Tastes like a syrah made by a pinot producer. In other words, my wife couldn't tell the difference and when I offered this as her "Friday night wine" (aka pinot), she did not object. In any case, we both enjoyed it, and it still has a lot of life left and continued to open up, gain weight, and improve with air. Tobacco leaf, vanilla, black pepper and blackberry fruit on the nose. Lithe and refined, showing cherry, pomegranate, plum and some heat on the finish (15% ABV and not shy about it). As mentioned earlier, doesn't really speak of syrah, but it's a pleasant enough drink.
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This is at its peak and drinking great. If you have a bottle i would get drinking. This had all the meaty quality of a classic N. Rhone, without that salami/pepper nose. Great dark fruits, some earth, a little mushroom. Well done and drinking great.
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Impressive nose of cedar, smoke, snuff, and bacon. Carpaccio and bone marrow continue, with some pleasant blueberry, after some air, gave up some chewy iron, but not a ton of structure on the back end. Good stuff. Drink or hold.
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My first R-C and it did not disappoint. Beautiful floral nose with elements of resin and baking spices. Full bodied but not cloying with a long, lasting finish.
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2004 was a great year for Radoi Coteau. This wine (like the pinots) has good fruit, excellent acidity and while a bit tart, the finish is long and refreshing. Happily, it is not one of those over the top Cali syrah's w/ 16% alcohol. This is a refined wine that is probably peaking in its drinkability. That said, I'm bummed it's my last bottle.
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Tavola di Perpetua e Felicità (Palena - Washington, DC): Nose of sour cherry, some tilled soil and subtle meats. Palate was focused and featured red fruit, warm baking spices, roasted herbs, and bacon. I was pleasantly surprised by this, thought that the flavors were subtle, refined and elegant...just lacking a bit of depth.
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Opened and let breath for 1.5 hrs. No heat on nose, might have integrated over time. Cherry fruit with a lot of oak but not a fruit bomb. Not bad but glad it wasn't an extra special occasion.
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Decent balance and body, but nothing special; agreed that it is a bit hot upon opening, but while it softened over time, there was no complexity to the wine, just a decent body of dark berries; no where near worth the price, which might affect this rating a bit
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Vivid aromas of black raspberry, baking spice, bacon fat, violets and a little damp forest floor funk. Medium bodied but almost weightless with effusive raspberry, spices, chocolate and effervescent limestone. A long finish dominated by dried herbs, red fruits and minerals. Exquisite balance with the delicacy of a Pinot. Never would have guess 15% alcohol.
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Little iodine, red fruit and mineral or chalkiness on the nose. Soft and plush, gorgeous red fruit, little iodine, crisp acidity, long finish. Best bottle of RC yet. This may be the best syrah I've tasted. Haven't been this wowed since Luigi Bosca.
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Popped and poured, enjoyed over 3 hours. Reticent nose and a bit bitter at the outset, really came around after 2 hours to reveal red fruits, white pepper, nice acidity, medium weight. Will hold remaining bottle for a couple of years.
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Not terribly interesting. Drank against a 2007 JC Cellars Syrah which blew this away. Very sappy, syrupy, candied. Seemed out of balance, not nearly enough structure to balance the syrupy texture. The most interesting part of this wine was the background horseyness behind the cherry cough syrup in the nose. Overall, not very impressed, not very complex or structured.
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Nose of Vicks' Cherry Couch Syrup - Some of the same on the palate with robust rich flavors of cherry, raspberry and Mint. Some hints of wood and cedar on the finish. Good purity and decent balance of fruit and acidity - Just not my favorite flavor profile.
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15.0% alcohol. Deep red color. Fragrant nose of blue and black fruit, flowers, pepper, earth, and a touch of iron. In the mouth, a plump wine that isn't flabby. Plenty of big blue fruit, pepper, spice, and earth, along with that blood note. Excellent natural acidity. Long finish that flexes some tannic strength. Very nice drink here. A-
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Although there seems to be inconsistency between bottles, this bottle was drinking beautifully within an hour and kept up for several days with no real downsides. Good balance of fruit, herb and mineral.
