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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Drinking window: Drink between 2009 and 2015 (based on 6 user opinions) |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 89.2 pts. and median of 89 pts. in 12 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by HitAnyKey on 7/4/2016 & rated 88 points: Very earthy, great balance, subdued tannins. Went perfectly with direct from farm grilled lamb ribs. (1261 views) | | | Tasted by javadrinker on 9/20/2013 & rated 86 points: A little too concentrated for our tastes. Lots of dark stone fruit and bacon. Chocolatey petroleum on the nose. Might have been slightly flawed considering some of the other reviews. I love Saxon Brown's Zins but this Syrah didn't quite do it for me. (2374 views) | | | Tasted by umass98som on 8/13/2009 & rated 89 points: Decanted 1 to 2 hours. Not your typical syrah. Refined, balanced; not a chewy / spicy fruit bomb like some other California syrahs. Watermelon jollyrancher, along with pomegranate and hints of violet and mocha. Nice long, grippy finish. (3041 views) | | | Tasted by MikeTrom on 1/31/2009 & rated 91 points: Had over 2 days, decanted for an hour and had 2 glasses during the evening and finished the bottle the following day without much difference in taste/nose. Thought this was bright and fresh, very good nose, cherries and strawberries. Slightly lighter in color and texture than your typical syrah, thought it had a nice velvety finish. Thoroughly enjoyed and would like to have again (3571 views) | | | Tasted by duggarm@outlook.com on 3/10/2008 & rated 90 points: Lighter hue than the Santa Barbara Tensley Vineyard Syrah I had previously. Light floral bouquet with strawberries and cherries. On the palette the wine was cool and rereshing with great acidity and fruit to match. Tannins were very soft which was not surprising given the cool climate to which the Flora Ranch belongs. Notes of chocolate began to develop with time. Was disappointed with the length of the wine, as it dropped off for me after mid palette. I think this is a thoroughly enjoyable wine but probably a little too fully priced for me at $36. I'd gladly pay $30 for it. (3876 views) | | | Tasted by vickib on 3/8/2008 & rated 89 points: Sweet fruit, fragrance of violets which lingered in the finish. It was delicious with a flank steak. (2940 views) | | | Tasted by King Cab on 12/4/2007 & rated 90 points: Went on Greg dal Piaz's recco on this. I asked him for a cool climate Cali Syrah and this surely delivered. Great complex nose of pebbles,moss, white pepper and dark plums. THe palate showed elegance, structure, restraint and beauty. Great under current of red fruits and tight tannins. Deft acid level. Nice decent finish. This was surely a crowd pleaser on the table. One that I wish were a magnum than a 750 as I hated to see it go.
Thanks Greg. (2499 views) | | | Tasted by Philly-O on 11/7/2007 & rated 87 points: As per yesterday's review, I finished the remaining wine. Good news: apparently finished its last rock and roll set and went into a more of a Steely Dan approach to music. Which I like. Bad News: At times was more acidic and one dimensional (which is to be expected I guess). The finish was shorter in some respects but did resonate in other respects. Confused? So am I. Conclusion: Sill not a Syrah fan (2231 views) | | | Tasted by Philly-O on 11/6/2007 & rated 87 points: First time having a Syrah from this producer. Did not decant and had just a glass . Not a huge fan of this varietal. Just feel like it's a cab sav w/o the the elegance. Thankfully,Jeff Gaffner toned it down. Some of the fellas could take a cue Down Under. (That may be a bit Smug on my part) Great appearance and texture. Alas, all fruit forward. In music parlance, this puppy is all Rock and Roll. Add a point if you like AC DC in your wine. I'll try a 2nd glass tomorrow to see if it rounds into anything worth mentioning. (2 views) (2245 views) | | | Tasted by Gregory Dal Piaz on 7/24/2007 & rated 92 points: opaque color, the nose is not particularly fruit driven with strong notes of soil, creosote, roasted plum, spicy oak, coffee beans, roast beef, and a light sweet almost spearmint note that adds freshness, this continues to remind me of Cornas done by Guigal in LaLa style. - fairly opulently styled in the mouth yet not over the top, rich with ripe tannins and good acidity, plum, mineral, and gently bitter root vegetable notes dominate the entry before the midpalate turns more soil driven with a mysterious toasty grain note and a unique green herb freshness that sets this apart from typical cali syrah, a slight pepperiness becomes more pronounced with time, competing with blackberry notes for domiance and comes to be the dominant feature of the long finish which is slightly drying yet exceptionally savory. Alot of wine and in need of some grilled, assertive beast, wild boar perhaps but on it own intriguing and unique. I guess this wine strength and weakness is it's exceptionally savoriness which will be off putting to some but is what makes it appealing to me. (2404 views) | | | Tasted by dougsmith on 3/14/2007 & rated 91 points: David Bowler Spring 2007 Portfolio Tasting (New York City): Deep ruby color. More new-world nose of cola, bright cassis and violets. On the palate this is quite full bodied with good presence. (3614 views) |
| Saxon-Brown Producer website
Founded in 1997 by winemaker Jeff Gaffner, the winery's cornerstone is its 100-year-old Casa Santinamaria Vineyard in Sonoma, a "field blend" vineyard that, at a half ton an acre, defines "low-yielding". Old vine Zinfandel (with its field-mates Petite Sirah, Carignane, Alicante Bouschet and Mataro) and Semillon come from this historic parcel. Pinot Noir and Syrah are sourced from small vineyards throughout Sonoma County. Total production is fewer than 2,000 cases, allowing Jeff to fulfill his mantra: "Winemaking must consume you, or your wines may not be worth consuming." Syrah 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 CountyChalk HillAppellation: Appellation America | Chalk Hill website | from Russian River Travel |
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