Community Tasting Note

grafstrb wrote:

Saturday, December 4, 2010 - – popped and poured –
– tasted non-blind on Day 2 over 20 minutes, and again on Day 3 –
NOSE: Day 2: expressive Nose shows lots of perfuminess, raspberry, and dark cigar wrapper. Day 3: spicy; perfumy; cigarbox; expressive; fruits are in the background – darker fruits.

BODY: garnet-purple color of medium-deep depth; superfine particulate matter; medium to medium-full bodied.

TASTE: Day 2: This ‘06 is showing much flashier and more open than the ‘05; it has great juicy acidity, and avoids the gloppy/overoaked personality that plagues so many CA Syrahs; there is some oak in the background, but it’s the spice, slight earthiness, and flashy plum/boysenberry fruit flavors that take center stage here; the tannins are fine-grained, and provide nice mid-palate grip on the finish; this wine is very well-balanced, and is a pure pleasure to drink now. Day 3: spicy oak; cigar wrapper; fruit is tight, not sweet, not over extracted, and not overripe; plum; light blackberry; 14.5% alc. is not noticeable; tannins are soft/grippy/slightly drying. This kind of reminds me of a 100% Syrah from Cote Rotie; the acidity is exceptional (not overbearing or shrill); finish is medium-long and of moderate to moderate-great intensity; this is holding on just fine on Day 3, but may have closed-up a bit since Day 1. Do I think it would benefit from cellaring? Absolutely, but, if you’re in the mood for a younger Max Syrah, I would undoubtedly pop an ‘06 before an ‘05 for the time being. Beautiful Syrah. I love this wine, and believe it’s possibly the best CA Syrah I’ve ever had.

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