December 30, 2023 - Pretty tight and closed down initially.
Once it opens I get intense aromas of black pepper, candied orange, black cherry, blackberry bramble, cedar, shoe leather, tar, rosemary, and sweet tobacco.
Medium plus acid, grippy / chewy tannins. This is still showing super youthful. Long finish.
November 20, 2023 - As delicious as the last bottle!
October 19, 2023 - Generous, but balanced with fruit and savory flavors. Drinking very nicely.
August 29, 2023 - -- decanted 45 min. before initial taste on Day 1 --
-- tasted non-blind over 1.5 - 2 hrs. on Day 1; revisited on Day 3 --
NOSE: medium+ expressiveness; smells young and fruity, in a cool climate type of presentation; dark purple berries; peppery, with hints of brine and cigar; no brett.
BODY: medium bodied; magenta-tinged garnet color of medium-deep depth; no bricking.
TASTE: oooooh ... damn! savory; dark-fruited; high acidity; some char/campfire; tannins are resolved; *very good*!; elegant, but not thin or weak; 13.5% alc. is hidden; young, but wide open. Drink or Hold. This is great! Day 3: earthy and dark-fruited, with hints of musk/leather and black truffle. Still impressive.
B: 50, 5, 13, 18,. 8 = 94
June 2, 2023 - Delicious blackberry, olive, and floral notes on the nose and savory palate with lovely tannins and acidity on the moderate-long finish. Drinking beautifully!
December 18, 2022 - This is a world-class Syrah: Fully-developed but with no pruniness, medium-bodied, with a nicely balancing streak of acidity, high intensity, suggestions of bacon and rosemary, long finish. I would guess that it is at peak now.
December 6, 2022 - The previous note on this is spot on. Savory, shifting aromatics. Medium-full palate with a lot of dense fruit energy still. The acidity is particularly well integrated with the fruit, and while the tannins are still strong, they're not mouth-puckering. This is drinking very well, but on the young side. It's quite different from a recent '11 Horseshoe Syrah, which was a more elegant and mature wine than this Skyline. I might prefer the Skyline for its potential, but the contrast is fascinating and rewarding.
October 15, 2022 - A very savory, herbal Syrah at this point in its evolution. The olive character is more fleshy than briny, which gives it a slightly vegetal character in a nice, chewy way. Undeniably pretty, yet quite dark and almost medicinal, tar-like at times, without being heavy. Like most good Syrah, its aromatic character is swirly, not staying in any one place for too long. Tonight, with brisket, I wanted a little more weight, tannin, and a denser core - perhaps this would have suited the meal better five years ago - but the fairly high acid kept it relevant. A lovely bottle, if not superlative. 13.5%, purchased at auction for $48.
January 19, 2022 - Popped and enjoyed over a few hours. Classically made with notes of bacon fat and smoke. This is drinking well right now but will easily hold for another 10 years. With N. Rhone prices on the rise, this wine is a fair trade off.
January 8, 2022 - Ready to drink. Very much like a Northern Rhône with loads of complexity and bacon fat with red fruit and a long finish. Medium bodied, balanced and elegant.