Community Tasting Notes 9

• Seth Rosenberg wrote:

  June 11, 2021 - Tasted double blind from a small bottle. I had no idea what it was. By logic it should have been Syrah (blind flight and the other wine we found out was a syrah), and it was, but I couldn’t get that on day 1 - seemed lighter and more Sangiovese ish. I mentioned after the halcyon that ESJ makes the only true classic Syrah in the US. we noted it had excellent acid as ESJ wines had but I was sure it wasn’t one, oh well.
  
  Day 2 - it has opened with air but it is a little paint thinner varnishy with some chewable vitamin. There is a core of dark fruit behind it but it seems marred to me. Palate seems somewhat lean and the chewable are there in force. Again a core of dark fruit / brine in there somewhere but hard to focus on it.
  
  Is this a sound bottle? I'm a big ESJ fan and this doesn't strike me as typical.

  Comment

• millej wrote:

  June 11, 2021 - I was very much looking forward to this but while it was still very good it was also unmistakably on the downslope. My last bottle of it (8 or 9 years ago) still showed very young so I wanted to give this plenty of time to peak.
  
  Still a nice earthy, enjoyable syrah but did not live up to the promise of previous bottles.

  Comment

• Rieslingfan wrote:

  January 22, 2020 - My very last bottle of ESJ Durell Syrah, and while not the best (‘94!), it was distinctive, aromatic, and still very much in the prime of life. Sweet/tart cherry fruit, worn leather, herbs, roasted meat and a touch of violet on the nose gave way to a lifted, bright palate presence, dominated by the meaty elements, along with a black olive finish. Lovely with my beef stew dinner, and also delicious on its own. Drink ‘em if you have ‘em.

  Comment

• chcook Likes this wine:

  May 21, 2017 - PNP. cork intact but soft so used Durand. Color surprisingly youthful. nose has a mulchy olive dominated nose. there is still some acid but the structure is polished and the flavor dense. this is fully resolved and drinking perfectly. hard to recognize this as syrah

  Comment

• BradKNYC wrote: flawed

  April 19, 2013 - Two Camhis are better than one as Howard Camhi comes back for more: Riesling, Savennières, Burgundy and Bordeaux (My place.): Corked.

  Comment

Pro Reviews 2

Wine Definition

• Vintage 1997
• Type Red
• Producer Edmunds St. John
• Varietal Syrah
• Designation n/a
• Vineyard Durell Vineyard
• Country USA
• Region California
• SubRegion Sonoma County
• Appellation Sonoma County

Community Holdings

• Pending Delivery 0 (0%)
• In Cellars 31 (56%)
• Consumed 24 (44%)

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