February 26, 2023 - Opened and enjoyed over a few days. Very solid, dusty core of cherry, red rock dust, wild brambles. Neutral and velvety and in a good place. Will udpate more.
November 12, 2016 - Had this immediately after a good Saint-Joseph, and it was a real eye-opener. Great nose. Black and blue fruits, with a ton of pepper and a hint of herbs. Very rich, but not too heavy, and it had a very good finish. Bright and vibrant, it's no imminent danger of heading downhill.
July 2, 2016 - Not Earth-shaking, but solid. Blueberries and mesquite. Medium body - light on its feet, not a ponderous, high octane fruitbomb. However, the nose, the flavors, and the finish were all somewhat reticent. A nice, old world-style wine, but one that would probably be overwhelmed by rich or grilled foods. Probably time to drink up.
July 4, 2015 - Took to a party, so no detailed notes. Blueberries, with a hint of citrus. Solid, but not mind-altering. May be in a dumb phase or may be headed downhill.
November 6, 2013 - Solid wine and outstanding price point. Drank after the Pax and it was more fruit focused with less intensity. Not near as complex, yet still a great wine.
June 17, 2012 - Citrus with black pepper. Dark fruit, blue berry, flowers, gun flint. Simply a beautiful California Syrah. Great QPR. Will continue to have this in my cellar.
March 12, 2012 - A dark, brooding wine. Full of roasted meat and fire. Beautiful dark fruit of blueberry and blackberry. Yet delicate at the same time, with hints of the floral aroma that make complex Syrah so captivating. It opens immediately, yet retains complexity throughout the drinking experience, and has tremendous length to the finish. I think this is drink pretty darn well, right now.
January 20, 2012 - About a year between bottles. My wife made some turkey chili so seemed fit to find a CA syrah from the cellar, settled on this one. Started off pretty much all mid palate with a lot of flowers, coffee and smoke in the aromatic, along with a whiff of new oak. After about 2 hours, it started to fill in and add some finish, a zestiness from the acidity that needed air to emerge. I intend to let the bottle sit and slow ox until tomorrow, to let everything unwrap........a day later the wine really drives a nice level of acidity and has good length. The fruit is also darker and richer, lots of black fruit with shadings of red, some chocolate too, but it doesn't get too over the top as the acid adds a tartness that pulls it back in, incuding some licorice and tar in the finish. This is a bottling that has amplitude, in the flavors and acidity, and some finishing tannin that leads me to think another year of rest would be a good approach, to drink 2013-2016.
December 30, 2011 - Deep ruby color. Opaque. Big berry fruit and soft tannins, but not flabby.
January 24, 2011 - Pop and pour, no decant. Smoky, cooked meat. Zesty. Medium weight with juicy blue and red fruits, finishes a bit tart at this stage.