Opened three bottles well stored. Each and every one was horrible and had to be poured out. Been a long time I've experienced such a lousy bottle of wine - much less three.
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Prune, baking spice, molasses, violet, lavender, barnyard, iodine. High toned -- reminiscent of plastic balloons and rye bourbon-- and tart, with a bit of cinnamon and clove. The finish is like the wine equivalent of eating sweet and sour candy while sipping on a Ward 8.
Not the best wine I've had in a long time, but just short of DNPIM status. I guess I'm a little bit curious as to where it will go. Good or bad, it's quite unlike any wine I've had recently, so at least it has that going for it. I've opened it, I suppose, so I pour another splash and give it some extra time in glass. As it sits, it does manage to attain more balance, especially in regards to the acid. The finish is not quite as tart, before it gradually falls apart 15 minutes later. Another taste later on yields similar results. In the end, while it has some strangely interesting qualities, it isn't quite for me.
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I have always liked the wines Mat Garretson produced. this wine was rich in flavor and color.deep color. large fruit flavor, boysenberry, plums. but not sweet. should have decanted had alot of sentiment from being laid down for quite some time.
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Three years ago and every previous bottle of this wine failed to win me over. I must be softening and I suspect the wine is too. The wine is in great shape, showing no signs of oxidation. It shimmers in the glass with an eye catching deep purple. The Dr. Pepper aspect of the profile that I previously found off-putting has taken a back-step and doesn’t dominate the flavors as it previously did. While still making a statement, it plays better with the other flavors of blueberry and strawberry. Coffee come through on the finish, but the wine is nevertheless linear. It becomes a bit ponderous as the evening wears on. 100% Syrah aged in 100% American oak. 15.2% alc. With crusty bread and blue cheese. Leaning toward Recommended.
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This fits the worst stereotype of Paso Robles wine. Big and fruity like there's residual sugar left in the wine. More like shiraz than syrah. An odd nose, as others have noted, and then a massive blob of sweet fruit on the attack. No mid palate and a mercifully short finish. This might not improve with age but it would be tough to get any worse as the fruit dissipates. Parker rated it 92 points and gave a drinking window through 2016. I'd like to try that bottle.
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An utterly glorious nose: plummy and pruney black fruits at the same time, with meat, sweaty, horsey notes, and then some spicy, peppery (black and green [bell] peppers). Also a hint of high tones. The high tones are more immediately evident on the palate, on the attack. Though the high tones give way to sweet black fruit quite quickly. Creamy and round with a nice velvety texture. Very obvious vanilla flavours towards the finish. Pretty good length.
Screwcap. 15.2% abv
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I agree with the last review. This wine is too different to score. I opened a bottle a couple years ago and it had an acetone (ethyl acetate) nose. It was not drinkable. I was going to toss my remaining two bottles, but I forgot. I opened one last night and the acetone was still there, however, I held my breath and tried the wine. It was like nothing I have had before, but I liked it. My wife actually loved it. Strange wine.
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I will not provide a score for this bottle because I could not "get a handle" on it. Struck me as very "new world", almost Australian. I am at a loss. Good bottle, oh hell, 88.
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A blood red leaning to plum color. Anticipating some coffee elements on the finish of this wine, I pulled it. It’s the first time I’ve had this in three years. At that time I thought this would go out several years. Wrong. While it still has some coffee and strawberry notes, the raisining from advanced aging is taking its toll. And this from a wine that scored 92 with Parker six years ago. Some sediment, both a ring around the shoulder and a fairly sizeable shadow on the side. 15.2% alc. With grilled ribeyes (beef) rubbed with coffee, chili and other spices. Recommended with reservations; if you have this drink it. It is past peak.
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Dark, purple color. The nose pumps out plums, raisins, and prunes. In the mouth, this is thick with dark fruit, oak, and some alcoholic heat. The finish is solid. Overall, this is a big, slightly overripe wine with hedonistic tendencies.
