6/7/2014 - pcarpe41 Likes this wine:

Light purple. Smoke, savory dried herbs, iron, with a hidden fresh red fruit note (strawberry). Consistent, Medium palate with a clean mouthfeel. Fresh blueberry on finish. Not the typical Thompson Syrah offering. Eric has captured amazing liveliness from one of Santa Barbara's historic vineyards.

7/17/2012 - pcarpe41 wrote:

Beautiful garnet. Some pencil lead, smoke, ripe raspberry, leather. Consistent nose with sweet and savory herbs bouncing around. Finish has great acid streak. Getting the effect you get when eating ginger bread cookies. Zingy ginger note. Fruit isn't massive, tannins are in line, acid is lively but not out of control. Larry is killin' it with Larner fruit.

6/25/2012 - pcarpe41 wrote:

Let breathe for two hours. WOW! A savory, masculine beast upon initial sniff. Quite NoRhone-ish! Iron, iodine, earth, tobacco, smoke. All savory...no fruit. Got some rye notes. Opening up quite nicely. Great nimbleness in the mouth...acid, but with a long finish. Very chalky...and grippy from all the stems. Some very ripe, dark blueberries with hint of oak on the very end as it slips down the gullet. Holy crap, is this a beautiful wine.

5/20/2012 - pcarpe41 wrote:

very youthful, translucent yellow. Initial pop was toasted coconut...with the coconut cream pie underneath. Bright tropical fruit with lemon/lime notes. Mineral and zingy acid on the finish.

Fleshed out a little with room temp and air. Complexity kicked in.

Wow. I was expecting a darker, more ripe tropical with the long aged. But plenty of acid to go with the layers.

Brandon Sparks-Gillis and the Dragonettes are making killer wines. Their Sauv Blancs might be California's best.

4/16/2012 - pcarpe41 wrote:

Got this bottle at the 2012 Lompoc Wine Ghetto Locals' Day. Light garnet. Plenty of stuffing left. Ripe strawberry and cherry on nose. Consistent on palate. Reminds me of eating freshly picked cherries with my Grandmother. Some acid on the back-end. Probably a full-bodied rose upon release has gotten inline at this date...kind of the same effect of the SQN "The Pontiff"...just the syrah version.

10/31/2011 - pcarpe41 wrote:

Wow...and I was mad at myself for opening this. Thought I was opening an 07. This is a killer syrah. Dark purple. Two hour decant. Smoke, pencil lead, touch of rubber, lavender, savory herbs. Total consistent palate with yummy blue fruit. KILLER structure with a finish that lasts forever. I know I opened this waay to early...but man is this good.

10/25/2011 - pcarpe41 wrote:

Dark purple. Expressive nose of pencil lead, eucalyptus, sage, and brambly dark blueberry fruit. Consistent to nose, great blue fruit with a great lively mouth feel and finish. Dynamite for $25.

9/27/2011 - pcarpe41 wrote:

Wow! The Bandol jumps out with a BANG!! Ripe pear and honeycomb. Very elegant...great weight.

9/26/2011 - pcarpe41 wrote:

Matte gold with some grey. Very expressive nose. Leaps out of glass! When just popped and chilled, stone fruits and a steely minerality dominated. At room temp, stone fruit is joined by some grassy, dandelion/wild field flowers explode. Quite elegant. Very nimble with great acid and long finish. Getting a bit of citrus with some savory herbs.

Fruit is from Larner...which is in my top five of favorite Santa Barbara vineyards. I gotta say, I like Palmina's reds a lot...but I think I love their whites. Such a great effort.

9/20/2011 - pcarpe41 wrote:

Solid garnet. Sweet cassis, chocolate cherry, some slight vanilla oak. Completely consistent palate with a touch of gravel and acid. Velvety tannin and structure. Love these wines...

9/20/2011 - pcarpe41 wrote:

Pale yellow with grey. Some grass, jalapeño, hay. Brilliant acid with grapefruit and lime. So refreshing.

9/6/2011 - pcarpe41 wrote:

Purple. Wildflowers, mineral, touch of smoke, some cassis. Great acid to go with structure. Looong finish with a choc mocha effect. No overabundance of fruit. Niiice.

9/6/2011 - pcarpe41 wrote:

Yellow/green/gray. Clean, pure, citrus and sun baked rocks, herbs. Great acid. Rockin' on this 100? day. Beautiful citrus and floral thing. Can I buy more?

9/5/2011 - pcarpe41 wrote:

Solid purple. Olive, underbrush, iodine, dark blue fruit., some smoke. Dark blue fruit with a hint of chocolate. Some crushed rock with the acid. Long finish. Man this is aging well.

9/5/2011 - pcarpe41 wrote:

Cloudy strawberry hue. Ripe strawberry, blood orange. Citrus. Consistent palate. Acid is level. Some spice on finish. Good stuff.

