or extensive air) to come out. Dispute its youth, it is very well balanced and a pleasure to sip, but it will certainly be better in a year or two. It's worthy of the 95 pt. score that the Wine Spectator gave it.
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11/6/2010 - tomandlu wrote:
No detailed notes. Recall it as deep, earthy, fruity, obvious (in a good way).
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