May 29, 2015 - Beautiful wine. Rich, smooth and complex.
May 4, 2015 - Great wine. Well balanced with lots of fruit. Wish I had more.
February 21, 2015 - The 2008 Akasha from Torrin is a fantastic full throttle dark berry festival with a balance of restraint and complexity. I always love the mint-pepper balance in this wine, with violet in the background. Some mocha and sage on the back palate. I could go on and on. What you pick up on is a complex set of aromas and tastes, which will provoke your senses to discern, wonder and name the various experiences that play with your sensory buds. The tannins are smooth and keep a lid on the explosiveness of the fruit behind it. One of my favorite wines ever (up there with the Alban Reva 2006).
December 26, 2014 - The tannins have gotten smoother, the pepper is still strong but less dominant than it used to be. The long finish has some mint with dark berries all along. A wonderful wine that is full of elegance.
November 25, 2014 - Really nice right now, all the talk about 16.1% alc is a little over done, presents with stunning balance of fruit and structure bordering on excessive but never going over the line. Meager allocations mean I'll save remaining bottle for a couple of years but for those who have some enjoy now or over the next 5 years.
August 24, 2014 - Delicious
June 13, 2014 - Popped and poured at the restaurant...dark purple...wonderful combination of white pepper, flower and some earth on the nose...licorice and dark fruit in the mouth with a silky finish. This reminded me of a cross between a great Saxum and Lillian...not suggesting one is better than the other, but rather the Akasha had the backbone and weight of Saxum with the femininity of Lillian. Have had the 2008 Maven and wasn't overly impressed...the Akasha was much better.
March 16, 2014 - Chris brought this out to Beatrix with Johnny and me.
Black. Black. Black. Blackberries, black peppercorn, black flowers, black charred meat, black olive and black rock.
This is insane stuff. I mean, I know my Burgundy buddies would shake their head - 16.1% alcohol - but it doesn't come across as being out of whack.
The massive amount of stuffing and fruit here is epic. This got better and better and if there was a day 2 it may even merit a higher score…didn't last though.
Lower acid, but still present, no doubt. The alcohol came across as being rich and brooding - not hot. Fantastic. This should last for another 50 years with ease.
Really flashy sexy style that's not for everyone, again, but still we all really enjoyed this wine alongside the Kosta Browne and Bevan.
December 29, 2013 - This is an excellent wine with some James Berry fruit to help. Opened it and thought 90 points and after 45 min, was a stunning syrah. Reidel syrah glasses.
November 15, 2013 - Just maturing to be even more amazing. A long minty peppery flavor with a very long finish that is smooth and silky and so balanced that it is just an even greater pleasure in comparison to all the others great Paso wines from 2008. This one still holds all its greatness from the fruity 2008 vintage. Still a masterpiece with the possibility of becoming even greater while other great 2008 Paso wines start to decline. One of my upper benchmarks. I can see how some people may call it syrupy, but the wine keeps its sweetness completely under control in a very elegant and balanced way. This wine has a greatness to reckon with one way or the other. Everyone has to figure it out for themselves.