Rhone Rangers San Francisco 2010
Fort Mason
Tasted Saturday, April 2, 2011 by alanr with 749 views
Introduction
Went up to Rhone Rangers to help Carole Meredith pour wine, while Steve Lagier stayed home to catch up on vineyard work during a break from the many storms we've had this year in California. So these are just the few wines I tried during breaks from pouring.
2009 Arnot-Roberts Syrah North Coast 93 Points
USA, California, North Coast
Gorgeous dark boysenberry/violet fruit, some very nice complexity, very structured, one of those cases where the whole seems to have exceeded its part, at this young age at lease.
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2009 Arnot-Roberts Syrah "North Block" Hudson Vineyard 92 Points
USA, California, Napa / Sonoma, Carneros
Reserved, dark blackberry fruit, some nice floral notes, quite structured.
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2009 Arnot-Roberts Syrah Alder Springs Vineyard 90 Points
USA, California, North Coast, Mendocino County
On the leaner side, with dark red fruit, some tartness on the finish, needs some bottle time to judge better.
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2009 Arnot-Roberts Syrah Griffin's Lair 93 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
Deep, fairly intense lifted blackberry, very structured, with some age this should be beautiful.
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2010 Arnot-Roberts Syrah Clary Ranch 92 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
Picked at 20.5 brix in late November, this is bright, focused, with boysenberry/pomegranate fruit, a hint of tartness, some nice complexity. Clary is always on the edge, simply not getting ripe enough in some years, but when it makes it, the wine can be fabulous. This might be one of those, though still early in its life.
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2007 Cabot Vineyards Klamath Cuvée 90 Points
USA, California, North Coast, Humboldt County
Reserved darker red fruit, a bit on the lean side, with good structure, should be a nice food wine.
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2007 Cabot Vineyards Syrah Humboldt County 93 Points
USA, California, North Coast, Humboldt County
Gorgeous deep boysenberry/pomegranate fruit, great structure, has a Cornas kind of feel. Very nice wine, and tremendous value!
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2006 Cabot Vineyards Syrah Aria's 92 Points
USA, California, North Coast, Humboldt County
Beautiful, medium dark fruit, nice intensity, but also reserved and elegant, some brightness coming through, with a nice finish. Developing very nicely.
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2006 Cabot Vineyards Syrah Kimberly's 93 Points
USA, California, North Coast, Humboldt County
Rich, deep, intense, even lush mid-palate, beautiful structure, terrific syrah.
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2009 Chester's Anvil Gretna Green Stagecoach Vineyard 92 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Beautiful fruit, with a floral honeyed component from the Viognier, and a more mineral, spicy foundation from the Marsanne, all wrapped in a taut, crisp package. If you haven't been converted to white wine, or are looking for something that's not Chardonnay, this is the one.
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2008 Lagier Meredith Syrah 93 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Mt. Veeder
This is a bit of a chameleon, at times showing a deeper, rounded, lush side like the 06, and other times showing a more focused taut side like the 07. Either way, it's fabulous wine, with the signature dark, blackberry/boysenberry syrah fruit from Lagier Meredity, excellent structure, beautiful finish. Drink now, or put away for 5 years and take another peak to see where it's going.
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2007 Lagier Meredith Syrah 94 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Mt. Veeder
My personal favorite LM syrah over the past several vintages, with deeply intense black/boysenberry fruit, some pomegranate, very focused, plenty of great structure, with a little more acidity than most vintages. Based on the track record of these wines since the 96 vintage, has the potential to age and develop for 10-15 years, at least, and probably more. Just fantastic.
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2009 Outpost Grenache 87 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain
Medium light body, this is just a little too simple, bit sweet, woody, decent balance, but a little too overripe, and uninteresting. For me, grenache is tough to get right, and this falls a bit short, though I think it's one of the better Outpost efforts for those that like this style.
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2004 Outpost Petite Sirah The Other 88 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain
Big, ripe, lush, a bit overripe, good structure, excellent in this style but a little too much for me. A big mouthful of dark, lush wine.
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2009 Wind Gap Wines Orra 91 Points
USA, California, North Coast
69/21/10 Grenache/Mourvedre/Counoise, Beautiful medium body, medium deep red fruit, nice balance, moderate tannins.
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2008 Wind Gap Wines Rana 92 Points
USA, California
58/30/12 Grenache/Mourvedre/Syrah, rich, deep red fruits, interesting base note foundation, presumably from the mourvedre, medium tannins. Mostly Paso fruit, and it shows it through the forward lushness, but does it very well.
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2008 Wind Gap Wines Syrah Sonoma Coast 91 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
Very nice dark red fruit, some green olive/pepper, complex and well structured.
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2009 Wind Gap Wines Syrah Griffin's Lair 92 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
Huge, deep, dark blackberry fruit, very structured, quite tannic, will need several years to start coming around. Massive wine, but in a well controlled style.
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2008 Qupé Syrah Sonnie's Sawyer Lindquist Vineyard 90 Points
USA, California, Central Coast, Edna Valley
Rich, lush, complex dark red fruit, rich and intense, good acidity, though showing plenty of ripeness. For those looking for a more balanced Central Coast style, this is probably the perfect wine, but for others like me who prefer an even more reserved North Coast style, it's still a bit more than I want, but a beautifully made wine.
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