Community Tasting Notes 13

• jonahfactor Likes this wine:

  November 30, 2018 - Our last bottle of a case buy. Popped at W’s 85th birthday dinner at Cecco Ristorante. The alluring lavender bouquet found in previous bottles wasn’t here. But this still offers lots to like, mostly along secondary and tertiary lines. Campfire cinders, black licorice, peach skin and blueberries throughout. Still a slight bite from the tannins, especially with time in the glass. Delicious. Drink up!

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• jonahfactor wrote: 93 points

  September 30, 2012 - Signed by Andrew -- "Cheers!" -- and still our favorite of the Hillside Reserve vintages. Hits all the right buttons, from first pop to last sip. Rich, lip-smacking from the get-go. Youthful ruby color, remarkable for an '01, with luscious legs and a medium/full body. Wonderful roll-over-the-tongue viscosity with a gentle breeze of acidity to match with food -- salmon and grilled rosemary garlic bread tonight. Bacon fat, garden herbs, currents, splash of red raspberries and a light mint in the finish. Bought a case of this in 2003 when visiting AM's charming tasting room in the Santa Ynez Valley hills with the Tennessee cousins. Loved it then because of its shameless fruit-forward nature; love it now for its elegance and herbal nuances. Only one precious bottle left : (

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• jonahfactor wrote: 92 points

  November 30, 2011 - Lavender fields forever. Wonderful herbal and lavender notes throughout the evening. Bacon fat upon opening, with dark fruit -- mostly blackberry -- coming onto the stage soon thereafter. Nice plumb line of acidity to keep things honest and help this offering match well with food. Great legs and medium to full body. A bit of heat in the finish at first, but that evens out over time. Hints of tar/creosote emerge after an hour or so. Really nice. Probably my favorite vintage of AM Hillside Reserve.

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• jonahfactor wrote: 92 points

  April 16, 2011 - Delicious and elegant. The decade has buffed the edges off this wine. Like watching the unfolding of a rose, with the bouquet becoming more prominent as it sat in the glass. Still has gobs of blackberry and blueberry, but over time a nice spicebox component has become integrated into this wine, with hints of sandalwood and cinnamon and perhaps some cracked pepper. A touch of lavender that makes its appearance from time to time. Tannins are mostly integrated, but I think this will drink well for another several years. Glad we still have three bottles.

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• joshwoodward wrote: 91 points

  January 17, 2011 - Wine Club (Bowling Green, OH): Decanted two hours. Solid wine, light on its feet but still quite new world. Good minerality, great structure. My main complaint is that it's kind of boring. There's nothing really jumping out. Good age.

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Wine Definition

• Vintage 2001
• Type Red
• Producer Andrew Murray
• Varietal Syrah
• Designation Hillside Reserve
• Vineyard n/a
• Country USA
• Region California
• SubRegion Central Coast
• Appellation Santa Ynez Valley

Community Holdings

• Pending Delivery 0 (0%)
• In Cellars 15 (27%)
• Consumed 41 (73%)

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