Syrah and Grenache at Blackstone Steakhouse
Blackstone Steakhouse Norwalk CT.
Tasted Saturday, October 26, 2013 by slywka7 with 602 views
Introduction
My Connecticut Tasting Group got together to try mostly Syrah's but with a few other goodies mixed in.
Flight 1 (11 Notes)
Closing
Long night and towards the end it was tough to enjoy the last few wines because there were too many to drink and some of them were very high in alcohol.
NV Taittinger Champagne Brut Réserve / La Française 90 Points
France, Champagne
Kicked things off with this very nice Champagne. This had some nice acidity with lively bubbles that had some nice notes of toast and pear with just a touch of residual sweetness left that mellowed out over the finish. Nice way to start things off.
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2008 Marcassin Chardonnay Marcassin Vineyard 99 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
Super excited to try my first Marcassin Chardonnay. This started off a little shy, as the wine was too cold from sitting in an ice bucket. Once it warmed up I got some mineral, lemon and toast on the very elegant nose. I didn''t know quite to expect when I tasted this based on that but this was just an enormous wine. Waves of favor just hit the palate with lemon, butter, marshmallow, with a finish that lasts well over a minute. A total shock to your palate if your not ready for it as not too many producers make Chardonnay's this rich. Looking forward to opening some more.
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1997 Seavey Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 94 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Excellent aged Napa Cabernet made in an old world style! The nose on this was filled with wet earth, cherry and iron. Very reminiscent of aged Bordeaux. I expected some more earth on the palate based on the nose but this dialed that back and the fruit kicked into high gear displaying that this is drinking at it's peak and will probably drink well for at least another 5 years if not longer.
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2000 Sine Qua Non Syrah In Flagrante 98 Points
USA, California, Central Coast
Wow was this a crazy wine to taste! The nose on this was just unbelievable with aromas of blood, flowers, bell pepper and beats. Never smelled a nose like this before. Just very unusual. This wine had a nice mouth feel without a hard edge. Perfectly balanced with just the right amount of fruit and acidity. Flavors of bacon, cherry, smoke, tomato and earth dominated the palate with each sip revealing a new nuance I had not picked up on in my previous one. This had some similarities to a Cabernet Franc, which was unusual. Got better as I drank it. One of the best Syrah's I have ever had.
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2004 Jonata Winery La Sangre de Jonata 95 Points
USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley
The Jonata was interesting but had a tough act to follow after a Sine Qua Non. This dialed back the power and aimed for finesse. Got a nice perfume of blueberry, blackberry and raspberry with really more of the same on the palate. Had a nice 45 second finish. Not a hard edge on this one and drinking really nice right now.
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2005 Araujo Estate Syrah Eisele Vineyard 96 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Never had a Syrah from the Eisele Vineyard and man did it deliver. This had a wonderful nose of raspberry, blueberry and rose. Very smooth, almost Cab like. People say William Selyem make their Zins like their Pinot Noirs and I kind of got the same thing here. On the palate I got blackberry, blueberry and dark cherry with a hint of spice. Very polished and drinking very well right now. Impressive!
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2006 Colgin Syrah IX Estate 95 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
This went up against some stiff competition but held it's own. Elegant displaying a perfume of raspberry, game, rose and blackberry. A pop and pour basically, this was ready to go with no hard edges and flavors of raspberry, cherry, herb and spice. Had a very nice 40 second finish. Not heavy at all and I think if this was showed on it's own it might have stood out a little more than it did to me.
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2008 Scholium Project Androkteinos Hudson Vineyard 92 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Wow! This wine was drunk sandwiched between a Colgin and a SQN at a Syrah tasting. I got a nose of violets, raspberry and cherry. The wine was big, thick and syrupy with cherry, raspberry and blackberry flavors. Got a lot of heat on this, probably because it tipped the scales at over 16% alcohol. Made the other wines seem pretty tame. I think if I had this as a stand alone wine I would have liked it more (it was not a bad wine) but after 2 or 3 sips I could not drink it anymore.
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2008 Sine Qua Non Grenache THE Line 97 Points
USA, California, Central Coast
Drank this towards the end of a stellar lineup of wines but it more than held its own. This nose was simply intoxicating with aromas of raspberry, cherry, blueberry and kirsch. This wine really exemplifies power and finesse because it really hits a cord but doesn't have a hard edge. Drinking really well and very well balanced, I got flavors of blueberry, blackberry, herb and boysenberry that lead to an engaging 45-50 second finish. A outstanding effort!
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2009 Lillian Winery Syrah Blue Label 95 Points
USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County
Was at the tail end of an impressive tasting of syrah and grenaches that included SQN, Colgin and Araujo but this had a nice showing. Got a nose of raspberry, blackberry, earth and flowers. This was pretty balanced and along the lines of the SQN but not as concentrated. The palate revealed some nice flavors of blueberry, cherry, raspberry and smoke. The flavors led to a pleasant 30 second finish. I would not say they are in the class of SQN but the delivery similar quality for more affordable prices.
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1990 Château Suduiraut 93 Points
France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
Finished the night with this exquisitely aged Sauternes. Golden in color, this thick, syrupy wine showed a lot of fruit with mature notes of apricot, honey and pear but had some mineral notes on the long finish. What aged Sauternes should taste like. Perfect way to end the night!
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