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No notes taken, and unfortunately I didn't pay too much attention to it due to the conversation, but it was drinking very nicely. Has opened up quite nicely, developing some nice secondary characteristics since the last bottle a couple of years ago. Dense fruit, but still manages to stay light on its feet. Solid wine.
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Spectacular new world syrah! Dark berry and mocha aromas with layers of black berries and cherries on the palate with bacon, pepper, earth and chocolate notes culminating in a long tasty finish with lovely acidity and tannins.
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Northern Rhones at my place (my house): I had this wine a couple of months back that was brought by a fellow board member at another tasting and it showed great. I went out and sourced some bottles only to find that none lived up to that first bottle. Although showing much different tonight’s bottle was pretty good after 6 hours of being open.. Nose of Bright fruit, bacon fat, chocolate and herbs. Plum in the mouth with a well structured and balanced palate. Very New world but Nice
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taste: big creamy fruit flavors of cherry, black berries, cranberries, and cracked pepper notes
overall: A really great wine. Nice balance ripe fruit with a great attack and smooth finish. It was obvious in the blind lineup where this was from, but it was still really good stuff
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No formal notes. I was reasonably happy with this bottle of wine, but it did not make me sit up and take notice like I was hoping it would. It was good, bordering on very good -- but not great. 'Nuff said. 88-89pts
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Medium ruby red color, aromas of black pepper, olive tapenade, blackberries, resin, pine. Smooth tannins, good balance and a very long lingering aftertaste...no hint of heat at all on the finish...hard to believe it's 15% alcohol...very nice. I Would pair it with a leg of lamb.
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Black core with purple rim. Nose of tar, saddle leather, pine needle, tobacco, blackberry, and violets. Full body, not heavy, no sense of heat. Sings "Cool Climate". Medium long finish. I really liked this.
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Poker Night at my place (My house): Very Nice. A very attractive Smokey bbqed bacon nose. The wine is fruity, plush, and smooth in the mouth. Great food wine.
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nice nose, medium red in color, full fruit flavor not overwhelming though, clean finish. Nice drinking food friendly syrah. I would buy tons of this if it was $17 and not $45
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Nose: rich, sweet, violet, raspberry, briary/herbs, coffee Taste: nice acidity stems in a good way, nice finish. Not really much that I can identify in the flavors. May it is oak or stems. There is flavor here I just can't quite put a name on it. This is after about 20 minutes in the decanter.
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LA Conejo Valley Best American Syrah Shootout (Cafe 14, Agoura Hills): Tight nose of light berries. Note of brett as well as toast, menthol and heat. Brett carries into the palate that is narrow and not giving up much. Acidic with a strong grip I found this lacking much interest at all.
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Wonderfully meaty aromas. This wine is still very, very young and tight, but it has a nice structure to it. Dark fruits predominate, with just a hint of straw and earth. This wine is ok to drink now, but really shouldn't be touched for a few more years so that it can really open up and develop some of those secondary characteristics that are in the background. I'm finding that I like RC's syrahs almost more than his pinots. These are restrained syrahs that remind me of a good Northern Rhone. A couple left, but should have bought more of these.
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Quite a surprise, this could perhaps be the best Sonoma Coast syrah that I've tasted, not that I've tasted that many! The nose is simply out of this world, with dark notes of mud and fruit. The mouth is a bit sharp/intense, but there's ample fruit to backstop the feel. Strangely, the "experience" feels subdued. The length good, with plenty of peppery fruit and back-of-the-mouth texture. I find this bottle to be very well put together, with no otherwise hard edges.
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Pinot Cafe: EWG. The initial impression I got from this was it’s pure red fruit character. Sweet wild berry and strawberry, with a touch of baking spice. Pretty big and concentrated from what I remember, but this seemed to be more about the fruit. Good stuff. 90.
