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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 92.2 pts. and median of 92 pts. in 59 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by thalver on 2/29/2024: Nicely balanced, with good acidic cut. More savory than fruity, with prominent pepper notes. For my tastes, the stems could stand to be better integrated....give it a few years for the next bottle. (727 views) | | | Tasted by JLuch1 on 12/6/2023 & rated 93 points: Informal note, but absolutely delicious. Has only improved since my last bottle in 2022 and I suspect patience will continue to be rewarded if you can keep your hands off. Those who managed to acquire these prior to Paul selling the vineyard should be very pleased they have these in their cellars. (1197 views) | | | Tasted by grafstrb on 3/6/2023: -- decanted 45 min. before initial taste --
-- tasted non-blind over 2.5 hrs. on Day 1; revisited on Days 2 and 7 --
NOSE: savory; tons of freshly-cracked black pepper; rich and complex.
BODY: medium-light to medium bodied.
TASTE: high acidity -- nearly a touch tingly; tannic; purple-fruited --- soil & plums; very savory/stemmy/peppery; wouldn't mind if the savory/stemmy-type note recedes somewhat with age. Day 2: pepper notes turning to garrigue & Kalamata olive now, but this is largely the same as on Day 1. Day 7: not appreciably different than on previous days. 13.4% alc. is well-hidden. This strikes me as a wine that will age on its acidity and tannins more than anything else --- I'm not sure it has the fruit to go super long, but a couple decades wouldn't surprise me. For my preferences, this is a Hold for now. (2313 views) | | | Tasted by kkoshkin on 3/3/2023 & rated 95 points: Damn delicious. (2121 views) | | | Tasted by smorris291 on 2/6/2023 & rated 92 points: Funny, I thought I’d grabbed a 2019 from the cellar but instead it was a 2018. Only 2 left…
Notes are consistent with previous. Day one, zippy and acid forward, more primary. Day two, more herbal, darker, savory.
Just a great wine and an incredible value. (2467 views) | | | Tasted by dnddrinkwine on 11/16/2022: Pop and poured. Nose is beautifully perfumed, I could just smell this all night. Palate is just straight energy, a zippy, acid driven start followed up with lavender, smoke and minerality. Really started to shut down with some air so left half a bottle and will revisit in a couple of days. Excellent, enjoyable wine at a fantastic price. (2196 views) | | | Tasted by mcktuck on 10/13/2022 & rated 93 points: Wish I had bought a whole lot more of this when it was still available. Really lovely Syrah--seems to evolve through the range of red, black and blue fruits. Strong pepper note. A little bit of bacon fat, but not overwhelming. It's a little closed on the palate, but the stuffing is so clearly there. Only have 2 bottles left, so will try to hold off another 5-7 years, when I think this will truly shine. An amazing value, and just objectively good Syrah. (2460 views) | | | Tasted by hemuji on 9/29/2022 & rated 95 points: Wine was excellent with bouquet of flowers and red berries, medium to full bodied, pepper and meats on the palate. Awesome wine for the evening as Hurricane Ian raged outside. (2126 views) | | | Tasted by NickA on 4/16/2022 & rated 92 points: Such a charming and light-footed wine despite generally dark tone and intense depth of flavour. A gorgeous floral nose in the honeysuckle register, of the sort one more usually associates with white wine, plenty of dark fruit, and an acutely herbal tinge to the palate; tarragon and sage, perhaps? Everyone clamoured for another glass of this - excellent. (2336 views) | | | Tasted by decaturwinedude on 1/27/2022 & rated 91 points: I guess I should read my own notes as I said I wasn't going to open another for a couple years. Oh well, terrific wine. Even better down the road. Be patient. (2999 views) | | | Tasted by LindsayM on 12/11/2021 & rated 91 points: Colour med red , magenta on the rim 15/15
Nose intense ripe fruits , raspberry cherry blueberry violet florals , chocolate liquorice cedar vanilla spice 28/30
Palate rich luscious intense ripe fruit flavours, natural fruit sweetness very primary , good acidity and tannin balance long clean finish 40/44
Overall it’s drinking well now but I think better days are ahead for this wine 8/11 (2481 views) | | | Tasted by NickA on 9/20/2021 & rated 91 points: Decanted around 45 minutes. Very young, with the nose especially primary, but already full of complexity: violets, minerals, herbs, smoke. Clean feel to the palate, again with lots of minerality, plus some liquorice and copious blueberry fruit. All-in-all a well-balanced and interesting combination of polished winemaking and wild, whole-bunch fruit.
Score reflects current enjoyment but I think there is lots of potential for it to be even better once the primary fruit settles. (2836 views) | | | Tasted by William Kelley on 9/9/2021: The 2018 Alutras is even more demonstrative than when I last tasted it. Bursting with aromas of dark berry fruit mingled with bay leaf, violets, cracked black pepper and spices, it's medium to full-bodied, supple and enveloping, with powdery tannins that will only melt further with bottle age, succulent acids, and a long, intensely perfumed finish. If you love Gonon Saint-Joseph, you'll love this! (6888 views) | | | Tasted by CMN on 9/5/2021 & rated 86 points: Purple fruits, black pepper and intense garrigue. Rich, savory and concentrated. The lavender and sage in the wine threw me off a bit, leading me to wonder if some other grapes were included in wine other than the Syrah and Viognier. Still presents quite young and primary; better in 2 years and will drink well through 2030+.
