This wine was really hitting on all cylinders, good fruit up front and well balanced. Medium long finish with a soft mouth feel. Popped and poured but really didn't change over the next 30min so no reason to decant. I would say this is definitely the sweet spot for this wine, drink up I doubt this will improve with more time
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Strong balance of mineral, acid and fruit. Opened bottle 2 hours ahead of drinking. Mineral and acid nose, fruit kicks in on the tongue. Drinkable now, room temperature.
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This was pretty closed down, tight and unfriendly on first night, but very good on night two. I will hold my remaining bottles. I really like Mike's syrahs. Cheers
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Medium bodied, nice red fruit on the nose. Tart cherry on the palate, slightly elevated acids. Long finish. Very lively at this stage, drinks well. Will benefit from more cellaring.
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Aired for three hours in the bottle. Drank at room temperature. This was our first tasting of the 2014 Hulda Block Syrah. We like the wine, enjoyed it on an unusually cold, damp May evening. Earthy nose, immediately tart on the tongue and full mouth. Fruit taste, with a mineral finish. Paired well with a chili con carne. Will also likely age well.
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Surprised that I forgot about these for 12 months. That won't happen again! Pop and pour this time around. Consistent profile with prior notes - I really love this wine. Went great with pulled pork. Disappeared all too quickly.
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Agree with most of the tasting notes. Wouldn't have guessed Syrah blind. Light with sweet and tart fruit. Interested to see what happens after it sits for a little while but otherwise not a huge fan for my palate.
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Light ruby red in color. Signs of translucency on the edges. On the nose, jammy mix of of cranberry, blueberry and with a hint field greens. On the palate this is a light and crisp red wine, cranberries are still present with a tartness on the midpalate. Almost no oak or tannin. Short finish. Not really my cup of tea. Not sure I would buy again but a really well made wine.
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I am a Mike Smith fan, but not a fan of this overly extracted variety. Full bodied with a wonderful appearance in the glass, the aromas are floral, red berries, and seductive. The aromas are where much of the elegance ends, as it is overripe and extracted on the palate with overwhelming fruit and sweetness. Little structure, repressed tanins and slight acidity give this a jammy and juicy character. This production from Mike's fine skills just does not live up to its potential evidenced by the evocative aromas.
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Surprisingly light phenolics for a Syrah. Very "cool climate" in style, too much for my taste. Drank like a Pinot noir, and admittedly, I'm not a Pinot person.
This a pleasant drinker that's good for a crowd, but for $45 I needed more.
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Decanted for three hours. Surprisingly thin and light for us, not like other Mike Smith Syrahs we've had. Didn't have the deep, dark fruit we've gotten from Mike's Syrahs before, nor the bacon aromas or chocolate flavors. Have to hope it's just too early. Must be. Will revisit in no less than six months.
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Slow ox for 10 hours, then decanted for 1 hour. Drank over 3 hours.
Wife had an event, so I was home alone with the little one. She went to bed early enough to allow me to enjoy this guy with a charcuterie board. My kind of night.
This wine is certainly deserving of your attention. Consistent with prior notes, and biggest thing was how much better I thought it was with the food. Great pairing. Full disclosure: I drank the whole damn bottle, And would do so again.
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This is so different from my typical glass of wine (95% Cali cab guy). I am growing to appreciate the unique flavors in Mikes Syrah. There is a foundation of funk/olive which always surprises me on the first sip. Pairs exceptionally well with all types of food (2 nights: first night Lasagna, 2nd night Thai). Medium bodied with a distinct and powerful finish.
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Gave this about 4 hours of slow ox, then into decanter for another 10 hours. Drank alongside a '14 Myriad Halcon.
This was the "funkier" of the two. More gamey notes, and smoke. Just a really deep and intriguing wine. Finish maybe a little more disjointed than the Myriad right now, but very powerful.
Certainly needs lots of air right now, and this baby will only get better.
