No detailed notes, but this wasn't drinking well at present. Somewhat muddled, in the vein of the Durant. Doesn't have the precision I would expect from a youthful Pinot that is "going places". The balance is what I would expect, with a weighting toward acidity at this early stage. As with the '08 Durant, I'm surprised by this one, as everything I've had from previous vintages of White Rose has been outstanding. Perhaps it will come together with time.

Ok. Take "cork" out of the equation as a contributor to premox. This was a 375 under a screwcap, and was well beyond its years in terms of development. While it was drinking nicely for now, I wouldn't want to have a bottle like this one laying in the cellar 5 years from now. Nutty, oxidized. Did not have much in the way of acidity or youthful burst.

No detailed notes. Not as overtly "in your face" as the last bottle. Easier this time around to envision an aging trajectory that could be favorable for this wine. Drink 2012 and beyond.

No detailed notes, but for me this was one of the stars of the evening. Remarkable "secondary" on the nose for a wine of this relatively young age. For me, a bit "older world" in styling as compared to the '04 Clos Abella. While opened late in the evening, this was one that didn't have much left in the bottle by the end of the night.

No detailed notes. Wonderful, secondary nose. It took awhile for the palate to open up and show its depth. Not the best bottle of this I've had, but definitely one of the "good" ones. Well-kept bottles of this have some time left. Update: surprisingly enough, this is better the second day, with more integrated and expressive flavors on the palate. Very Bordeaux in character, a throwback to the days when wine wasn't a food group.

No detailed notes. It's difficult for me to figure out where this is going. It remains a bit sharp, as it has been earlier in its life. I'm not sure that the fruit is going to win the battle over time as this ages.

Opened this up for Matt to get his opinion on whether this wine is worth the tariff at $18. Conclusion - easy yes. Didn't have the depth of Old Lakeville, but of 4 syrahs opened, this was tied for #2 behind the Old Lakeville. A wonderful wine at a fantastic price.

Matt brought this one, and I was surprised to like it as much as I did. Normally, I don't like a lot of acidity in a syrah, and given Matt's earlier notes referencing that, I didn't think this would be something I liked. But "balance" is the operative descriptor with this wine. A bit lighter in style than others opened, this had a nice floral note to the fruit that balanced perfectly with the acidity. G's favorite of the syrahs opened. A very food-friendly choice. Update Day 2: this wine along with the Old Lakeville have both moved toward the center. In the case of this wine, it has become richer with the acidity folding into the body of the palate. More expressive fruit tones. Very, very nice.

Wow!! I wasn't expecting to like this one, given the winemaker's notes that this was among the more primal wines in his lineup. Maybe so, but that's a background impression against an awesome forefront of fruit and depth. One of my favorite syrahs, and while I hesitate to say it, I like this as much in its youth as any Lillian I've had early (including the Blue Label), with the possible exception of the '04. And it's $30. Remarkable QPR. Update: Day 2 this loses some of it's exuberance and lands in something of a "no man's land"....no longer a rich, heavy wine but not yet sporting any secondary characteristics / elegance. Still good, but better Day 1.