The garrigue was simply too much for me; those who are more tolerant may like this wine more than I did. (2590 views) | | | Tasted by pgordon62 on 7/12/2021: Winemaker Note - my first chance to taste this wine in 4 or 5 months. I really liked this wine as a pop'n'pour. The tannin was present but nicely integrated. Lots of savory character. After 24 hrs there was more focused fruit intensity and pepper. Needs a year or two to hit the start of the peak window but very enjoyable now. Paul (3012 views) | | | Tasted by jdcarucci on 5/21/2021: Textbook syrah that hits so many of the old-world notes. Delicious now but can definitely go for years. (2377 views) | | | Tasted by decaturwinedude on 5/6/2021 & rated 91 points: See Frank Murray's note. He nails it. Though I will say I won't touch my remaining bottles for a couple years as I think this needs some time to further shine. (2680 views) | | | Tasted by brigcampbell on 4/23/2021: Book Club - Reunited (Steve's Place): Blind: knew this was syrah but from where... Could be domestic, high quality regardless, or Northern Rhone in a cool vintage. Hum... I went for Rhone
Ever taste a wine and say "Hey, I need to get some of this" and then look in Cellartracker and there are a couple of bottles in there? It's like free money. (2789 views) | | | Tasted by Frank Murray III on 4/22/2021: Bookclub--Wines Tasted Blind: Poured blind. Grown at 2,500 feet, grown organically. This was my WOTN last night. There is just the right amount of everything here, with the beautiful white pepper aromatics being the star of the bottle. Of note, this also has 4% Viognier added. It's been a long time since a bottle of red wine has aromatically wowed me like this one did last night, and it's a joy. Purple fruit, balanced with some tang. This is just beautiful, distinctive syrah. I wish I not only had some leftover from last night to taste and savor again, but. some more bottles of this for the cellar. I guess I will need to wait and buy the 2019. (3071 views) | | | Tasted by dbg on 4/12/2021: Very good-excellent, probably consumed too soon. (2433 views) | | | Tasted by purely on 4/12/2021 & rated 96 points: 330 cs. The nose is lush black fruit tart, plum, and currant, bittersweet chocolate, and lavender. The palate is a textured entry of black and red plum, tar, and licorice. Already stunning! Drink 2021 - 2034. (2310 views) | | | Tasted by cspeninsula on 3/9/2021 flawed bottle: Maybe a bad bottle? Very different than earlier bottles. Almost effervescent on pouring, became more typical with time in the glass (2404 views) | | | Tasted by jviz on 3/8/2021 & rated 93 points: Wow, this is great stuff. Coravined a sample to ponder at the grill.
A medium dark ruby color with the volume turned WAY up on black olive, black peppercorn, red meat and raspberry/blackberry compote. Yes, it’s Rhone-like in a sense, but from where? More meat and fullness than most Crozes, both more lush and dense on the palate than St. Joseph. Cornas has my vote. This is a spectacular syrah, and a testament to quality vineyards and winemaking. Well done, Mr. Gordon (2466 views) | | | Tasted by JLuch1 on 3/6/2021 & rated 93 points: Consistent with prior notes, excellent (2161 views) | | | Tasted by Maphill01 on 2/12/2021: Dark fruit, bramble, olive, savory without being heavy. White pepper. Still young, best after several hour decant. Medium body, fresh, slightly grainy tannins. Excellent classic cool weather Syrah. 13.4% ABV (2078 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By John Gilman
View From the Cellar, Mar/Apr 2021, Issue #92, Recently-Tasted American wines Spring 2021 Releases and Friends
(Syrah “Alturas”- Halcón Vineyards (Yorkville Highlands)) Login and sign up and see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, Sonoma: 2021 New Releases (Jan 2021) (1/1/2021)
(Halcon Syrah Alturas California Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jeb Dunnuck
JebDunnuck.com, The 2018s from Rhys and Halcon (9/9/2020)
(Halcon Vineyards Syrah Alturas) Login and sign up and see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (2/16/2020)
(Halcón, Alturas Yorkville Highlands Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By John Gilman
View From the Cellar, Jan/Feb 2020, Issue #85, Recently-Tasted Old School And Neo-Classical American Wines
(Syrah “Alturas”- Halcón Vineyards (Yorkville Highlands)) Login and sign up and see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New Releases (Jan 2020) (1/1/2020)
(Halcón Alturas California Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jeb Dunnuck
JebDunnuck.com, Up From The Cellar #7 & Misc New Releases (11/14/2019)
(Halcon Vineyards Syrah Alturas) Login and sign up and see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of View From the Cellar and Vinous and JebDunnuck.com and JancisRobinson.com. (manage subscription channels) |
| Halcon Vineyards Producer websiteSyrah Varietal article (Wikipedia) | (Wines Northwest)
Note that some producers in the Northern Rhone distinguish between simply Syrah and "Serine", the latter described as ‘an ancient clone of Syrah, the berries of which are more oval-shaped and less deeply pigmented than Syrah’ by producer Tardieu-Laurent. USAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson North CoastThe North Coast American Viticultural Area (AVA) in California, covering more than three million acres, includes Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino and Lake counties, and portions of Marin and Solano counties. (see The Wine Institute for more information) |
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