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Old World Vs. New World (Farpointe Cellar): The nose had musty earth, raspberry, cherry, pepper, and spice. The palate was soft and slightly sweet, and had raspberry, smoke, earth, spice, and a good cherry finish.
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Heavy alcohol nose with a hint of acetone.fruity flavor. Better than i recall from the last bottle. Not the heavy raison notes. notice some heacy sediment in the finished bottle. This wine was drinkable and somewhat interesting.
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purchased directly from the winery on a special they had for the wine list members stored in temperature controlled cellar until now pruney and cooked; undrinkable; winery is uninterested in a refund. disappointing the winery does not stand by the product.
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I agree with all the crap reviews, this stunk! It wasn't flawed, just pruny, hot and overextracted. I have another bottle so lets hope it might be good.
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From 375ml screwtop. There's something wrong here. It looks from CT notes, professional notes, and that weird producer note about the closeout deal (huh? a closeout deal on a 92-pt Parker wine?) that something's being unloaded on us here. Some people clearly got good bottles, but a lot of us, overripe and raisined and tart and green at the same time. I just don't get it. Not drinkable, avoid this.
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another 1/2 bottle purchased from garretson, must have seen some heat at some point; cooked; contacted winery twice about this and did not receive a reply.
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really awful bottle, sour raisiny, seems cooked; i thought my 1/2 bottles were stored poorly, but this whole bottle i have had since release from the winery. there seems to be 2 different releases of this wine : a good one and a bad one. this bottle is from the bad barrel....
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1 Hour Decant: raspberry jam nose, followed through on mouthfeel with a bit more tart aspect to it, but opened up with a bit more black fruit (very ripe) and spice box on the mid palate. Medium length. Decent finish. Paired very well with lamb. 88-90
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I have drank 4 bottles over the last month... I agree with the other tasters, this wine has a very raisan quality to it almost port-like..i like the nose, very jammy, a little too alchoholic, The one bottle i drank i left vacumm corked for 3 days..it actually mellowed out. I think this wine will be better in years to come 3-4.
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A bit better than the last bottle (stronger fruit), but still no where near the 92 points Parker rating. This was best with our slow-cooked chili, with sausage and pork. Then the wine was ok.
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This is rocket fuel. DNABog's description is spot on. Tart and overly acidic, even with food. You might be able to power a bio-diesel car with it, but in no event should you consume (and this is coming from one who prefers ripe/new world wines)... Consistent notes upon pouring, + 3 hours, + 5 hours, and + 14 hours (never improved with air time as I thought it would).
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Garretson, what happened? This wine may be classified as a nucear weapon. If you like pop rocks, this one is for you. The fruit seems dark and inviting and then you get snapped in the face with a wet gym towel of tartness beyond the ITS (International Tart Scale). Things did calm down the second day but it is not worth waiting that long for what is left. Boil the alcohol out of this and give it to the kids on Christmas with some 7up. awesome.
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-- cracked and poured -- -- tasted non-blind -- -- drank over 2 days--
Notes are same as before. This bottle was showing a little less heat than the previous bottle (which was barely showing any heat, itself). Perhaps I got less heat this time because I drank most of this on Day 2. This is an absolutely fantastic CA Syrah.
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This was not drinkable. Seemed obviously overripe, raisined, but sour at the same time. I'm withholding judgment, because it may be flawed (oxidixed, maybe?), but were I to score it couldn't be better than the lower 70s. Judging by the variation in CT scores as well as professional scores, I suspect some kind of problem... (from 375ml screwtop)
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sweet tart finish, a little dull. i was a bit embarrased because ive loved this in the past, but in the blind i didnt like it and neither did most everyone at the tasting!
