October 25, 2020 - Solid wine, a little past prime
September 11, 2019 - Clear dark purple red. Mellow nose with blackberry predominate. Very smooth, sweet, moderate backbone. Slightly lacking in balancing acidity but very pleasant. Northern Rhone aspirations are largely attained.
August 5, 2016 - Age has treated this well as the tannins are fully integrated and lots of smooth red and blue fruit coming through. Probably should drink soon if still holding as it definitely faded on night #2.
April 5, 2015 - Medium-big fruit with a strong bite on the front. The fruit fills the mouth and is lingering on the end along with a light tannin. The bite is distracting from the other wine features. Still wound too tightly.
January 16, 2015 - Maybe it was this bottle but I don't see it anywhere near a 90 point wine. The flavors were primarily mixed berry but they were a bit muted throughout the mouth. The body of the wine seemed a bit thin and almost watery. It did not have much of a finish. We had it with several different cheeses and it went well with all of them. It was a pleasant wine but nothing to write home about.
January 8, 2012 - Thought this was quite good for the price--very nice QPR! Got some of that Washington State funk, along with meat, spice and dark fruits. Pretty groovy nose for an entry-level syrah. This one's ready to drink and definitely for the short haul--no tannic structure to speak of--but it's fresh with a nice mouthfeel. I've had worse for twice the price.
October 1, 2011 - Excellent, well balanced and structured with nicely integrated sweet tannins supporting the black fruits. Had that touch of earthiness I really like in Syrahs.
September 3, 2011 - Nose of cherry, tobacco, and a hint of dark chocolate. Definitely a lack of tannins and a bit hot on the alcohol, as has been noted in other reviews. Meaty and smoky on the palate, with fruit and alcohol coming through also. Medium to full bodied. Longish finish that is dominated by alcohol.
July 16, 2011 - My impression of this started amazingly well, but the alcohol and the balance did not present itself as well as it could have and it became something less than what it was going to be - Dark, full bodied with a nose of blueberry, plum, smoked ham, pepper, spice and vanilla, good complexity, quite a bit of heat coming through, tasty, sweet, smooth on the palate with good length, nice (88 Points).
January 9, 2011 - Dark royal red. The entry version of the Charles Smith Syrah's is an intensly rich perfumed wine of cherry, violet, and tobacco with a noticeable amount of alcohol peeking in. Oddly simple in the mouth with little tannin that would have made it hard to identify, blind, as syrah. A faint bit of mocha, but mostly a juicy round cherry offering with a shortish finish.