August 1, 2023 - Garnet red in colour and clear, this wine had a nose of dark cherries and yeast. In the glass were flavours of those dark berries with a hint of ripe cherries and a good amount of toast. The acidity and tannins were quite strong but in good balance with the wine. The alcohol level on this were a bit strong tonight.
June 17, 2023 - Kleur: Fluwelig donkerrood met een runne rand. Aroma / bouquet: Expressief en aangenaam, een explosie van rood fruit (aardbeien, frambozen), donker fruit (kersen, bramen). Een hint van menthol en donkere chocola Smaak / Afdronk: Bijzonder geconcentreerde en expressieve wijn. Een beperkte maar aangenaam lactische zuurgraad, krachtige tannines en een superieur lange afdronk. Op en top Grenache, maar vooral op en top SQN. Retronasale impressies van cassis, verfijnd hout en zacht-zoetige kruidigheid. Algemeen / potentieel: Mijn tip: drinken op een temperatuur van maximaal 15 graden maakt de wijn aangenaam frisser en iets minder alcoholisch. 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 14 + Smaak / Afdronk: 17 + Algemeen / potentieel: 9 = 95/100
Colour: Velvety dark red with a runne edge. Aroma / bouquet: Expressive and pleasant, an explosion of red fruits (strawberries, raspberries), dark fruits (cherries, blackberries). A hint of menthol and dark chocolate Taste / Aftertaste: Particularly concentrated and expressive wine. A limited but pleasant lactic acidity, powerful tannins and a superior long finish. Grenache through and through, but above all through and through SQN. Retronasal impressions of cassis, refined wood and soft-sweet spiciness. General / potential: My tip: drinking at a maximum temperature of 15 degrees makes the wine pleasantly fresher and slightly less alcoholic. 50 + Color: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 14 + Taste / Aftertaste: 17 + General / potential: 9 = 95/100
March 2, 2023 - Men Who Wine
Subject: Rhone
This was a member contribution for the night. Lot's of heat from the alcohol. A bit disjointed at this point in time. Obviously a cult wine that is fun to have in the line up but was lost next to some of the classics like Chave or Guigal. The table picked the 15 Eisele Syrah over the SQN in the new world bottlings.
Matt Morris's white hawk was another standout even though painfully young.
December 25, 2022 - Decanted for 3.5 hours. Aromas of blueberry, cherry, kirsch liquor, iron and chocolate Grenache. Flavors of blueberry, raspberry, cherry, iron and coffee. Ends with a 40 second finish with raspberry notes. Needs some more time to open up. Will update.
Update: started to shut down around the 5 hour mark for some reason. Saved the rest and had on day 2. More open for business for sure with smoother tannins and more pronounced fruit.
November 25, 2022 - just too much alcohol, and for the price? sheesh
November 21, 2022 - Wow, the flavors are jumping out the glass. Obviously full, rich and coats the palate. But, balanced and bright. Loved by all. :-)
October 23, 2022 - Very dark color. Long legs. Decanted for 5 hours.
Nose is oh-so-complex - blackberry jam, plums, some sultana raisins, dried lavender… so much going on in there.
The palate is equally as complex with great balance, good acidity and grippy tannins, then garrigue, plums, blackberry paste, a touch of alcohol, sandalwood, some tobacco leaves. The ending is long and goes on and on with some oak notes and sweet vanilla to balance the grippy tannins.
Wow - a great wine! Still very young - it will benefit from more cellaring but it’s already stunning with a long decant. Extravagant is a word that describes it well - but this is so well balanced that it comes out as brilliant. Highly recommended!
October 1, 2021 - US BYO (Esmee): Lovely intensity and balance but it also seem to be very closed at the moment.
There is plenty of things to enjoy but it is clear that this need more time in the bottle or a very long decanting before consumption.
The balance and intensity is impeccable but lacks depth and length at the moment.
June 26, 2021 - This was drank at home after opening for 1 hour. The wine was clear and deep purple in colour with a nose of dark berries, some dirt and a noticeable nuttiness. In the glass were tons of ripe cherries and vanilla. The tannins and acidity were quite strong and the wine had quite a long finish. Despite my positive notes, something seemed to be disjointed in this bottle.
May 16, 2021 - This is such an interesting exercise every time I open these, I think I'm going to be underwhelmed...and it's great...for what it is. It's just not what I want often, and two 4oz. glasses is more than enough. It was excellent with the steak, but I kept wishing I was drinking Chave, Levet, Beaucastel, or even Bordeaux. This is an exceptional bottling, and I love pulling them out for a few special occasions every now & again.