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Decanted for 15 minutes. Color was garnet. Aromas were of cherries, brown sugar and stewed tomatoes. Flavors were mostly tart / sour cherry + raspberry. The tannins are very evident and drying which cuts off much of the finish. I'm going to update again tomorrow as this wine is very tight right now. +24hrs: Much better! Aromas have really opened up with more dark fruit, brown sugar, cedar, tobacco and stewed tomatoes. The flavors have also opened up with more sweet fruit now. The tannins are much softer and the finish is long. There is still a tart edge to the flavor, but it's more integrated now. +5 days: Approx 200ml was put back in the orig bottle and forgotten. The aromas are really big now. Almost like a port or late harvest zin. Lots of dark stewed fruit, dates, molasses and some light floral components in the background. The flavors have also opened up more. Lots of black cherry and plum up front with some mild acidity on the mid-palate. I also get hints of cedar and vanilla. The tannins have totally integrated so the fruit totally coats your mouth. The finish is long with a nice sweet / tart edge. Quite surprising. I've increased my original score of 88.
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This is a mystery. Twisted and poured into the glass I had a taste of a wonderfully complex Syrah - and thought this may be one of the best ever tasted. Coming back to it a few hours later the fruit was gone. Had completely disappeared. What's left is a whiff of raspberry, and deep deep acid lime, funk, mint and pepper. One the most sour wines I've ever had. If it wasn't for the screwtop - I'd say it was tainted. I've got one other bottle to compare this to.
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Recommended to me by Mike L. Had with dinner at Delmonico.
Typical new world jammy syrah. Huge fruit that stays through til the end. Mellowed out a little bit for the better as the night went on. Not a huge fan of this style, but I can see why people like it. Great wine if you like this type of profile. Fruitier and less restrained than the Shafer Relentless. I prefered the Shafer slightly, but this is clearly a superior value for the price.
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NOSE: rich raspberry reduction w/a hint of pomegranate; earthy/funky notes (kind of a cross between a typical CA syrah and a typical No. Rhone syrah); fruit smells very ripe; secondary notes of smoke and gentle oaking
BODY: beautiful dark garnet color of moderate-deep depth; medium amount of sediment; medium bodied
TASTE: nice acidity/tannin balance (but a bit disjointed right now -- I think a year or two will soften the tannins a bit and integrate the acidity quite nicely); sour red fruit (black cherry) and concentrated plum flavors; full and seamless palate; finishes a tad hot; incredibly long finish (1+ min.). This is possibly my favorite Paso syrah -- not nearly as over-the-top fruity as many others I've had from the area. A very impressive effort. I will be buying more.
I score this higher than Ashley because she tends to like fruiter syrahs, whereas I prefer the earthy/funky ones, if given a choice.
Decanted and drank over several hours. Smokey w/ fruit coming through in an almost 'reduction' state. Pretty interesting nose, oak not overly noticeable.
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Tried along with 10 other wines at a Houston OL event at Lucio’s. My first time to try a Garretson and what fun to be able to try two side by side. The most stunning thing about both of the Craic and the Aisling were the killer aromas. As far as a comparison? The Craic was more understated on the palate with a mix of blackberries and floral notes while the Aisling was more fruit forward with blueberries and pepper on the palate. Both were wonderful, perhaps a slight edge to the Aisling, if I was forced to choose. Will need to seek out more of this wine for sure.
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Recently, several boxes of wines arrived, some of which had been damaged by heat during shipping. While this was not one of the boxes with obviously damaged wine, this bottle had been shipped about the same time as the damaged wine from another winery. We sacrificed this wine to see if perhaps the conditions at the receiving house where this and the other wine had been shipped may have contributed to the damage. So we knew we were drinking this way too young and made some allowances. We decanted the wine for one hour.
Day one: Inky black core shading to purple then a thin rim of magenta. A deep, tangled nose of one scent after another: blueberry, cream, coffee, strawberry, oak and Dr. Pepper. Big and powerful on the palate and eventually, just wearing the palate down. Or at least my palate. As I walked off with the decanter, the spousal unit tried to persuade me to pour another glass for her. Who knew she was a fruit bomb tannin pig?
