Last of three bottles but this could go a lot longer. This is an extremely masculine Rhone blend with saline minerality, cranberry, herbs, fierce tannins still, long finish. It's quite something although not for everyone.
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Really wasn't expecting this. I'd buried it in the cellar due to it being not only new world Syrah but 15.1% abv new world Syrah, and opened it for day drinking cocktail wine thinking it'd be a fruit bomb. Pax being Pax, I was, of course, wrong, and this has plenty of acid and savory guts to bring the judicious fruit into balance. Meaty, bloody, and a little chocolatey on the nose, but the palate brings the high-toned raspberry coulis and candied red cherry on a bed of Cornas-like tannins. Should've gotten the lamb pairing it deserved, but some decent Gruyère and bread was OK too. Could probably go another year, but it's in a nice place right now if you've got some rich protein for it to with.
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This wine was just not doing it for me last night. I had not tried a bottle since June of 2019 and there is a real difference. I have always enjoyed these wines and have a bunch in my cellar dating back to 2004. The wine had a typical syrah nose of dark berries and a hint of spice. The palate was linear with no variations in taste and no multiple flavors. It just ended with i guess you could call a pinch of spice. It wasn't spoiled just wasn't anything.
Not flawed in any obvious way, but this has not stood up to age. Sour and acidic beyond what I, or my wife, likes at all, with all fruit notes long gone. The nose was of syrah, but I couldn't identify anything else about it that I liked.
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Pop and pour. Savory, saline Syrah drinking well now if you like the style. The palate is black fruit, black pepper, and salty rocks. At peak I would say; drink over next few years.
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4.0 2011 vintage dark red color with a nice complex nose and a tannic, but somewhat complex full body and a fairly long aftertaste. After a week open with Vacu van at room temperature it softens some but this wine needs another 10 years in a cool cellar at least.
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Pop and pour and followed for several hours. Blackberry, smoke, blueberry, graphite, minerally earth, plum, lily, raspberry, and hints of barrel on the nose. Cranberry, tart cherry, blackberry, and earth, on a fairly light palate. Moderate finish, but nice aftertaste. Tannins are fine and integrated, but also plentiful. It's a bit disappointing, but based on this bottle, I would give the next bottle a few more years.
All this is my third bottle and it is just horrible! I have looked everywhere for my original invoice and corresponding notes eg ratings etc. If anyone has any info on this wine please send. I would love to know what experts or maker said about this wine...and reflect on why I bought. Thanks all jt
All of the red wines our group drank at dinner were opened at noon and tasted at 3 as I was sure at the end of the evening I would not be able to fairly rate anything. The Agharta was the only syrah served. The nose was dark fruit and the palate was dark berries, dark plums and spices. A nice finish. I always enjoy the black label.
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Not particularly impressed. Drank after a 3 hour decant. Definitely on the lighter, thinner side - lots of black fruit but little else. Short finish. Don’t sense that this has the structure to improve much more.
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Decanted 4 hours. A massive Syrah. Gobs of plum and other black fruits, earth, black pepper, oak and dark chocolate. Continued to blossom through the night. This has the legs to be a 20 year wine IMO. Great stuff, and happy I have more. Drink now - 2029.
Deep mix of ruby and garnet red. Seems a bit shut down and tired with black olives, a little perfumey, dark strawberries, bitter cocoa and dark earthiness. Medium tannins (5.5/10) and medium bodied. Lots of strawberries on the palate with some leather and quite a bit of acidity. A touch of vanilla as well on the back end. Dry and medium plus finish. Drink till 2020.
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If you enjoy a lighter thinner syrah then this is probably yours. Drank blind as usual and it is a light wine ( after the unveiling this seemed to be totally unexpected)
The nose has a light leather and extremely light vanilla rose. Average tannins with a short finish. Very drinkable and relaxing but nothing stunning or memorable.