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One of the most beautiful smelling syrah's...Dark red, beautifully balanced, great fruit and acids...This was a winner of a syrah in my book...Opened and consumed 2 bottles, popped and poured
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My first Radio-Coteau. Opened prior to dinner. Nose is big and full. First, on the palate, a rush of vanilla cookie dough followed by slightly sour berries and then into a short, nice finish. The beginning and end of this wine is decent. The middle of this wine is odd and unsettled, however, and harms the overall experience. Was hoping for more from my first glass from this winery.
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Deep color, but actually much lighter on the palate than I expected. Suppose it could be closed, but seems consistent with the other notes posted here.
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Scott's Birthday Dinner (Dallas, TX): Interesting syrah. Deep purple with light, fruity nose. Balanced palate with a allspice, cloves, vanilla, tobacco smoke, dark fruit palate.
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A little bit closed on the nose at first, but still quite rich and opulent, with ripe cherry and darker notes, a bit of a meaty, tarry note, and nice structure and depth.
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Opeed and poured. The wine has a nice garnet hue with an arrray of black fruit and licorace on the nose. the palate is a little devoid on what the nose hints s in the bottle. There was a slight "bitterness" and heat on the finish that detracted from the wine. I will give the other bottles another 1 -2 years in the cellar.
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Superb syrah. Nothing jumps out here, but everything strikes a beautiful harmony. The mouthfeel is silky, the acid supports the fruit quite well, and the tannins provide a nice backdrop for the whole show. The fruit comes forward in plums and blackberries. I think this is really superbly made wine, but it is a slight disappointment, as I'd expected a little more explosiveness from an Eric Sussman syrah....
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Darker in color, and deeper and more dense than the Las Colinas. But it still maintains a sense of elegance. Dark fruit and light coffee notes on the nose. Palate is solid, and somewhat unyielding -- not really showing too much. At this stage I think I prefer the Las Colinas; a couple of years from now, who knows?
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Pulled this out after having one six months ago and wasn't impressed by the initial testing glass. Decanting didn't change my impression at all, and the next day I was left feeling the same about the wine. It actually has a great finish, but everything seemed amok about the wine until you get there. Disjointed. Rough tannins, some vanilla and floral elements, but really disjointed and not exceptionally pleasant. Maybe with time all this will integrate and a great wine will emerge, but right now its very far from that happening, and I wouldn't recommend trying one anytime soon. On the end of the second day the wine was primarrily vanilla, toast, and a touch of butterscotch.
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Decanted for 20 minutes. Medium-bodied wine that is dark ruby in color. On the nose, light berry fruit and flowers. On the palate, tart berry fruit and a hint of vanilla. The balance in this wine is off...the finish is dilute and fairly short at 15-20 seconds in length. The usually fine RC structure and grace is missing from this wine right now. The question becomes whether it is just in a dumb stage, or if this particular effort happened to miss the mark. At this point, a disappointing wine for the price.
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I was curious to try this, so I opened one up even though they had just arrived several days ago. I normally don't like to open bottles so soon after shipping. Perhaps that explains the somewhat odd showing for this wine. I have loved past vintages, but this particular bottle came across as a bit overripe and lacking in structure. There were distinct cotton candy and vanilla cookie flavors to this that I found a bit off-putting. It didn't noticably change with aeration. It actually reminded me a bit of the syrahs from Behrens and Hitchcock, which I'm not a huge fan of. Hopefully some bottle age will settle this down.
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Aroma: A mouthwatering, complex array of smoky bacon fat, black fruit (specifically loganberry more than any other black fruit), and possibly a sort of tobacco/straw undertone. Very interesting. This is right after opening; after decanting for 2 hours, the aroma remains fairly constant. Flavor: Initially very acidic and somewhat confused due to the youth of the wine, but smooth red fruit lurks under the surface. After 2+ hours in the decanter, the wine retains its acidic character but with quite a bit of lush raspberry, meatiness, and spice. General Impression: An interesting wine that needs some more time in the bottle.