Day two: A big difference and huge improvement. The same flavors appear, but they are much more integrated. The tangled nose is now more like a hip swing band working in a groove. Pepper seems more prevalent than the day before. No doubt this is a very young, rather extracted wine. 100% syrah aged in 100% Am. oak. Percent of alc. 06.03 & 04.07. Oh, and it showed no signs of heat damage at all.
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initially tight and acidic. after an hour the wine opens a bit. really intense, deep palate. The following day, this wine was wonderful. upfront dark fruit with stone/granite notes. acidity has totally integrated. this wine needs a year or two i think.
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15.2% This is made in a deliberately different style to The Craic. It’s 100% syrah, and saw 50%-70% new American oak. It has a deep and inky appearance. There’s sweet black fruit and a creamy roundness rather than an obvious American oak feel. Direct and obvious on the palate. It feels pretty young and tight, and also a bit simplistic. Very Good.
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My favorite of the Garretson Syrah's by far, this wine was a very interesting drink. It had a good degree of minerality and earthy characteristics, the wife proclaimed it Burgundian, although it also had a heavily extracted zestiness, which came out over the course of an evening.
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Aromas of apricot and a touch of volatility over sweet black fruit. A touch of rubber. The palate reflects the nose with concentrated, medium-full bodied dark berry fruit. Nicely made and satisfying.
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8/27/2023 - phantphant Does not like this wine: 50 Points
Awful on every level. Had to be poured out.
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8/27/2023 - phantphant Does not like this wine: 50 Points
Opened three bottles well stored. Each and every one was horrible and had to be poured out. Been a long time I've experienced such a lousy bottle of wine - much less three.
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8/26/2022 - MarkLA wrote: flawed
Oh boy... I couldn't do it. =/
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1/10/2017 - MarkLA wrote: 83 Points
Prune, baking spice, molasses, violet, lavender, barnyard, iodine. High toned -- reminiscent of plastic balloons and rye bourbon-- and tart, with a bit of cinnamon and clove. The finish is like the wine equivalent of eating sweet and sour candy while sipping on a Ward 8.
Not the best wine I've had in a long time, but just short of DNPIM status. I guess I'm a little bit curious as to where it will go. Good or bad, it's quite unlike any wine I've had recently, so at least it has that going for it. I've opened it, I suppose, so I pour another splash and give it some extra time in glass. As it sits, it does manage to attain more balance, especially in regards to the acid. The finish is not quite as tart, before it gradually falls apart 15 minutes later. Another taste later on yields similar results. In the end, while it has some strangely interesting qualities, it isn't quite for me.
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2/2/2014 - tanstaafl Likes this wine: 90 Points
I have always liked the wines Mat Garretson produced. this wine was rich in flavor and color.deep color. large fruit flavor, boysenberry, plums. but not sweet. should have decanted had alot of sentiment from being laid down for quite some time.
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5/3/2013 - timewithwine wrote:
Three years ago and every previous bottle of this wine failed to win me over. I must be softening and I suspect the wine is too. The wine is in great shape, showing no signs of oxidation. It shimmers in the glass with an eye catching deep purple. The Dr. Pepper aspect of the profile that I previously found off-putting has taken a back-step and doesn’t dominate the flavors as it previously did. While still making a statement, it plays better with the other flavors of blueberry and strawberry. Coffee come through on the finish, but the wine is nevertheless linear. It becomes a bit ponderous as the evening wears on. 100% Syrah aged in 100% American oak. 15.2% alc. With crusty bread and blue cheese. Leaning toward Recommended.
