February 2, 2024 - PNP. Very very deep magenta color. Peppered sausage, vanilla frosting on dark raspberries, and sunflower seed shells. Very dry, sultry palate. Full tannins on the longish finish.
Impressive structure, but too dark, savory, and brooding for me. I learned that Tynan reds need serious cellar time. Chris Tynan did the tasting with #1WineLover and I at Cliff Lede, which was very cool.
April 15, 2023 - Unreal good! Expressive and sensational aromas of iodine, grilled meats, iron, steeped black tea, ground pepper, light tar and melted licorice. So complex, light on its feet, ripe tannins on long finish.
Syrah Saturday
July 29, 2022 - Popped and poured. At this stage the 2015 Judge Family Syrah pours an opaque, ruby color with some obvious staining of the tears. On the nose, clean and youthful with developing vinosity. Stewed red and blue fruits, dark brambles, purple flowers, bacon fat, dry caked earth, stale potpourri, rotondun, and cigar box. On the palate, the wine is dry and all of the notes from the nose are confirmed and accompanied by dark bramble fruit with some chocolate and smoked meat. Tannins are medium+, acid is medium+…and so is alcohol. The finish is long and tart…but more like a SweetTart. This is a very sexy wine with everything in the right places and the moves to match.
July 17, 2022 - Blood/iron, green olives, Ribena, pure silk
By the glass at Acacia House Napa
September 9, 2021 - lush and deep perfectly ripe fruit on day one; more interesting on day two when the secondary anise, olive and mineral add to the mix. I don't get much of the meat thingie just yet. Stellar!
April 30, 2021 - 3 days in Napa: Arkenstone, Memento Mori, Maxem, The French Laundry, Christopher Tynan, Kinsman, Harlan, Vice Versa, Accendo, Fairchild, Macdonald, and a truckload of others (Napa): I’ve written a few times on this wine and am always impressed with the wonderful balance between unctuous flavor expansion and cooler climate restraint and focus that ultimately make this wine so beautiful. Its complexity comes from the sanguine and roast beef notes that complement the core blackberry and black raspberry fruit core. It is Hermitage in style, especially emphasized and contrasted by the Cote Rotie character firing-off from the 2019 Syrah barrel sample.
This bottle of the 2015 Syrah indicates it is still in the beginning of its optimum drinking window. With air, it really starts to fill out and become deeper and more concentrated. Try again in 2025.
April 23, 2021 - As with the 19, CSIMM1161 captures most of my thoughts on this wine. Just a super powerhouse of a Syrah that is somewhat classic in its presentation. All the smoked meet, beef drippings, iron ore and bloody character come through with massive concentrated power and huge aging potential. Great complexity already, for those who love this style it's an absolute winner.
March 20, 2021 - Very well made Syrah with an impressive mouthfeel. Luxuriously textured, tannin at its most refined, a touch of expensive oak and despite its overall power also a nice seam of acidity. Aromatically there is some surmaturité (dried plums) which distinguishes the wine from a typically cooler (and earthier) northern rhone Syrah. I will keep my two remaining bottles for 3+ years and would like the wine to develop a bit more complexity. Right now I find it to be mainly about its sweet fruit, some Syrah violets and only a hint of blood and meat.
January 5, 2021 - Similar to last year. Even more integrated and seamless, with a finesse not often found in a domestic Syrah. The saline, olive brine, and iron notes do well to elevate the earthy dark blackberry and soil core. Not a hard edge to be found here, and most impressively, zero heat to speak of while still exhibiting a good flavor push of concentrated and savory black fruit goodness. Extraordinarily balanced. Drink now and over the next 5+ years.
March 2, 2020 - One of the best wines I've had in the last 12 months. Needs at least an hour, probably more, but it's a trip. I could do the whole "smoked meats and olives and brine" thing but listen: just imagine Auguste Clape on MDMA. That's what's in this bottle.