9/5/2011 - pcarpe41 wrote:

Bright yellow. Petrol, some florally rose, herbs, ripe citrus. Nice acid. Some anise? Holding up well...

8/24/2011 - pcarpe41 wrote:

Purple in glass. Nose explodes with anise, raw pork, plum, pencil lead, and some smoke. Great weight with a velvety-bramble finish. Medium body...great stuff.

8/12/2011 - pcarpe41 wrote:

Purple...smoked meat, anise, with some underlying ripe, dark fruit. Some herbs. Getting acid and mineral in the attack and mid-palate. Puzzler...

8/12/2011 - pcarpe41 wrote:

Solid purple. Spice, ripe strawberries, some mushroom. Some acid, but solid medium body with a bing cherry, pie thing. Good.

8/12/2011 - pcarpe41 wrote:

Light yellow, green, grey. Petrol is coming out. Nice pear, some wild flowers. Great acid with a touch of mineral. In a nice place.

8/2/2011 - pcarpe41 wrote:

Light gold. Some dried rock, herbs, mature pear. Nice weight with a little oak on finish. Great citrus going with even acid. Man...this rocks. How I love chards from the Clos.

8/1/2011 - pcarpe41 wrote:

DARK purple, "No Stemmer". Opened over 24 hours. Herbs, spice, cigar, touch of smoke, ripe blue fruit. Consistent nose with that famous blueberry. Pencil lead as you re-breathe wine through nose after drinking. Structure is great...really good.

8/1/2011 - pcarpe41 wrote:

Having it with what Larry intended to pair it with...Thai. Citrus, touch of petrol, with a little mineral. Great acid!! Tasty stuff.

8/1/2011 - pcarpe41 wrote:

Beautiful pink/strawberry color. Little leather, bright red fruit, with citrus. Good stuff!

7/29/2011 - pcarpe41 wrote:

Solid purple. Brambly, pencil lead, ripe red and blue fruit. Total consistent palate with a little bit of herb and earth. Nice structure and finish. Love Jaffurs syrah!!

7/29/2011 - pcarpe41 wrote:

Light garnet. Smoke, pine needles, mint, ripe cherry with a touch of oak sweetness. Consistent palate with ripe strawberry. Acid streak with soft structure and mineral finish.

7/29/2011 - pcarpe41 wrote:

Gold/yellow. Musty, mustard, rocky pebble with ripe lemon as nose comes out of glass. Steely, mineral, with lemon curd. What great acidity. Some herbs? Good stuff.

6/19/2011 - pcarpe41 wrote:

Father-in-law brought this for dinner. Loaded with eucalyptus and wet wood. Darker plum, blue fruit to pair with nose. Super young pup.

6/7/2011 - pcarpe41 wrote:

Reminds me of the Audelssa that got me into wine. Same fruit, and vintage...duh! Classic Erich Bradley nose...sweet cherry, nutmeg, chocolate, oak on nose. Bradley is all about texture and this fits his m.o. Total consistent palate with lush, velvet mouthfeel. Finish is long.

6/7/2011 - pcarpe41 wrote:

Reminds me of the Audelssa that got me into wine. Same fruit, and vintage...duh! Classic Erich Bradley nose...sweet cherry, nutmeg, chocolate, oak on nose. Bradley is all about texture and this fits his m.o. Total consistent palate with lush, velvet mouthfeel. Finish is long with some mineral. What an absolute steal.

11/6/2010 - pcarpe41 wrote:

Erich Bradley does it again! Light garnet with pink youthful edges. Brilliant cherry and strawberry. Some very slight notes of loam. Elegant nose. Consistent palate with hint of mocha or vanilla on finish. Medium bodied with some acidity. Great stuff.

9/13/2010 - pcarpe41 wrote:

Wow! Better than I remember. I didn't know if I was going to be burned (figuratively and literally) for not decanting for a couple hours before opening.

Popped and poured. This baby exhibited very little burn and exploded aromatically. Beautiful chocolate, espresso, sweet oak, and a little sage/pine thing going on. Palate is completely consistent with a medium/full mouth feel. Finish is SUPER long with a fresh ground espresso hint.

I don't like to give points but will say that this one is amazing right now. Of course, bottle age is recommended, but in a really good spot right now.

7/20/2010 - pcarpe41 wrote:

Thought I'd hit Trader Joe's to see if I could find a white for a decent price.

On sale for $9.99...is it just me or isn't this wine usually around $17-19?

Grabbed a bottle...chilled...popped...poured.

Nice bright yellow, with a touch of grass, gooseberry, and tropical fruits on the nose. Swear I smelled a fresh banana on first pop! Some nice wild field flowers coming through now...

Great acidity...not NZ bright...but really nice. Palate is consistent with some citrus and lime.

Pretty dang good stuff...