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9/15/2012 - stevetimko wrote:
This fits the worst stereotype of Paso Robles wine. Big and fruity like there's residual sugar left in the wine. More like shiraz than syrah. An odd nose, as others have noted, and then a massive blob of sweet fruit on the attack. No mid palate and a mercifully short finish. This might not improve with age but it would be tough to get any worse as the fruit dissipates. Parker rated it 92 points and gave a drinking window through 2016. I'd like to try that bottle.
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8/2/2012 - andrewstevenson.com wrote: 89 Points
An utterly glorious nose: plummy and pruney black fruits at the same time, with meat, sweaty, horsey notes, and then some spicy, peppery (black and green [bell] peppers). Also a hint of high tones.
The high tones are more immediately evident on the palate, on the attack. Though the high tones give way to sweet black fruit quite quickly. Creamy and round with a nice velvety texture. Very obvious vanilla flavours towards the finish. Pretty good length.
Screwcap. 15.2% abv
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3/26/2012 - bsmyc wrote:
I agree with the last review. This wine is too different to score. I opened a bottle a couple years ago and it had an acetone (ethyl acetate) nose. It was not drinkable. I was going to toss my remaining two bottles, but I forgot. I opened one last night and the acetone was still there, however, I held my breath and tried the wine. It was like nothing I have had before, but I liked it. My wife actually loved it. Strange wine.
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7/26/2011 - John Nezlek wrote: 88 Points
I will not provide a score for this bottle because I could not "get a handle" on it. Struck me as very "new world", almost Australian. I am at a loss. Good bottle, oh hell, 88.
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12/19/2010 - IAMVLAD wrote: 79 Points
pruney and cooked. horrible experience. glad i have but one bottle.
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10/2/2010 - timewithwine wrote:
A blood red leaning to plum color. Anticipating some coffee elements on the finish of this wine, I pulled it. It’s the first time I’ve had this in three years. At that time I thought this would go out several years. Wrong. While it still has some coffee and strawberry notes, the raisining from advanced aging is taking its toll. And this from a wine that scored 92 with Parker six years ago. Some sediment, both a ring around the shoulder and a fairly sizeable shadow on the side. 15.2% alc. With grilled ribeyes (beef) rubbed with coffee, chili and other spices. Recommended with reservations; if you have this drink it. It is past peak.
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8/4/2010 - Meerlust wrote: 85 Points
Dark, purple color. The nose pumps out plums, raisins, and prunes. In the mouth, this is thick with dark fruit, oak, and some alcoholic heat. The finish is solid. Overall, this is a big, slightly overripe wine with hedonistic tendencies.
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1/20/2010 - caboychuck wrote:
My kind of nose, ripe fruit, kind of candied, little raisin. Upfront fruit on the palate, but followed with nice acidity, finishes with liveliness.
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8/15/2009 - mmurry wrote: 91 Points
Old World Vs. New World (Farpointe Cellar): The nose had musty earth, raspberry, cherry, pepper, and spice. The palate was soft and slightly sweet, and had raspberry, smoke, earth, spice, and a good cherry finish.
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5/17/2009 - Flint wrote: 78 Points
Heavy alcohol nose with a hint of acetone.fruity flavor. Better than i recall from the last bottle. Not the heavy raison notes. notice some heacy sediment in the finished bottle. This wine was drinkable and somewhat interesting.
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4/15/2009 - PathDoc wrote:
yuck, down the drain after 2-3 days.
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11/22/2008 - Fozziedoggie wrote: 70 Points
As with most of the previous reviews, I found this wine very sweet, too much raisin and prune. Definitely not worth anything above $10-$12.
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11/21/2008 - Dr_Bob wrote: 50 Points
purchased directly from the winery on a special they had for the wine list members
stored in temperature controlled cellar until now
pruney and cooked; undrinkable; winery is uninterested in a refund. disappointing the winery does not stand by the product.
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10/25/2008 - shakedown wrote: 72 Points
I agree with all the crap reviews, this stunk! It wasn't flawed, just pruny, hot and overextracted. I have another bottle so lets hope it might be good.
