May 10, 2024 - Had with Grant and Sussmans
February 4, 2024 - Drank over three days and continued to evolve, although consistently good almost great throughout. Intense explosion of fruits—blueberries, boysenberries, dark rasberries, spices and black pepper. Some saltiness but not so much savoriness. Long long finish. A bit of heat which is a nod to the vintage I guess.
Trying to find the SQN sweet spot. This was good but didn’t blow me away like the 2019 Distentia a month ago. But that’s me being picky, this is a tasty albeit intense and concentrated wine.
January 14, 2024 - No detailed notes, but this was delish. Drank with HBWG.
March 17, 2023 - Gave it a 4 hour decant. Could have used 8 hour decant. Even still, this was gorgeous. Rich, lush, smooth. Everything you’d want and expect. Just at the beginning of its life—many years left.
December 11, 2022 - Stunning extraction…after three hours in the decanter this thick, resplendent, balanced, nuanced stunner showed extremely well. Dried blueberries, teak, tobacco leaf, sultana, lava and black pepper. Full in body, and the flowingly long fish is pure reflection. Depth and endless layers, there’s grip and focus. 2016 was, without question, very loving to Manfred and Elaine - as we all recklessly observe. Killer juice. Epic. Drink 2026 -.
October 21, 2022 - This is a lovely wine. Alas, it was consumed too early. Sit on it for another 5 years. Incredibly well made and structured, but the tannins need some additional time to "settle back. Easy, Jim." Paired well with roasted chicken thighs in my own secret sauce, mashed potatoes, roasted carrots with tahini, and a green salad with blue cheese, bacon, walnuts and fresh garden tomatoes. Fun night and fun to share a great wine with friends. Two of our guests passed out on my couch, so I will take that as a win.
July 15, 2022 - 蓝莓、黑莓、丁香、香草、太妃糖，香气丰富、奔放、浓郁、成熟。相比之下，入口表现力略显平淡，变化和层次感有些跟不上闻香的节奏。酸度和酒精处理得很平衡，单宁适中且成熟，所以口感平顺、圆润，将诸多元素融合后，最终突出了果味的浓艳。
June 5, 2022 - Wonderful
April 16, 2022 - Good, maybe great, but not the amazing experience others have posted. Decanted for an hour and drunk over 4. Nose muted. Dark black fruit core, dense with menthol and what appears to be well integrated new fench oak. Although it was very well balanced and wound up, it didn't rank super high on the excitement meter.
I'd say 5 more years before I try to open this bottling again.
January 23, 2022 - We drank the 2016 Grenache the night before. The Syrah is as dark as night. Quite an expressive nose with just an amazingly lush wine yet one of great power. Just the overall depth of the wine pushes up the score, even though I really preferred the finesse of the grenache more.