54554
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This did not spin my wheels like I had hoped it would. 2nd bottle and still a bit forgettable. It's a good wine, no doubt, just ordinary. Black fruits and a tannic finish. After two days it started to mellow a bit. Used half the bottle for braise...
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Pop and pour - drank over 2 hours. On the nose lots of vanilla, cedar, leather, smoky BBQ meats. This wine at this point still has some very grippy tannins. It is way too young to drink! Give this a good 5 more years for it to mature. It really is heading to a nice place. It has a long finish, really pleasant to drink.
If you must try this now - give it at least 2+ hours decant for it to start to show its potential. Really good wine, and will get better over the next few years.
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Deep purple and garnet color, opaque and good clarity. Smells are blackberry, tar, wet stone, smoke, pepper, floral notes and blueberry. Tastes are blueberry, blackberry, currants, soy, pepper, cedar, and sweet anise. The tannins are velvety and the body is full. Very nice floral and fruit notes.
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Nose: plum, oak, hint of vanilla. First taste: Heavy plum, smoked meat. Mouth feel: thick and velvety Finish: black pepper, charcoal/burnt meat, another heavy dose of fruit more towards apples or cherry. Notes: strong wine; would go well with food, like BBQ or burgers.
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Deep dark inky color and opaque. Smells are earth, blackberry, soy, black pepper and provençal herbs. Tastes are smoke, earth blackberry, pepper, blueberry, and cedar like notes. Tight, furry tannins and a bit hot on the finish.
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Initial taste. Strong notes of blackberry with hints of mine. Taste of dark berries with a tannic finish. Not an enjoyable finish.
Used an aerator and decanter to let the wine mellow, after 4 hours is when the wine begin to open up and become more enjoyable. Recommend waiting until 2019 at the earliest to enjoy this wine.
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Slightly controversial note. But...I coravin"ed" a glass last night. Very difficult to drink. Ruby black color, fresh with that beautiful haze in the glass. You know the haze of a young chateunef! Absolutely harsh in the mouth. Mouth puckering tannins. Virtually undrinkable. Waited for it to open...almost unchanged in the glass after 1 then 2 hours. Fruit was there but the oak was beating the hell out of the almost blueberry, olive, blackberry, and plum that was there. I kept waiting. Unpleasant and almost undrinkable. I then thought food and quickly disregarded that thought as the tannic tar left a mouth numbing aftertaste. I will not open another for 3-5 years. Until then I pray for this wine. Very disappointed. I do not think the bottle was flawed. Just undrinkable!
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Decanted 1 hour--probably could have used more. This is a very interesting wine. First impression is oak. Tons of wood apparent on the nose, as well as a good amount of alcohol heat. In the mouth, this is very forward, with a burst of plum fruit, oak and lingering tannins over the bitter dark chocolate finish. After a couple of hours, this took on an amazing brown sugar note on the nose. Really jumped out at us both. My companion thought this was somewhat pruney, and it is indeed VERY close to that on day 1 (Tuesday night).
Flash forward to Friday night. Day 4. Still some oak. Still some heat. Still some plum. Still some lingering tannins over the dark chocolate finish. I don't think the 1/2 bottle of wine changed much at all over the 4 days it was open (stored in a 375ml). Taking all of this into account, I wouldn't crack another bottle for a good 3 years. Drink 2019-2026.
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The color is garnet black with some inky purple notes, very opaque, and just a very slight haze. The aromas are flowers, blueberry, coffee, loam, dill, vanilla, and foxy notes. The tastes are grapey, blueberry, earthy loam, olive, coffee, pepper, blackberry, and garrigue. The tannins are powerful and like sheets of course satin. The finish is lengthy and dry but fruity.
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Inky purple color with good clarity and opaque. The smells are tar, stone, blackberry, garrigue, and floral notes. The tastes are blueberry, tart blackberry, earth and stony notes with olive, and white pepper. The acidity is juicy and the tannins are like course satin. Delicious and complex wine, give it some time to open and was delicious with steak.