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9/29/2008 - pgm wrote: 65 Points
From 375ml screwtop. There's something wrong here. It looks from CT notes, professional notes, and that weird producer note about the closeout deal (huh? a closeout deal on a 92-pt Parker wine?) that something's being unloaded on us here. Some people clearly got good bottles, but a lot of us, overripe and raisined and tart and green at the same time. I just don't get it. Not drinkable, avoid this.
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9/6/2008 - Dr_Bob wrote: flawed
another 1/2 bottle purchased from garretson, must have seen some heat at some point; cooked; contacted winery twice about this and did not receive a reply.
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7/28/2008 - jvalanti wrote: 69 Points
Undrinkable
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7/25/2008 - Dr_Bob wrote: 69 Points
another rotten bottle of 2004 aisling; thinking my whole batch is bad. have emailed the vinter twice without a response...
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7/23/2008 - Dr_Bob wrote: 69 Points
really awful bottle, sour raisiny, seems cooked; i thought my 1/2 bottles were stored poorly, but this whole bottle i have had since release from the winery. there seems to be 2 different releases of this wine : a good one and a bad one. this bottle is from the bad barrel....
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7/18/2008 - MWes wrote: 84 Points
Good up-front fruit, but too much acid on the back end. Not near as good as the 2003.
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7/2/2008 - Dr_Bob wrote: flawed
cooked
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7/2/2008 - Dr_Bob wrote: 79 Points
? a bit of bret, not very good; seems a bit cooked; got these 1/2 bottles from garretson as a discount, maybe not stored well
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6/16/2008 - Grape Stuff wrote: 90 Points
1 Hour Decant: raspberry jam nose, followed through on mouthfeel with a bit more tart aspect to it, but opened up with a bit more black fruit (very ripe) and spice box on the mid palate. Medium length. Decent finish. Paired very well with lamb. 88-90
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5/15/2008 - dwaynelm wrote: 83 Points
Green, high acidity - OW style.
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5/14/2008 - dwaynelm wrote: 82 Points
Funky flavor but surprising acidity & light fruit - OW style.
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5/14/2008 - todos.tom wrote: 89 Points
I have drank 4 bottles over the last month... I agree with the other tasters, this wine has a very raisan quality to it almost port-like..i like the nose, very jammy, a little too alchoholic, The one bottle i drank i left vacumm corked for 3 days..it actually mellowed out. I think this wine will be better in years to come 3-4.
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5/13/2008 - phantphant wrote: 60 Points
The worst wine I've tasted in a year.....what was LA Wine thinking when they highlighted this? Yucky on ALL LEVELS.
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5/7/2008 - TashNYC wrote: 85 Points
A bit better than the last bottle (stronger fruit), but still no where near the 92 points Parker rating.
This was best with our slow-cooked chili, with sausage and pork. Then the wine was ok.
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5/7/2008 - Woodie wrote: 70 Points
This is rocket fuel. DNABog's description is spot on. Tart and overly acidic, even with food. You might be able to power a bio-diesel car with it, but in no event should you consume (and this is coming from one who prefers ripe/new world wines)... Consistent notes upon pouring, + 3 hours, + 5 hours, and + 14 hours (never improved with air time as I thought it would).
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5/3/2008 - assaf wrote: 89 Points
Very new world. A lot of oak influence. Very big and fruit forward. Tara's kind of wine.
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5/3/2008 - DNABog wrote: 70 Points
Garretson, what happened? This wine may be classified as a nucear weapon. If you like pop rocks, this one is for you. The fruit seems dark and inviting and then you get snapped in the face with a wet gym towel of tartness beyond the ITS (International Tart Scale). Things did calm down the second day but it is not worth waiting that long for what is left. Boil the alcohol out of this and give it to the kids on Christmas with some 7up. awesome.
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5/2/2008 - TashNYC wrote: 82 Points
Really disappointing wine. These are from Wine Exchange. Maybe there is a problem with the bottles???
