Community Tasting Note
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gunpwdr wrote: 94 points
March 1, 2012 - Nose: Blackberries, plums, sage, white pepper, braised beef, some floral notes as well. Beautiful nose. Palate: Raspberries, blackberries on the attack. Seamless transition to the mid-palate where big time tannins, sarsaparilla dominate. Everything dries out on the finish, with notes of sage and flowers lingering.
My justification for popping one of these open, despite the other CT notes suggesting it's closed, was that I have 6 of them. I'm not going to say that this syrah was completely open and showing all it has, but it was definitely not shut down for me. I'm also not going to say this is like Hermitage or Cote Rotie (although it is the next closest thing) but it is such a far cry from what I'm used to for California syrah. It's not primary, not creamy and lush, it's got loads of acidity and tannins, and it has that classic French syrah sage/floral action going. Rhys hype aside, this syrah is genuinely delicious right now and the only nit I would have is the relative lack of weight of the fruit. Ultimately, this is a structural beast that needs 7+ years in the cellar and should most definitely improve.4,504 views