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($40) Aromas of iron mixed with lavender. It was hard to separate the two. Some other Rhone-like nuances of earth and leather. Decent fruit. Pretty good juice.
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inky purple black this was very closed right out of the bottle. threw it in the decanter for about an hour.
nose came around nicely and i got cherries, raspberry and smokey vanilla and clove, maybe a bit of very light licorice. tasted the above wrapped in a silky delivery. finish was on the short side, but it was great to smell.
continued to open up over the course of 4 hours.
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Lots of bacon fat, licorice and black fruits. Given the heat of the vintage I was expecting more of a (cherry) fruit driven wine, but this is complex, silky and sophisticated. No sign of alcohol heat. Good now and over the next 4-5 years.
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Clear purple-red color, looks very young. Excellent nose of spice and ripe fruit. Medium-full body, with tastes of mint, eucalyptus, and red berries; excellent balance, moderate tannins, moderate finish with pepper. A very friendly and pleasing wine. Has the structure to support several years of aging, but it is drinking great right now. Yummilicious.
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Interesting nose with candied fruit and spice (cloves). Not overpowering or sweet, I was really surprised that that alcohol was 15%. Rich mouth-feel with tannins that are already soft. Very well balanced. Tastes of red fruit the leans toward raspberry for me with a bit of caramel and a long peppery finish. Subtle for a California Syrah.
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11/18/2022 - GrapeScott wrote: 89 Points
Tastes like a syrah made by a pinot producer. In other words, my wife couldn't tell the difference and when I offered this as her "Friday night wine" (aka pinot), she did not object. In any case, we both enjoyed it, and it still has a lot of life left and continued to open up, gain weight, and improve with air. Tobacco leaf, vanilla, black pepper and blackberry fruit on the nose. Lithe and refined, showing cherry, pomegranate, plum and some heat on the finish (15% ABV and not shy about it). As mentioned earlier, doesn't really speak of syrah, but it's a pleasant enough drink.
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7/13/2017 - jlgnml wrote: 88 Points
Deep color, muted nose, good palate feel, just nice.
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9/12/2016 - kstoddard wrote:
G5 (Dale): Undrinkable
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2/19/2013 - ScottPreston Likes this wine: 91 Points
This is at its peak and drinking great. If you have a bottle i would get drinking. This had all the meaty quality of a classic N. Rhone, without that salami/pepper nose. Great dark fruits, some earth, a little mushroom. Well done and drinking great.
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4/25/2012 - Erik R. wrote: 92 Points
Impressive nose of cedar, smoke, snuff, and bacon. Carpaccio and bone marrow continue, with some pleasant blueberry, after some air, gave up some chewy iron, but not a ton of structure on the back end. Good stuff. Drink or hold.
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6/13/2011 - bmwcarl wrote:
My first R-C and it did not disappoint. Beautiful floral nose with elements of resin and baking spices. Full bodied but not cloying with a long, lasting finish.
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2/13/2011 - NY Wino wrote: 91 Points
2004 was a great year for Radoi Coteau. This wine (like the pinots) has good fruit, excellent acidity and while a bit tart, the finish is long and refreshing. Happily, it is not one of those over the top Cali syrah's w/ 16% alcohol. This is a refined wine that is probably peaking in its drinkability. That said, I'm bummed it's my last bottle.
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2/2/2011 - tooch wrote: 89 Points
Tavola di Perpetua e Felicità (Palena - Washington, DC): Nose of sour cherry, some tilled soil and subtle meats. Palate was focused and featured red fruit, warm baking spices, roasted herbs, and bacon. I was pleasantly surprised by this, thought that the flavors were subtle, refined and elegant...just lacking a bit of depth.
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7/27/2010 - caboychuck wrote:
Little cool, dark fruit, licorice and anise on the nose. Nice deep dark fruit, terrific balance, really nice mouthfeel.
