Consumed over 2 days, stored in Somm du Vin, note from day 2. Appearance: Deep ruby with considerable sediment. Nose: Clean, with developing aromas of violet, blackberry, black raspberry, black olive, and sweet tobacco. Palate: Dry, medium acid, medium tannins are slightly grippy yet, medium+ body, medium+ intensity, 12.7% abv with developing flavors of under-ripe black raspberry, stem, gaminess, and tobacco with a medium+ finish.
Balance: Very Good Length: Excellent Intensity: Excellent Complexity: Excellent
Overall, an excellent wine still developing 9 year old Syrah. Little change in flavor profile between day1 and 2 indicating this is likely a few years from peak yet.
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I mostly agree with the previous review- it's honestly still so young and needs time to show the fruit better/harmonize. You can truly sense the quality here- it's super wild, meaty, intense, another great CA syrah that's practically more Rhône than the Rhône. Pungent nose with vivid bacon fat, cracked pepper, smoke, minerality, and just the smallest lurking hints of dark berry fruit (blueberry, raspberry, black cherry?) waiting to emerge. Decanting helped a little bit, but this needs at least another 5 years to blossom. Palate is as expected, extremely beautifully acidic but feeling a little "tart" right now as the fruit it so tightly-coiled; plenty of tannic grip to help with further aging. Extremely similar to Arnot-Roberts Sonoma Coast Syrah, if even a little more powerfully savory in this case (and both need a lot of time.)
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Blasé at this point. Showing absolutely nothing but iron rich blood, at opening at after an hour decant. Give this several years. I’m reserving judgment.
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Dark purple color. Nose is violet, olive, pepper, plum skin. Palate is medium bodied, high acid, medium-high tannin, very bright yet quite ripe red and purple juicy fruit. Very well constructed throughout the palate - some of these whole-cluster low-ripeness Syrah can tend toward the in.sipid but this has the bones to handle it. Ends grippy and full of raw almond 100% whole cluster, 18 months in neutral oak. Pax Mahle does a lot of fun experimental stuff but I come back for the Syrah. 12.3%, $60.
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Beautiful bottle of Syrah. Textbook Medium body with bright acidity. Blue fruit and light black fruit dominant with hits of floral notes and spices. PnP.
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1/17/2024 - prasm Likes this wine: 91 Points
Consumed over 2 days, stored in Somm du Vin, note from day 2. Appearance: Deep ruby with considerable sediment. Nose: Clean, with developing aromas of violet, blackberry, black raspberry, black olive, and sweet tobacco. Palate: Dry, medium acid, medium tannins are slightly grippy yet, medium+ body, medium+ intensity, 12.7% abv with developing flavors of under-ripe black raspberry, stem, gaminess, and tobacco with a medium+ finish.
Balance: Very Good
Length: Excellent
Intensity: Excellent
Complexity: Excellent
Overall, an excellent wine still developing 9 year old Syrah. Little change in flavor profile between day1 and 2 indicating this is likely a few years from peak yet.
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4/19/2021 - sid_loves_wine Likes this wine: 93 Points
I mostly agree with the previous review- it's honestly still so young and needs time to show the fruit better/harmonize. You can truly sense the quality here- it's super wild, meaty, intense, another great CA syrah that's practically more Rhône than the Rhône. Pungent nose with vivid bacon fat, cracked pepper, smoke, minerality, and just the smallest lurking hints of dark berry fruit (blueberry, raspberry, black cherry?) waiting to emerge. Decanting helped a little bit, but this needs at least another 5 years to blossom. Palate is as expected, extremely beautifully acidic but feeling a little "tart" right now as the fruit it so tightly-coiled; plenty of tannic grip to help with further aging. Extremely similar to Arnot-Roberts Sonoma Coast Syrah, if even a little more powerfully savory in this case (and both need a lot of time.)
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7/17/2020 - yaCellar wrote:
Blasé at this point. Showing absolutely nothing but iron rich blood, at opening at after an hour decant. Give this several years. I’m reserving judgment.
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7/6/2019 - Benj wrote: 91 Points
Dark purple color. Nose is violet, olive, pepper, plum skin. Palate is medium bodied, high acid, medium-high tannin, very bright yet quite ripe red and purple juicy fruit. Very well constructed throughout the palate - some of these whole-cluster low-ripeness Syrah can tend toward the in.sipid but this has the bones to handle it. Ends grippy and full of raw almond 100% whole cluster, 18 months in neutral oak. Pax Mahle does a lot of fun experimental stuff but I come back for the Syrah. 12.3%, $60.
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1/27/2019 - CleverCorkage Likes this wine:
Beautiful bottle of Syrah. Textbook Medium body with bright acidity. Blue fruit and light black fruit dominant with hits of floral notes and spices. PnP.
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