2006 Big Basin Vineyards Mandala

Community Tasting Notes (24) Avg Score: 90.1 points

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  1/7/2022 - ClaytonDave Likes this wine: 92 Points

  Fruit is still vibrant. Black olive and blackberry on the palate. In a good place, don’t wait too long.

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  12/31/2020 - Fractalage Likes this wine:

  New Year's Eve! Last bottle of 2020.
  Been saving this for a long while now.
  Cork was in great condition.
  I had let this bottle sit upright for 4 weeks. Got most of the bottle out leaving only a quarter glass with sediment.
  After the silliness of the B Cellars 2009 Dr. Crane, this came with so much joyful reception that it could have been a lot worse to have been fully welcomed and enjoyed, but nary close to that, this bottle rocked! Its huge violets with intense incense floral and luxurious texture left me with relief that this loved wine of mine made it to tonight. I feared that it might have been in an expired state, but far from that. It was excellent.
  
  It immediately opened to the funk that I remembered. There was a nose of chestnut with old fruit, meats and garlic. I thought it to be so excellent. It was the unique roasted chestnut flavor that really kept my attention. Its luxurious texture moved into spices and chocolate.
  
  The next day, 24 hours later, it was even better.
  I had two glasses left in the German, hand blown decanter. These went down so luxuriously with plenty of concentrated flowers. Having not gone flabby overnight?! This wine will last for quite a long while, if there are any more bottles in the world right now. After the recent fires and the destruction of the Big Basin mansion, all hope of older bottles such as this might have evaporated.
  This was my last, so, maybe this was the extinction of this vintage.
  
  Will 2026 see any of these 2006 bottles opened?

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  4/11/2018 - Fractalage Likes this wine: 93 Points

  If you've still got this in your cellar it's drinking excellently with fantastic floral funk smelling of Violet's crushed underfoot of barn hooves. It has that unmistakable Big Basin estate taste, but this '06 was my favorite of them all.
  I'll wager it has several years left.
  It was real and always special from SCM. A top Syrah of the world.
  Thanks Bradley!
  8/10

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  6/27/2015 - brigcampbell wrote:

  Big Basin Tasting with Bradley (FMIII in the OC): Blind. Guessed Syrah. The black olive note gives it away. Seems riper than the other syrahs with a ripe plum note mixed with the blackberry. Hint of molasses.

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  6/26/2015 - Frank Murray III wrote:

  Big Basin In The OC--Dinner With Bradley Brown PART 2 (My House): Andrew slipped this in blind to the Rattlesnake flight (2010 and 2011). We didn't tell Bradley what it was but he made a few guesses and got damn close to guessing it. Interesting expression of wine here. Shows a bit tart, with some green olive, juicy darker fruit and remarkably still tannic and youthful. Will age a lot longer, I believe. Was outclassed by the '11 Rattlesnake tonight.

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