2011 Sadie Family Columella

Community Tasting Notes (19) Avg Score: 90.6 points

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  6/21/2023 - likeitdrinkit Likes this wine: 94 Points

  Really drinking well. Wonderful fruit on mid palate, long finish, fresh acidity.

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  12/29/2022 - Yorgos Likes this wine: 92 Points

  Dark ruby. Medium intensity in the nose with dark fruit, spice, some minerality. Excellent balance in the mouth with medium tannins and acidity, refined with lovely texture and medium length. Very good although it lacks the wow factor that you would expect from a wine with this pedigree.

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  4/24/2021 - fdub Likes this wine: 93 Points

  Super dense and powerful. In a good spot and will hold for some years.

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  3/24/2021 - sid_loves_wine Likes this wine: 93 Points

  Extremely happy that this beautiful and unique wine is my 500th Cellartracker review. I've had it only one time before- the 2004 vintage, opened by a friend less than two years ago- I think for the price, I greatly preferred that vintage, giving it a 95 on my scale. This 2011 had much of the same spirit as that 2004, but seemed to need a LOT more time to age even at 10 years old, while the 2004 was in a perfect spot. Given this wine's reputation, I feel like that's both surprising and predictable. (I normally have NO issue with opening age-worthy wine super early- trust me on this.)
  
  Anyway: poured a glass of this and found it really shy at first. Pretty, with some lurking black cherry and fresh plum, even discernable nuances like candle smoke, peppery meats, violets, sweet coffee, graham crackers, minerality- very refined but also pretty austere and very packed-in. The palate has extremely intense tannins at first, that quickly made way for some fresh red/black plum, gentle earthiness/minerality, then the tannins came back again in chalky waves toward the finish. I can tell it's quality but it feels super closed, so into the decanter it went.
  
  It really began to show beautifully after an hour - much more expressive nose with somewhat blacker fruit, incredibly well-integrated oak and kisses of savory complexity. The palate still showed tons of tannin, but the fruit came out enough to keep it under control- the acidity was also lovely, not extremely lively but a genuinely fresh expression of what otherwise feels like a /relatively/ black-fruited and "extracted" wine. It really came alive even more with food (smoked chicken in this case), making the fruit more obvious and the harsh tannins more elegant.
  
  I'd bet this would reach the level of that 2004 once it ages a similar amount of time. The older vintage had similar ripe black fruits with the minerality and savory tones, just with far more elegant tannic leftovers and an even more harmonious feel. It's hard to really compare this to other Syrah (the smaller Mourvedre component might have something to do with it)- it's definitely in between a ripe, warm-climate style and a fresh, Rhone-inspired one. But it's not really showing "obvious" characteristics of either- feels like it's not so much about a "focused" or "pure" expression so much as an /extremely/ well balanced and mindfully-crafted expression, if that makes sense. As a side note, I know this particular bottle wasn't stored in perfect conditions (just sat in a tiny liquor store most of its life)- considering how well this still showed, I bet there are even better 2011's out there.

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  8/8/2020 - fdub Likes this wine: 94 Points

  Outstanding drinking spot and really showing well. Seductive perfume on the nose, spice box, cigar, and floral elements. Perfectly balanced palate with dark cherry elements. Nice savoy finish

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