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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 92 pts. and median of 92 pts. in 49 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by MattB72 on 4/15/2022 & rated 94 points: Fantastic. Right in the drinking window with perfect tannins and fresh black berries. (939 views) | | | Tasted by mclanew on 12/21/2021 & rated 94 points: Slow oxed for thirty minutes. This was excellent. Full bodied, bursting with flavors of blackberries, black currants, tobacco, licorice and spice. At this same time, this was nicely integrated and was not overdone at all. This has 5-10 years of good drink ahead of it. (1001 views) | | | Tasted by twotee on 9/19/2021 & rated 95 points: The aromatics were big, complex, and suggested a rich forward wine. However the texture was fresher than expected, lively, and youthful. Really enjoyed the wine. (1090 views) | | | Tasted by Ex-Ray on 8/9/2019 & rated 80 points: Weird wine...smells like a rubber tire...seriously! Flavors are OK but nondescript. Last bottle...happily!
Ric (1752 views) | | | Tasted by VINNICK on 8/3/2019 & rated 89 points: Tasted next to a Las Cases 97 and it didn’t come close. Lots of dark berries, over extracted, typical California wine. Nothing special here. Not worth what I paid for it and not worth more than $30 dollars. (1494 views) | | | Tasted by STM82 on 2/17/2019 & rated 92 points: Plenty of cooler climate fruit. Time hasn't been to friendly in terms of complexity. Softer tannins but there was a bit left to be desired. (1503 views) | | | Tasted by mats13 on 2/4/2019 & rated 94 points: Took a full 2 hours to open - make sure you decant properly, as even after an hour this was tight. Sadly only the last glass really realized its potential. When it did open this was dark and delicious with a silky texture. Plenty of time left - another decade I think. (1416 views) | | | Tasted by Quiet Lion on 12/9/2018 & rated 92 points: Pop and pour. Nice smooth Syrah but you can see where he and Pax Mahle ran into creative differences. Donelan smooths out the rough edges and Pax exalts them. (1467 views) | | | Tasted by shorty01 on 9/14/2018 & rated 90 points: For me, this was more enjoyable a few years ago when there was more fruit prevalent. In my estimation, this Donean is on its downward trajectory, and probably best to drink soon. (1049 views) | | | Tasted by Ex-Ray on 8/15/2018 & rated 90 points: Very good but not outstanding. Drink over the next couple of years.
Ric (1351 views) | | | Tasted by Gibbman on 4/12/2018 & rated 92 points: This wine is still holding up quite well. Still showing nice stone fruit flavors with just a touch of oak. Very nice. Drink by date seems about right. (1218 views) | | | Tasted by Gibbman on 4/16/2016 & rated 92 points: Agree with DANIELBLEIER below. Really enjoyable wine. (2477 views) | | | Tasted by danielbleier on 2/8/2016 & rated 93 points: Time has served this bottle well, still slightly sweet - gorgeous blend of black fruit and licorice...smooth mineral finish (2536 views) | | | Tasted by csimm on 9/16/2015 & rated 90 points: Initial impressions were akin to the 2008 Donelan WVH, with notes of plum, black cherry, charcuterie, saline, and faint wood.
Drank fine for about an hour in the glass after PnP (no decanter), becoming smoother and rounder with air. (3919 views) | | | Tasted by danielbleier on 3/4/2015 & rated 90 points: clearly better with some air and time, this still verges on port...basically consistent with notes of 4/23/2014 (3102 views) | | | Tasted by shorty01 on 1/11/2015 & rated 93 points: Power and finesse combined with complex character. A hit with mushroon & spinach lazagna. Will hold off for a year or more to open my other one. (2266 views) | | | Tasted by brianngibson on 1/11/2015 & rated 93 points: Excellent expression of the grape. Black cherry, cedar and loamy soil. (3193 views) | | | Tasted by gwkozar on 9/23/2014 & rated 92 points: Drank at syrah dinner with 5 others. lots of elegance, fuller bodied than Rhones and other Cali's. Black cherry, peppercorn, licorice, easy tannins. Needed more earthiness and spice to give it a higher rating. (2453 views) | | | Tasted by Aunt Esther on 6/29/2014 & rated 94 points: Opulent, distinctive, delicious. My favorite Syrah of the year and a solid value. (2828 views) | | | Tasted by danielbleier on 4/23/2014 & rated 92 points: nose did not give up much, some plum and apple skin. But the flavors when tasted are great, blackberry, plum, leather, and tar. Very rich, dances on the edge of portiness, but manages to retain enough grace. (2400 views) | | | Tasted by brianngibson on 11/21/2013 & rated 93 points: Really love the Walker Vine Hill vintage after vintage, and this one doesn't disappoint. Black cherry, mixed berry, licorice, and soft rounded tannins with a finish of just enough pepper to give a comfortable warmth to the back of the throat. (2924 views) | | | Tasted by STM82 on 10/12/2013 & rated 95 points: Wonderful notes of sassafras, tar, salted caramel. Beautiful violet, purple color. White peppercorns, violets, damp earth, and tobacco. Absolutely gorgeous syrah with so much complexity and so well rounded. This one leaves absolutely nothing to be desired! (2858 views) | | | Tasted by rjonwine@gmail.com on 8/27/2013 & rated 93 points: Very dark ruby color; roasted black fruit, tar, dried berry nose; roasted black fruit, tar, dried berry palate; medium-plus finish (14.6% alcohol) (915 views) | | | Tasted by jrbearden on 8/17/2013 & rated 94 points: The most approachable young Donelan Syrah I've tasted. (2780 views) | | | Tasted by isaacjamesbaker on 6/23/2013 & rated 91 points: Sunday Dinner Series (My Place - Washington, DC): This Syrah is incredibly young, but with air it begins to show its class and complexity. Aromas of fig and blueberry jam combine with smoke, violets and charcoal. Dark and bold on the palate, with iron-like tannins and medium acid. The blackberry and blueberry fruit is pure and delicious, accented by flavors of coffee, sage and ginger snap cookie. Despite its boldness, this Syrah somehow maintains balance. Clearly a wine for the cellar, I'd lay this down for at least a year, if not two. Otherwise, a decanter is highly recommended. I'm very impressed by this wine, and I like it a lot more than the 2009 vintage. (2888 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, Sonoma and Beyond: New Releases (Feb 2014)
(Donelan Family Wines Syrah Walker Vine Hill Russian River Valley) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, Sonoma...A Thrill a Minute (Jul 2013)
(Donelan Family Wines Syrah Walker Vine Hill Russian River Valley) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, The Best of Sonoma (Feb 2012)
(Donelan Family Wines Syrah Walker Vine Hill Russian River Valley) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jeb Dunnuck
JebDunnuck.com, Issue #10 (12/4/2011)
(Donelan Syrah Walker Vine Hill) Login and sign up and see review text. | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (8/27/2013)
(Donelan Syrah Walker Vine Hill) Very dark ruby color; roasted black fruit, tar, dried berry nose; roasted black fruit, tar, dried berry palate; medium-plus finish (14.6% alcohol) 93 points |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous and JebDunnuck.com and RJonWine.com. (manage subscription channels) |
| Donelan 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 Sonoma CountyMendocino CountyRussian River Valley Russian River Valley Winegrowers Association | Wikipedia |
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