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4/7/2008 - grafstrb wrote:
-- cracked and poured --
-- tasted non-blind --
-- drank over 2 days--
Notes are same as before. This bottle was showing a little less heat than the previous bottle (which was barely showing any heat, itself). Perhaps I got less heat this time because I drank most of this on Day 2. This is an absolutely fantastic CA Syrah.
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3/30/2008 - pgm wrote: flawed
This was not drinkable. Seemed obviously overripe, raisined, but sour at the same time. I'm withholding judgment, because it may be flawed (oxidixed, maybe?), but were I to score it couldn't be better than the lower 70s. Judging by the variation in CT scores as well as professional scores, I suspect some kind of problem... (from 375ml screwtop)
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3/16/2008 - mike l. wrote: 83 Points
sweet tart finish, a little dull. i was a bit embarrased because ive loved this in the past, but in the blind i didnt like it and neither did most everyone at the tasting!
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3/8/2008 - spyder47 wrote: 91 Points
Decanted for 15 minutes. Color was garnet. Aromas were of cherries, brown sugar and stewed tomatoes. Flavors were mostly tart / sour cherry + raspberry. The tannins are very evident and drying which cuts off much of the finish. I'm going to update again tomorrow as this wine is very tight right now.
+24hrs: Much better! Aromas have really opened up with more dark fruit, brown sugar, cedar, tobacco and stewed tomatoes. The flavors have also opened up with more sweet fruit now. The tannins are much softer and the finish is long. There is still a tart edge to the flavor, but it's more integrated now.
+5 days: Approx 200ml was put back in the orig bottle and forgotten. The aromas are really big now. Almost like a port or late harvest zin. Lots of dark stewed fruit, dates, molasses and some light floral components in the background. The flavors have also opened up more. Lots of black cherry and plum up front with some mild acidity on the mid-palate. I also get hints of cedar and vanilla. The tannins have totally integrated so the fruit totally coats your mouth. The finish is long with a nice sweet / tart edge. Quite surprising. I've increased my original score of 88.
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3/1/2008 - ljl203 wrote:
This is a mystery. Twisted and poured into the glass I had a taste of a wonderfully complex Syrah - and thought this may be one of the best ever tasted. Coming back to it a few hours later the fruit was gone. Had completely disappeared. What's left is a whiff of raspberry, and deep deep acid lime, funk, mint and pepper. One the most sour wines I've ever had. If it wasn't for the screwtop - I'd say it was tainted. I've got one other bottle to compare this to.
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2/9/2008 - Clarkmeister wrote: 91 Points
Recommended to me by Mike L. Had with dinner at Delmonico.
Typical new world jammy syrah. Huge fruit that stays through til the end. Mellowed out a little bit for the better as the night went on. Not a huge fan of this style, but I can see why people like it. Great wine if you like this type of profile. Fruitier and less restrained than the Shafer Relentless. I prefered the Shafer slightly, but this is clearly a superior value for the price.
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1/21/2008 - grafstrb wrote: 92 Points
NOSE: rich raspberry reduction w/a hint of pomegranate; earthy/funky notes (kind of a cross between a typical CA syrah and a typical No. Rhone syrah); fruit smells very ripe; secondary notes of smoke and gentle oaking
BODY: beautiful dark garnet color of moderate-deep depth; medium amount of sediment; medium bodied
TASTE: nice acidity/tannin balance (but a bit disjointed right now -- I think a year or two will soften the tannins a bit and integrate the acidity quite nicely); sour red fruit (black cherry) and concentrated plum flavors; full and seamless palate; finishes a tad hot; incredibly long finish (1+ min.). This is possibly my favorite Paso syrah -- not nearly as over-the-top fruity as many others I've had from the area. A very impressive effort. I will be buying more.
I score this higher than Ashley because she tends to like fruiter syrahs, whereas I prefer the earthy/funky ones, if given a choice.