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Decanted and returned to the bottle at 9am. Reopened at 7pm and it showed beautifully. Dark purple and full bodied. Nose of crushed violets, green olives, and some dark berries. Cool climate but not thin or light bodied like most we've come across. There was plenty of body and mouth feel to hold its own with bigger wines but was lithe and graceful. There was red meat and bacon fat behind a salty sea fog which surrounded the berries and olives. This can no doubt lay down for a few years and develop. My first encounter with this label and winemaker and was impressed. The nose kept me coming back with it's floral tones. The word "pretty" just kept coming back to my simple mind. A very pretty wine with plenty going on.
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Not going to rate this. The wine tasted exceptionally young and I did not open it early enough in the evening. Not harmonized. I would let this one sit to get several more years of bottle age and then see what happens.
Result of the tasting assistant: The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are medium. There is no sediment in the bottle. It smells like bell pepper and cherry. It tastes like bell pepper. The body is medium. The wine has smooth texture. The wine finishes medium. The wine has medium acidity.
5/13/2022 - redz wrote: flawed
from auction, just not right...
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12/12/2021 - RLP805 wrote: 92 Points
This wine was really hitting on all cylinders, good fruit up front and well balanced. Medium long finish with a soft mouth feel. Popped and poured but really didn't change over the next 30min so no reason to decant. I would say this is definitely the sweet spot for this wine, drink up I doubt this will improve with more time
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5/30/2020 - JS1056 wrote: 89 Points
Very nice wine. Blueberry is predominant with resolved tannins and bright acidity. Good finish. I liked it better than others.
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2/5/2020 - ageverett Likes this wine: 95 Points
Sure do love this wine - great depth and still punching well above its weight class. Disappears quick.
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10/28/2019 - nickgorski Likes this wine:
PnP at tailgate. After a few minutes air integrated blueberry, steely minerals and savory tones. Drinking now.
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5/20/2019 - STM82 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Same notes applied. Just popped and poured.
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4/26/2019 - Mapleglo330 Likes this wine: 91 Points
This is a leather, olive, and meat aroma. On opening was a lot of acidity. mellowed out into a dark fruit, olive, and somewhat salty(?) deliciousness.
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3/16/2019 - oceanspirit Likes this wine: 91 Points
Strong balance of mineral, acid and fruit. Opened bottle 2 hours ahead of drinking. Mineral and acid nose, fruit kicks in on the tongue. Drinkable now, room temperature.
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2/14/2019 - Jdwinedrinker Likes this wine:
This was pretty closed down, tight and unfriendly on first night, but very good on night two. I will hold my remaining bottles. I really like Mike's syrahs. Cheers
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10/15/2018 - metel Likes this wine: 93 Points
Medium bodied, nice red fruit on the nose. Tart cherry on the palate, slightly elevated acids. Long finish. Very lively at this stage, drinks well. Will benefit from more cellaring.
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5/27/2018 - oceanspirit Likes this wine: 92 Points
Aired for three hours in the bottle. Drank at room temperature. This was our first tasting of the 2014 Hulda Block Syrah. We like the wine, enjoyed it on an unusually cold, damp May evening. Earthy nose, immediately tart on the tongue and full mouth. Fruit taste, with a mineral finish. Paired well with a chili con carne. Will also likely age well.
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2/11/2018 - Screameagle Does not like this wine: 87 Points
We've had some good Quivet syrah but this wasn't one of them. Neither Joan and I really enjoyed it.
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5/9/2017 - ageverett Likes this wine: 94 Points
Surprised that I forgot about these for 12 months. That won't happen again! Pop and pour this time around. Consistent profile with prior notes - I really love this wine. Went great with pulled pork. Disappeared all too quickly.
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4/12/2017 - norzano wrote:
Agree with most of the tasting notes. Wouldn't have guessed Syrah blind. Light with sweet and tart fruit. Interested to see what happens after it sits for a little while but otherwise not a huge fan for my palate.
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3/15/2017 - jnocera Likes this wine: 91 Points
Light ruby red in color. Signs of translucency on the edges. On the nose, jammy mix of of cranberry, blueberry and with a hint field greens. On the palate this is a light and crisp red wine, cranberries are still present with a tartness on the midpalate. Almost no oak or tannin. Short finish. Not really my cup of tea. Not sure I would buy again but a really well made wine.