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I had to try one from my most recent shipment. Sadly, this one had cork taint. But the wine's profile is quite intriguing -- high acid, and quite unexpected. We'll see about the others.
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10/22/2021 - wino121 wrote: 92 Points
Just say PAX is the man-
Enough said..
3-5 years too young .
Stunning wine.
Drink now with serious aeration thru 2025-8
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7/6/2021 - Quiet Lion Likes this wine: 92 Points
Last of three bottles but this could go a lot longer. This is an extremely masculine Rhone blend with saline minerality, cranberry, herbs, fierce tannins still, long finish. It's quite something although not for everyone.
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11/25/2020 - RyanStotz Likes this wine:
Really wasn't expecting this. I'd buried it in the cellar due to it being not only new world Syrah but 15.1% abv new world Syrah, and opened it for day drinking cocktail wine thinking it'd be a fruit bomb. Pax being Pax, I was, of course, wrong, and this has plenty of acid and savory guts to bring the judicious fruit into balance. Meaty, bloody, and a little chocolatey on the nose, but the palate brings the high-toned raspberry coulis and candied red cherry on a bed of Cornas-like tannins. Should've gotten the lamb pairing it deserved, but some decent Gruyère and bread was OK too. Could probably go another year, but it's in a nice place right now if you've got some rich protein for it to with.
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11/13/2020 - Beezc Likes this wine: 90 Points
If you have any drink up. Fruit is fading and it does not have a lot of life left. Not bad but wished I had consumed a year or two earlier.
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10/6/2020 - alpha_ori Likes this wine: 92 Points
Delicious and intense, sour and focused. A touch of smoke and then soil. I like it, but I can see how it can be divisive.
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9/4/2020 - markcic wrote: 85 Points
This wine was just not doing it for me last night. I had not tried a bottle since June of 2019 and there is a real difference. I have always enjoyed these wines and have a bunch in my cellar dating back to 2004. The wine had a typical syrah nose of dark berries and a hint of spice. The palate was linear with no variations in taste and no multiple flavors. It just ended with i guess you could call a pinch of spice. It wasn't spoiled just wasn't anything.
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9/4/2020 - Quarked wrote: 85 Points
Not flawed in any obvious way, but this has not stood up to age. Sour and acidic beyond what I, or my wife, likes at all, with all fruit notes long gone. The nose was of syrah, but I couldn't identify anything else about it that I liked.
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7/24/2020 - RPerro wrote: flawed
Huge VA in this one. I thought it might calm down overnight, but it never did. Dumped. :(
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5/14/2020 - Quiet Lion Likes this wine: 92 Points
Pop and pour. Savory, saline Syrah drinking well now if you like the style. The palate is black fruit, black pepper, and salty rocks. At peak I would say; drink over next few years.
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4/22/2020 - pjhr Likes this wine: 93 Points
As delicious as the last bottle! Wish I had more!
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3/4/2020 - pjhr Likes this wine: 93 Points
Wonderful blackberry, pepper and spice on the nose and palate with lively refreshing acidity on the long finish. Drinking well with long life ahead!
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1/6/2020 - VB9 wrote: 91 Points
4.0 2011 vintage dark red color with a nice complex nose and a tannic, but somewhat complex full body and a fairly long aftertaste. After a week open with Vacu van at room temperature it softens some but this wine needs another 10 years in a cool cellar at least.
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1/3/2020 - rmh66 wrote: 87 Points
Pop and pour and followed for several hours. Blackberry, smoke, blueberry, graphite, minerally earth, plum, lily, raspberry, and hints of barrel on the nose. Cranberry, tart cherry, blackberry, and earth, on a fairly light palate. Moderate finish, but nice aftertaste. Tannins are fine and integrated, but also plentiful. It's a bit disappointing, but based on this bottle, I would give the next bottle a few more years.
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11/27/2019 - alpha_ori Likes this wine: 93 Points
Austere, but profoundly. Wish I'd kept notes.