B: 50, 4, 13, 17, 8 = 92 points
A: 50, 5, 12, 14, 7 = 88 points
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12/21/2007 - MBrown wrote: 88 Points
Decanted and drank over several hours. Smokey w/ fruit coming through in an almost 'reduction' state. Pretty interesting nose, oak not overly noticeable.
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11/6/2007 - grobstein wrote: 90 Points
Good big red, not in the same class as the Bulldoir, but good none the less. Going to buy another bottle.
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8/15/2007 - LPskeleton wrote: 91 Points
great reductive nose of earth and plum...a big wine..like most of the garretsons. On the palate bright layers of bb fruit and spice.
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7/29/2007 - scofer wrote: 91 Points
Tried along with 10 other wines at a Houston OL event at Lucio’s. My first time to try a Garretson and what fun to be able to try two side by side. The most stunning thing about both of the Craic and the Aisling were the killer aromas. As far as a comparison? The Craic was more understated on the palate with a mix of blackberries and floral notes while the Aisling was more fruit forward with blueberries and pepper on the palate. Both were wonderful, perhaps a slight edge to the Aisling, if I was forced to choose. Will need to seek out more of this wine for sure.
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6/4/2007 - timewithwine wrote:
Recently, several boxes of wines arrived, some of which had been damaged by heat during shipping. While this was not one of the boxes with obviously damaged wine, this bottle had been shipped about the same time as the damaged wine from another winery. We sacrificed this wine to see if perhaps the conditions at the receiving house where this and the other wine had been shipped may have contributed to the damage. So we knew we were drinking this way too young and made some allowances. We decanted the wine for one hour.
Day one: Inky black core shading to purple then a thin rim of magenta. A deep, tangled nose of one scent after another: blueberry, cream, coffee, strawberry, oak and Dr. Pepper. Big and powerful on the palate and eventually, just wearing the palate down. Or at least my palate. As I walked off with the decanter, the spousal unit tried to persuade me to pour another glass for her. Who knew she was a fruit bomb tannin pig?
Day two: A big difference and huge improvement. The same flavors appear, but they are much more integrated. The tangled nose is now more like a hip swing band working in a groove. Pepper seems more prevalent than the day before. No doubt this is a very young, rather extracted wine. 100% syrah aged in 100% Am. oak. Percent of alc. 06.03 & 04.07. Oh, and it showed no signs of heat damage at all.
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4/11/2007 - Dusty Bear wrote: 89 Points
Dense, brambly blackberry and blueberry on the nose and palate. High acidity and hot in the back of the mouth.
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4/1/2007 - suthersm wrote:
initially tight and acidic. after an hour the wine opens a bit. really intense, deep palate. The following day, this wine was wonderful. upfront dark fruit with stone/granite notes. acidity has totally integrated. this wine needs a year or two i think.
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2/14/2007 - andrewstevenson.com wrote: 87 Points
15.2%
This is made in a deliberately different style to The Craic. It’s 100% syrah, and saw 50%-70% new American oak. It has a deep and inky appearance. There’s sweet black fruit and a creamy roundness rather than an obvious American oak feel. Direct and obvious on the palate. It feels pretty young and tight, and also a bit simplistic. Very Good.
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2/11/2007 - JeffcB wrote: 89 Points
My favorite of the Garretson Syrah's by far, this wine was a very interesting drink. It had a good degree of minerality and earthy characteristics, the wife proclaimed it Burgundian, although it also had a heavily extracted zestiness, which came out over the course of an evening.
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1/1/2007 - shaferguy91 wrote: 91 Points
Decanted 1 hour
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5/13/2006 - OneLastSyrah wrote:
Aromas of apricot and a touch of volatility over sweet black fruit. A touch of rubber. The palate reflects the nose with concentrated, medium-full bodied dark berry fruit. Nicely made and satisfying.
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