November 22, 2023 - 18 year old. I had low expectations and I’m beyond impressed by how well this Kamen Syrah ‘05 was tasting. Reddish-Brownish hue, fruit still strong and somewhat intense coming through on the nose and palate. Notes of roasted meats, scorched flowers, forest floor, wet leaves, tea and sun-dried dark berries. Strong acid structure and somewhat still grippy tannins that makes me feel like this can go another 5-8 years. What a surprise!
October 14, 2016 - Traded for this years ago from fellow CT'er BillyT (see his note below). A really nice and still surprisingly youthful and spicy Sonoma syrah which paired very well with duck. A good QPR wine at the average CT cost and still big enough to really benefit from at least an hour in the decanter. Several more years of life left with appropriate cellaring. Dark inky purple, still a big wine but now soft, tannins and acid present but well integrated, good mouth feel and full bodied with a long pleasant aftertaste. Big floral rich nose with dark fruit, blackberry, violet and a note of eucalyptus on the end. Flavor profile more muted and balanced with more of a cedar note then an oaky note present and dark fruit, blackberry and dark cherry up front and more of a spicy finish with black pepper, garrigue, grilled meat and tobacco on a long lingering finish. Definitely recommend this wine.
January 10, 2015 - Has improved since my last bottle three years ago, and it will probably continue to improve for another two or three years. Opened about an hour before drinking, but it really opened up about an hour after that. Initially, it was pretty tasty, but another hour produced more body and viscosity. Dark color with black and blue fruit on the nose. Extremely bright, lively fruit with a hint of citrus (?). Very nice mouthfeel and (after a couple hours) a terrific finish.
May 12, 2012 - Blackberry and some pepper and spice on the nose. This was a nicely integrated. Solid wine with smooth tannins and a nice weight to it. Drinking nicely now.
December 25, 2011 - Somewhat of a disappointment, possibly because of my high expectations for it. More than anything, however, it seemed a little closed. Therefore, my guess is that it simply needs a couple more years. Right now, there's nothing wrong with it, but there's nothing about it to distinguish it, either.
November 2, 2010 - Drank with French wine rep and local WS owner over lunch of Foie Gras, Veal liver, etc. GREAT wine that stood up against all the French wines brought by the French wine rep. Too busy visiting, talking wine, drinking wine and eating foie gras in order to take notes. Next time. I will say that Drmarg's comments are spot on.
October 16, 2009 - This syrah is a real crowd pleaser. Everyone that has shared this vintage with us has loved it. A very nice combination of intense fruit forward power, opulence and very nice balance. The nose and palate share super concentrated blackberry/boysenberry with some appropriate white pepper on the finish. The good news here is that there is more of this '05 available at the winery.