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3/8/2010 - spotfin wrote: 87 Points
A bit disappointing, I expected more.
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2/22/2010 - dtirsell wrote: 89 Points
Opened and let breath for 1.5 hrs. No heat on nose, might have integrated over time. Cherry fruit with a lot of oak but not a fruit bomb. Not bad but glad it wasn't an extra special occasion.
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1/31/2010 - windypinot wrote: 86 Points
Decent balance and body, but nothing special; agreed that it is a bit hot upon opening, but while it softened over time, there was no complexity to the wine, just a decent body of dark berries; no where near worth the price, which might affect this rating a bit
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12/22/2009 - headdocs wrote: 84 Points
Nice spice notes & depth but little fruit - disappointing
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11/3/2009 - pgordon62 wrote: 93 Points
Vivid aromas of black raspberry, baking spice, bacon fat, violets and a little damp forest floor funk. Medium bodied but almost weightless with effusive raspberry, spices, chocolate and effervescent limestone. A long finish dominated by dried herbs, red fruits and minerals. Exquisite balance with the delicacy of a Pinot. Never would have guess 15% alcohol.
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10/16/2009 - caboychuck wrote: 94 Points
Little iodine, red fruit and mineral or chalkiness on the nose. Soft and plush, gorgeous red fruit, little iodine, crisp acidity, long finish. Best bottle of RC yet. This may be the best syrah I've tasted. Haven't been this wowed since Luigi Bosca.
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9/19/2009 - blondon wrote:
Popped and poured, enjoyed over 3 hours. Reticent nose and a bit bitter at the outset, really came around after 2 hours to reveal red fruits, white pepper, nice acidity, medium weight. Will hold remaining bottle for a couple of years.
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5/2/2009 - silvercup wrote:
Not terribly interesting. Drank against a 2007 JC Cellars Syrah which blew this away.
Very sappy, syrupy, candied. Seemed out of balance, not nearly enough structure to balance the syrupy texture.
The most interesting part of this wine was the background horseyness behind the cherry cough syrup in the nose. Overall, not very impressed, not very complex or structured.
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2/27/2009 - sbwino wrote: 85 Points
Nose of Vicks' Cherry Couch Syrup - Some of the same on the palate with robust rich flavors of cherry, raspberry and Mint. Some hints of wood and cedar on the finish. Good purity and decent balance of fruit and acidity - Just not my favorite flavor profile.
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2/17/2009 - gutt22 wrote:
15.0% alcohol. Deep red color. Fragrant nose of blue and black fruit, flowers, pepper, earth, and a touch of iron. In the mouth, a plump wine that isn't flabby. Plenty of big blue fruit, pepper, spice, and earth, along with that blood note. Excellent natural acidity. Long finish that flexes some tannic strength. Very nice drink here. A-
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1/11/2009 - zheem wrote:
Although there seems to be inconsistency between bottles, this bottle was drinking beautifully within an hour and kept up for several days with no real downsides. Good balance of fruit, herb and mineral.
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12/8/2008 - AlexRed wrote: 88 Points
very funky upon opening. decanter for about 30 minutes and most of the funk blew off.
no formal notes. a good to very good wine but nothing great and i was hoping for more so it was a bit of a let down.
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11/7/2008 - xwine wrote:
No notes taken, and unfortunately I didn't pay too much attention to it due to the conversation, but it was drinking very nicely. Has opened up quite nicely, developing some nice secondary characteristics since the last bottle a couple of years ago. Dense fruit, but still manages to stay light on its feet. Solid wine.
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9/17/2008 - pjhr wrote: 94 Points
Spectacular new world syrah! Dark berry and mocha aromas with layers of black berries and cherries on the palate with bacon, pepper, earth and chocolate notes culminating in a long tasty finish with lovely acidity and tannins.
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9/6/2008 - otisabdul wrote: 90 Points
Tons of bing cherry fruit. Buoyant and vibrant. In its drinking window.