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2/6/2017 - MarkWhite Does not like this wine: 87 Points
I am a Mike Smith fan, but not a fan of this overly extracted variety. Full bodied with a wonderful appearance in the glass, the aromas are floral, red berries, and seductive. The aromas are where much of the elegance ends, as it is overripe and extracted on the palate with overwhelming fruit and sweetness. Little structure, repressed tanins and slight acidity give this a jammy and juicy character. This production from Mike's fine skills just does not live up to its potential evidenced by the evocative aromas.
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12/19/2016 - jaxpaj wrote:
If you drink the Kenefick ranch Syrah and this side by side, no way you could predict same winemaker, vintage and grape. SOOO DIFFERENT!
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12/7/2016 - metel wrote: 90 Points
Cool climate Syrah that is not quite ready now. Hold.
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11/26/2016 - jcassi01 Does not like this wine: 90 Points
Surprisingly light phenolics for a Syrah. Very "cool climate" in style, too much for my taste. Drank like a Pinot noir, and admittedly, I'm not a Pinot person.
This a pleasant drinker that's good for a crowd, but for $45 I needed more.
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9/5/2016 - klmarshall wrote: 88 Points
Still not loving this wine. Either too gamey and green or too young or both.
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6/27/2016 - rsalati wrote: 82 Points
Don't get the ratings on this wine. It's very average. Juicy with no structure.
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5/21/2016 - WineGold wrote: 89 Points
Decanted for three hours. Surprisingly thin and light for us, not like other Mike Smith Syrahs we've had. Didn't have the deep, dark fruit we've gotten from Mike's Syrahs before, nor the bacon aromas or chocolate flavors. Have to hope it's just too early. Must be. Will revisit in no less than six months.
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5/9/2016 - ageverett Likes this wine: 94 Points
Slow ox for 10 hours, then decanted for 1 hour. Drank over 3 hours.
Wife had an event, so I was home alone with the little one. She went to bed early enough to allow me to enjoy this guy with a charcuterie board. My kind of night.
This wine is certainly deserving of your attention. Consistent with prior notes, and biggest thing was how much better I thought it was with the food. Great pairing. Full disclosure: I drank the whole damn bottle, And would do so again.
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5/4/2016 - jaxpaj wrote: 92 Points
This is so different from my typical glass of wine (95% Cali cab guy). I am growing to appreciate the unique flavors in Mikes Syrah. There is a foundation of funk/olive which always surprises me on the first sip. Pairs exceptionally well with all types of food (2 nights: first night Lasagna, 2nd night Thai). Medium bodied with a distinct and powerful finish.
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4/9/2016 - ageverett Likes this wine: 93 Points
Gave this about 4 hours of slow ox, then into decanter for another 10 hours. Drank alongside a '14 Myriad Halcon.
This was the "funkier" of the two. More gamey notes, and smoke. Just a really deep and intriguing wine. Finish maybe a little more disjointed than the Myriad right now, but very powerful.
Certainly needs lots of air right now, and this baby will only get better.
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4/7/2016 - STM82 wrote: 93 Points
Decanted and returned to the bottle at 9am. Reopened at 7pm and it showed beautifully. Dark purple and full bodied. Nose of crushed violets, green olives, and some dark berries. Cool climate but not thin or light bodied like most we've come across. There was plenty of body and mouth feel to hold its own with bigger wines but was lithe and graceful. There was red meat and bacon fat behind a salty sea fog which surrounded the berries and olives. This can no doubt lay down for a few years and develop. My first encounter with this label and winemaker and was impressed. The nose kept me coming back with it's floral tones. The word "pretty" just kept coming back to my simple mind. A very pretty wine with plenty going on.
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4/2/2016 - klmarshall wrote:
Not going to rate this. The wine tasted exceptionally young and I did not open it early enough in the evening. Not harmonized. I would let this one sit to get several more years of bottle age and then see what happens.
Result of the tasting assistant: The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are medium. There is no sediment in the bottle. It smells like bell pepper and cherry. It tastes like bell pepper. The body is medium. The wine has smooth texture. The wine finishes medium. The wine has medium acidity.
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