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10/5/2019 - RPerro wrote: 93 Points
Popped and poured. Really rich and full bodied, black fruit, pepper, licorice, coffee. This was a hit with the rest of our group. Drink now - 2029.
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10/5/2019 - JohnTelford Does not like this wine: 60 Points
All this is my third bottle and it is just horrible! I have looked everywhere for my original invoice and corresponding notes eg ratings etc. If anyone has any info on this wine please send. I would love to know what experts or maker said about this wine...and reflect on why I bought. Thanks all jt
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8/10/2019 - JohnTelford wrote:
Can anyone give me hope that if i hold these they wil, eventually taste decent. If not I am going to use for marinade. Please reply.
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7/4/2019 - JohnnyBer wrote:
Black fruit, well integrated, kinda boring
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6/16/2019 - markcic Likes this wine: 91 Points
All of the red wines our group drank at dinner were opened at noon and tasted at 3 as I was sure at the end of the evening I would not be able to fairly rate anything. The Agharta was the only syrah served. The nose was dark fruit and the palate was dark berries, dark plums and spices. A nice finish. I always enjoy the black label.
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2/15/2019 - bdisk1235 wrote: 87 Points
Not particularly impressed. Drank after a 3 hour decant. Definitely on the lighter, thinner side - lots of black fruit but little else. Short finish. Don’t sense that this has the structure to improve much more.
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11/22/2018 - RPerro Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted 4 hours. A massive Syrah. Gobs of plum and other black fruits, earth, black pepper, oak and dark chocolate. Continued to blossom through the night. This has the legs to be a 20 year wine IMO. Great stuff, and happy I have more. Drink now - 2029.
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10/1/2018 - Quiet Lion Likes this wine: 92 Points
Showed beautifully over two days. Nicely balanced Syrah with deep, dark fruit, black pepper, long finish. Simple but delicious.
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9/25/2018 - Armleg wrote:
A light Syrah with very light pepper and meat notes. More dark fruit with a quick finish. Delicious.
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6/15/2018 - Millennial Drinkers wrote: 88 Points
Deep mix of ruby and garnet red. Seems a bit shut down and tired with black olives, a little perfumey, dark strawberries, bitter cocoa and dark earthiness. Medium tannins (5.5/10) and medium bodied. Lots of strawberries on the palate with some leather and quite a bit of acidity. A touch of vanilla as well on the back end. Dry and medium plus finish. Drink till 2020.
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6/15/2018 - cab blends wrote: 87 Points
If you enjoy a lighter thinner syrah then this is probably yours. Drank blind as usual and it is a light wine ( after the unveiling this seemed to be totally unexpected)
The nose has a light leather and extremely light vanilla rose. Average tannins with a short finish. Very drinkable and relaxing but nothing stunning or memorable.
54554
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3/22/2018 - WineCPA wrote: 89 Points
This did not spin my wheels like I had hoped it would. 2nd bottle and still a bit forgettable. It's a good wine, no doubt, just ordinary. Black fruits and a tannic finish. After two days it started to mellow a bit. Used half the bottle for braise...
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2/18/2018 - alpha_ori Likes this wine: 91 Points
These wines are so distinctive.
This wine is temperature sensitive. Best at 55 degrees.
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12/22/2017 - pgrzesik Likes this wine: 92 Points
Pop and pour - drank over 2 hours. On the nose lots of vanilla, cedar, leather, smoky BBQ meats. This wine at this point still has some very grippy tannins. It is way too young to drink! Give this a good 5 more years for it to mature. It really is heading to a nice place. It has a long finish, really pleasant to drink.
If you must try this now - give it at least 2+ hours decant for it to start to show its potential. Really good wine, and will get better over the next few years.
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11/25/2017 - hackey37 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Deep purple and garnet color, opaque and good clarity. Smells are blackberry, tar, wet stone, smoke, pepper, floral notes and blueberry. Tastes are blueberry, blackberry, currants, soy, pepper, cedar, and sweet anise. The tannins are velvety and the body is full. Very nice floral and fruit notes.