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5/23/2008 - Claudio161 wrote: 91 Points
Northern Rhone Get Together in North Chicagoland (Gurnee, Illinois): Sight: Dark and deep red in color. Medium to medium high viscosity. Color reveals that it is still a young wine.
Nose: Dard red fruits. Plenty of them. Concentrated notes of plums - black and red along with black berries and currants.
Taste: Tons of fruit forward notes. The telltale to the Cali story was the accompanying heat which for me tends to signal cali syrah.
Overall: Eric Sussman, the winemaker has done I fine job here. I prefer his pinots though. 91 points.
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5/23/2008 - jordanj wrote: 94 Points
Northern Rhones at my place (my house): I had this wine a couple of months back that was brought by a fellow board member at another tasting and it showed great. I went out and sourced some bottles only to find that none lived up to that first bottle. Although showing much different tonight’s bottle was pretty good after 6 hours of being open.. Nose of Bright fruit, bacon fat, chocolate and herbs. Plum in the mouth with a well structured and balanced palate. Very New world but Nice
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5/23/2008 - KeithAkers wrote: 93 Points
Northern Rhones and other syrahs (Gurnee IL, Jordan's house): nose: right off the bat you know this is a cali syrah in the blind lineup, but this is a really good nose with ripe cherries, blackberries, pepper tones, and candied fruits
taste: big creamy fruit flavors of cherry, black berries, cranberries, and cracked pepper notes
overall: A really great wine. Nice balance ripe fruit with a great attack and smooth finish. It was obvious in the blind lineup where this was from, but it was still really good stuff
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5/14/2008 - Pool Boy wrote: 89 Points
No formal notes. I was reasonably happy with this bottle of wine, but it did not make me sit up and take notice like I was hoping it would. It was good, bordering on very good -- but not great. 'Nuff said. 88-89pts
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5/12/2008 - Ki Punwar wrote: 93 Points
Medium ruby red color, aromas of black pepper, olive tapenade, blackberries, resin, pine. Smooth tannins, good balance and a very long lingering aftertaste...no hint of heat at all on the finish...hard to believe it's 15% alcohol...very nice. I Would pair it with a leg of lamb.
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4/22/2008 - Haltermr wrote: 91 Points
Black core with purple rim. Nose of tar, saddle leather, pine needle, tobacco, blackberry, and violets. Full body, not heavy, no sense of heat. Sings "Cool Climate". Medium long finish. I really liked this.
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4/4/2008 - jordanj wrote: 93 Points
Poker Night at my place (My house): Very Nice. A very attractive Smokey bbqed bacon nose. The wine is fruity, plush, and smooth in the mouth. Great food wine.
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3/20/2008 - JonnyB wrote: 90 Points
nice nose, medium red in color, full fruit flavor not overwhelming though, clean finish. Nice drinking food friendly syrah. I would buy tons of this if it was $17 and not $45
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1/23/2008 - dfeiner wrote:
Nose: rich, sweet, violet, raspberry, briary/herbs, coffee Taste: nice acidity stems in a good way, nice finish. Not really much that I can identify in the flavors. May it is oak or stems. There is flavor here I just can't quite put a name on it. This is after about 20 minutes in the decanter.
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11/30/2007 - WetRock wrote:
LA Conejo Valley Best American Syrah Shootout (Cafe 14, Agoura Hills): Tight nose of light berries. Note of brett as well as toast, menthol and heat. Brett carries into the palate that is narrow and not giving up much. Acidic with a strong grip I found this lacking much interest at all.
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11/10/2007 - TomTom wrote:
Wonderfully meaty aromas. This wine is still very, very young and tight, but it has a nice structure to it. Dark fruits predominate, with just a hint of straw and earth. This wine is ok to drink now, but really shouldn't be touched for a few more years so that it can really open up and develop some of those secondary characteristics that are in the background. I'm finding that I like RC's syrahs almost more than his pinots. These are restrained syrahs that remind me of a good Northern Rhone. A couple left, but should have bought more of these.
