October 26, 2023 - From Magnum, decanted and served.
Every bit the wine it sets out to be, big, bold, juicy and with a spicy and a beautiful contrast tot he 2012 Ch Ampuis also from magnum this was served side by side ( Papies 93).
Impressive still and especially for the lovers of the style this is at the high end of things. For our style/palate this was a bit too much but end of the day horses for courses. Proper wine still. 92 but a biased one.
March 18, 2023 - Smooth , full body, some cherry opened for 2 hrs beforehand
May 13, 2022 - Smoke, tar, tobacco. Alcohol on the finish. This is a big and smooth wine. Maybe not as big as I expected. Good wine with a ribeye. Ready to go with a one hour decant.
December 27, 2021 - Preferred this to a Shirvington 2002 that I had kept in the cellar and opened on Christmas day to create a pairing. I agree with the notes here: There is stuffing to last years, but why? This is not the Northern Rhone and what you will get in the end are softer tannins. Again, at this price point, it is a well-made wine but I would not pay $200 for it. I am glad it was a gift.
December 22, 2021 - If you have cellared this wine well, you will be incredibly rewarded. Pulled the cork at 1 pm to sloOx, then decanted into a wide decanter at 5pm. Slowly poured back into the bottle at about 6 pm and then started drinking about 7:30. Clearly entering it's drinking window as it is now a wonderful combination of power and elegance. The fruit is clearly syrah but is not overly ripe with substantial complexity including tar and tobacco which is one of my favorite profiles. This is a world class wine and will hold at this peak for probably another 3 years but last another 5-10.
June 1, 2021 - Dark purple in color. Opens with tons of fruit, blackberry, dark cherry, and boysenberry flavors, with secondary notes of garrigue, tapenade, and some slight smoke. The finish was long, and that boysenberry note really lingered. Still young, and probably has at least a 10-15 years of life left.
May 12, 2021 - SLDS May 2021: Corked.
May 8, 2021 - Absolutely fantastic. Wonderfully smooth and integrated. I decanted 3.5 hours, and it was even better at 4.5 hours. Plum, red fruit, blueberry, cigar box, and some decaying leaves on the nose. The palate is multifaceted, with a bouquet of fruit (blackberry, raisin, raspberry), rhubarb, earthy tones, a touch of charcoal, bitter herb, black pepper, and a refreshing lift of zesty white pepper. The zesty spice, herb, and echoes of muted blackberry linger marvelously long. Super complex. Super silky. Wow.
March 31, 2021 - Nose of cherry leather tobacco. Taste black cherry some spice not the most depth but so smooth and velvety, tannins mostly resolved full body but can last some more years. Overall excellent!
September 7, 2020 - Solid structure but lacks the flavor profile. Still tight. try your bottle in 7-8 years and see if it provides any better flavor profile. Solid structure.ee