February 10, 2024 - Purchased direct from winery & cellared since. PNP & that’s not what this needs. Had a glass & saved the rest for day 2 & this did the trick. The ‘08 is darker & more brooding than the ‘07 which we had 1st. Very tight & astringent day 1. Day 2 it blossomed.
December 23, 2023 - Had with meats and cheeses from Delaurenti in Pike Place. Absolutely in a killer place.
May 24, 2021 - Decanted 2 hrs. Since my last go round with the 08 Frog in 2011 - this has aged splendidly and provided such a satisfying experience last night. An elegant Frog that packs a lot of classic Syrah traits - smoky blackberries but with a nervy edge, pronounced and appealing minerality, and a bit of saline / blood on a very long finish. Floral as all get out. Yet this is still a frog and does carry that wildness but in a more tame package. Many years left IMHO.
August 29, 2020 - Wonderful mineral and earthy aromas with blackberry, floral and spice notes on the silky smooth palate with layered complexity on the long finish.
February 5, 2020 - Dark ruby in color with a short brick rim.
Sweet nose of blackberries, black currants, sweet cherries, cedar, leather, vanilla, licorice, spices, chocolates, tobacco, herbs and black pepper.
Medium plus in body with medium plus acidity and long legs.
Dry and fruity on the palate with sweet cherries, plums, blueberries, oak, light vanilla, spices, espresso, cola, light vegetables, leather, earth, tobacco, vinaigrette, peppercorn, pencil lead, light bell pepper and dark chocolates.
Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cranberries.
This is a great Syrah from Washington State. Showing great complexity with a nice mouthfeel. Elegant, yet rich. Just Beautiful.
This 12 year old is drinking very nicely now and will continue to age nicely in the next decade.
Needs 3 hours to open up properly and show some tannins.
Wine Enthusiasts 100 points. Robert Parker 97 points.
I paired it with a charcuterie board of meats and cheeses.
Tasty and delicious.
14.4% alcohol by volume.
93 points.
$275.
January 5, 2020 - Decanted for an hour and a half, and continued to open during dinner. May need more time. Lots of sediment stuck to the underside of the bottle. Overall, a better experience than our previous bottle about 2 1/2 years ago. Maybe it just needed more cellar time. It certainly appears as if it could hold for a few more years.
Lots of funk when initially opened. Took quite a while for this to dissipate and allow the nose to show lots of red, dark red, and some blue fruits, a dose of earthiness, and some spice. All of these followed on to the medium plus palate, with relative balance. The acidity was a touch more than enough to balance, and any tannins were completely resolved.
Another of Christophe Baron's BIG "mouthful o' syrah" wines.
December 16, 2019 - 2 hour decant. Another remarkable experience with The Frog. Touch of menthol over the top of the usually bloody, iron and gamy nose. Satiny over the tongue, with much more feminine qualities that when last tasted.
September 24, 2019 - Pnp
Smoky briny mixed with stewed fruit, black licorice and dark berries
There’s some chocolate and pepper on the finish.
Doesn’t have the complexity I enjoy, even after hour two. Too primary
July 6, 2019 - Distinctive - a cherry cola element I wasn’t expecting, somewhat less aromatic than I had heard it would be - a fun, fun bottle. Not sure it has too many more years in it.
June 30, 2019 - Imagine a platter of charcuterie & olives surrounded by black cherries with a garnish of oak leaves & eucalyptus as you enjoy a few wafts of this wine. The palate follows the nose although the fruit is a bit brighter and accompanied by a smidgeon of spice.