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11/4/2007 - jbaron wrote: 92 Points
Quite a surprise, this could perhaps be the best Sonoma Coast syrah that I've tasted, not that I've tasted that many! The nose is simply out of this world, with dark notes of mud and fruit. The mouth is a bit sharp/intense, but there's ample fruit to backstop the feel. Strangely, the "experience" feels subdued. The length good, with plenty of peppery fruit and back-of-the-mouth texture. I find this bottle to be very well put together, with no otherwise hard edges.
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8/31/2007 - peternelson wrote: 90 Points
Pinot Cafe: EWG. The initial impression I got from this was it’s pure red fruit character. Sweet wild berry and strawberry, with a touch of baking spice. Pretty big and concentrated from what I remember, but this seemed to be more about the fruit. Good stuff. 90.
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6/14/2007 - jmd60611 wrote: 90 Points
One of the most beautiful smelling syrah's...Dark red, beautifully balanced, great fruit and acids...This was a winner of a syrah in my book...Opened and consumed 2 bottles, popped and poured
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5/12/2007 - E wrote: 91 Points
Markedly improved on day 2
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4/17/2007 - sdatl wrote: 92 Points
Elegant, complex, with sweet fruit, olive, pepper, a hint of bacon, and a smooth texture that pulls it all together.
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3/30/2007 - mfkidd wrote: 88 Points
My first Radio-Coteau. Opened prior to dinner. Nose is big and full. First, on the palate, a rush of vanilla cookie dough followed by slightly sour berries and then into a short, nice finish. The beginning and end of this wine is decent. The middle of this wine is odd and unsettled, however, and harms the overall experience. Was hoping for more from my first glass from this winery.
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3/30/2007 - JScott wrote: 86 Points
Deep color, but actually much lighter on the palate than I expected. Suppose it could be closed, but seems consistent with the other notes posted here.
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3/10/2007 - strulock wrote: 88 Points
Scott's Birthday Dinner (Dallas, TX): Interesting syrah. Deep purple with light, fruity nose. Balanced palate with a allspice, cloves, vanilla, tobacco smoke, dark fruit palate.
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3/7/2007 - Frodnesor wrote: 90 Points
A little bit closed on the nose at first, but still quite rich and opulent, with ripe cherry and darker notes, a bit of a meaty, tarry note, and nice structure and depth.
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3/6/2007 - Afrazer wrote: 87 Points
Opeed and poured. The wine has a nice garnet hue with an arrray of black fruit and licorace on the nose. the palate is a little devoid on what the nose hints s in the bottle. There was a slight "bitterness" and heat on the finish that detracted from the wine. I will give the other bottles another 1 -2 years in the cellar.
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2/21/2007 - MarkC wrote:
No nose initially. After 30 minutes, started to smell like a decent Syrah, and taste like a decent Syrah, but was far from exciting.
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2/10/2007 - Rich Hanna wrote: 90 Points
Superb syrah. Nothing jumps out here, but everything strikes a beautiful harmony. The mouthfeel is silky, the acid supports the fruit quite well, and the tannins provide a nice backdrop for the whole show. The fruit comes forward in plums and blackberries. I think this is really superbly made wine, but it is a slight disappointment, as I'd expected a little more explosiveness from an Eric Sussman syrah....
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2/8/2007 - xwine wrote:
Darker in color, and deeper and more dense than the Las Colinas. But it still maintains a sense of elegance. Dark fruit and light coffee notes on the nose. Palate is solid, and somewhat unyielding -- not really showing too much. At this stage I think I prefer the Las Colinas; a couple of years from now, who knows?
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1/6/2007 - JeffcB wrote: 85 Points
Pulled this out after having one six months ago and wasn't impressed by the initial testing glass. Decanting didn't change my impression at all, and the next day I was left feeling the same about the wine. It actually has a great finish, but everything seemed amok about the wine until you get there. Disjointed. Rough tannins, some vanilla and floral elements, but really disjointed and not exceptionally pleasant. Maybe with time all this will integrate and a great wine will emerge, but right now its very far from that happening, and I wouldn't recommend trying one anytime soon.