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11/11/2017 - zlinhardt Likes this wine: 85 Points
Nose: plum, oak, hint of vanilla.
First taste: Heavy plum, smoked meat.
Mouth feel: thick and velvety
Finish: black pepper, charcoal/burnt meat, another heavy dose of fruit more towards apples or cherry.
Notes: strong wine; would go well with food, like BBQ or burgers.
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11/1/2017 - hackey37 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Deep dark inky color and opaque. Smells are earth, blackberry, soy, black pepper and provençal herbs. Tastes are smoke, earth blackberry, pepper, blueberry, and cedar like notes. Tight, furry tannins and a bit hot on the finish.
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11/23/2016 - Rey V wrote:
Initial taste. Strong notes of blackberry with hints of mine. Taste of dark berries with a tannic finish. Not an enjoyable finish.
Used an aerator and decanter to let the wine mellow, after 4 hours is when the wine begin to open up and become more enjoyable. Recommend waiting until 2019 at the earliest to enjoy this wine.
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11/9/2016 - JohnTelford Does not like this wine: 85 Points
Slightly controversial note. But...I coravin"ed" a glass last night. Very difficult to drink. Ruby black color, fresh with that beautiful haze in the glass. You know the haze of a young chateunef! Absolutely harsh in the mouth. Mouth puckering tannins. Virtually undrinkable. Waited for it to open...almost unchanged in the glass after 1 then 2 hours. Fruit was there but the oak was beating the hell out of the almost blueberry, olive, blackberry, and plum that was there. I kept waiting. Unpleasant and almost undrinkable. I then thought food and quickly disregarded that thought as the tannic tar left a mouth numbing aftertaste. I will not open another for 3-5 years. Until then I pray for this wine. Very disappointed. I do not think the bottle was flawed. Just undrinkable!
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4/5/2016 - RPerro Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decanted 1 hour--probably could have used more. This is a very interesting wine. First impression is oak. Tons of wood apparent on the nose, as well as a good amount of alcohol heat. In the mouth, this is very forward, with a burst of plum fruit, oak and lingering tannins over the bitter dark chocolate finish. After a couple of hours, this took on an amazing brown sugar note on the nose. Really jumped out at us both. My companion thought this was somewhat pruney, and it is indeed VERY close to that on day 1 (Tuesday night).
Flash forward to Friday night. Day 4. Still some oak. Still some heat. Still some plum. Still some lingering tannins over the dark chocolate finish. I don't think the 1/2 bottle of wine changed much at all over the 4 days it was open (stored in a 375ml). Taking all of this into account, I wouldn't crack another bottle for a good 3 years. Drink 2019-2026.
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12/28/2015 - Schmazda wrote:
Excellent. Needs time to open but a good jammy cab
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11/22/2015 - hackey37 Likes this wine: 94 Points
The color is garnet black with some inky purple notes, very opaque, and just a very slight haze. The aromas are flowers, blueberry, coffee, loam, dill, vanilla, and foxy notes. The tastes are grapey, blueberry, earthy loam, olive, coffee, pepper, blackberry, and garrigue. The tannins are powerful and like sheets of course satin. The finish is lengthy and dry but fruity.
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10/11/2015 - dpolivy Likes this wine:
Took a little time to really open up, but pretty and expressive nose with time. Lovely body, elegant and supple. Nicely balanced.
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8/30/2015 - hackey37 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Inky purple color with good clarity and opaque. The smells are tar, stone, blackberry, garrigue, and floral notes. The tastes are blueberry, tart blackberry, earth and stony notes with olive, and white pepper. The acidity is juicy and the tannins are like course satin. Delicious and complex wine, give it some time to open and was delicious with steak.
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4/25/2015 - alpha_ori wrote: flawed
I had to try one from my most recent shipment. Sadly, this one had cork taint. But the wine's profile is quite intriguing -- high acid, and quite unexpected. We'll see about the others.
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