On the end of the second day the wine was primarrily vanilla, toast, and a touch of butterscotch.
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12/22/2006 - moutondoc wrote: 89 Points
Nice candied fruit with some smoky overtones. Went well with chocalate profiteroles.
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11/27/2006 - DFC wrote: 87 Points
Decanted for 20 minutes. Medium-bodied wine that is dark ruby in color. On the nose, light berry fruit and flowers. On the palate, tart berry fruit and a hint of vanilla. The balance in this wine is off...the finish is dilute and fairly short at 15-20 seconds in length. The usually fine RC structure and grace is missing from this wine right now. The question becomes whether it is just in a dumb stage, or if this particular effort happened to miss the mark. At this point, a disappointing wine for the price.
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11/5/2006 - Spencer wrote: 87 Points
I was curious to try this, so I opened one up even though they had just arrived several days ago. I normally don't like to open bottles so soon after shipping. Perhaps that explains the somewhat odd showing for this wine. I have loved past vintages, but this particular bottle came across as a bit overripe and lacking in structure. There were distinct cotton candy and vanilla cookie flavors to this that I found a bit off-putting. It didn't noticably change with aeration. It actually reminded me a bit of the syrahs from Behrens and Hitchcock, which I'm not a huge fan of. Hopefully some bottle age will settle this down.
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10/5/2006 - huevosconvino wrote:
Aroma: A mouthwatering, complex array of smoky bacon fat, black fruit (specifically loganberry more than any other black fruit), and possibly a sort of tobacco/straw undertone. Very interesting. This is right after opening; after decanting for 2 hours, the aroma remains fairly constant.
Flavor: Initially very acidic and somewhat confused due to the youth of the wine, but smooth red fruit lurks under the surface. After 2+ hours in the decanter, the wine retains its acidic character but with quite a bit of lush raspberry, meatiness, and spice.
General Impression: An interesting wine that needs some more time in the bottle.
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8/11/2006 - OneLastSyrah wrote:
($40) Aromas of iron mixed with lavender. It was hard to separate the two. Some other Rhone-like nuances of earth and leather. Decent fruit. Pretty good juice.
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8/7/2006 - AlexRed wrote: 89 Points
inky purple black
this was very closed right out of the bottle. threw it in the decanter for about an hour.
nose came around nicely and i got cherries, raspberry and smokey vanilla and clove, maybe a bit of very light licorice.
tasted the above wrapped in a silky delivery. finish was on the short side, but it was great to smell.
continued to open up over the course of 4 hours.
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6/24/2006 - pgordon62 wrote: 91 Points
Lots of bacon fat, licorice and black fruits. Given the heat of the vintage I was expecting more of a (cherry) fruit driven wine, but this is complex, silky and sophisticated. No sign of alcohol heat. Good now and over the next 4-5 years.
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6/16/2006 - charbo wrote: 89 Points
very nice wine. black fruit with chocolate mocca silky in the mouth. ok finish. i expected a little more from this wine based on other reviews
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3/24/2006 - PaulH wrote: 92 Points
Clear purple-red color, looks very young. Excellent nose of spice and ripe fruit. Medium-full body, with tastes of mint, eucalyptus, and red berries; excellent balance, moderate tannins, moderate finish with pepper. A very friendly and pleasing wine. Has the structure to support several years of aging, but it is drinking great right now. Yummilicious.
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3/24/2006 - hgmccrary wrote:
Interesting nose with candied fruit and spice (cloves). Not overpowering or sweet, I was really surprised that that alcohol was 15%. Rich mouth-feel with tannins that are already soft. Very well balanced. Tastes of red fruit the leans toward raspberry for me with a bit of caramel and a long peppery finish. Subtle for a California Syrah.
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