This bottle was more accessible than a couple other bottles in the last year and a half.....there was a bit more nose/aroma.....savory syrah flavors and no appreciable funk
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P&P; not as enjoyable as the previous bottle. Nice funk and bright red and black fruit at first but took on a sour, acidic profile later on that made it tedious to drink. I see another recent note had the same experience as I did. Bottle variation maybe? Bought the two bottles I've opened from the same auction lot. No idea how to call the drinking window. Maybe better with more age?
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Vinturied into decant, tuff one to pin down. Ballard canyon funk all over the nose and color, from there it became loose and somewhat disjointed..acidic and unbalanced. It work with food but became tedious after that. Not sure on the drink window either, now thru 2026-7? I personally will hold my 2 btls for a couple more years.
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Dark ruby/ purple color - minimal rim clearing Medium plus intensity aromas of ripe red/ blue fruit with characteristic smoked meat and green herb in background - definitely fruit forward on the nose Medium plus body with palate of ripe/ sweet red and black fruit with hints of green - fruit driven and delicious but lacking in complexity Medium acidity with medium plus ripe tannin structure Medium plus alcohol with moderately long fruit driven finish Quite enjoyable - definitely not to be confused with Rhone wine however and definitely in the California camp
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mostly black and blue fruit on the nose with some pepper and tar to compliment. The palate was full and had the same black and blue fruits — it had structure but was the least structured of the three. Quite enjoyable and the most immediately accessible, though my #3 against the Halcon and Cornas.
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Dark in colour and pretty ripe on the nose, not overly complex however. Sweet on the palate, ripe and full bodied with juicy acidity and mild tannins. Very nice finish. Overall this is very nice, sweet, ripe and tasty with blackberry and black cherry fruit. Decent enough length. Interested to see if this improves tomorrow.
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Great aromatics; however, like the 2014 vintage which I tried in December 2020, the palate comes across as an overly ripe fruit bomb. Whatever structural elements (tannin and acid) exist are completely overshadowed by the syrupy rich, sweet fruit. Based on my prior experience with the 2014 vintage, I paired this with a spicy Jambalaya…the spiciness of the food definitely mitigated the fruitiness of the wine.
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Medium purple. Aromas of black pepper, smoke, black cherry and tar. On the palate I found black cherry and savory meat, perhaps well-seasoned steak tartare. Medium acidity, ripe tannins and excellent persistence.
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P&P. Brilliant nose, very fruit forward with undertones of forest floor and loam. Flavors started out too fruity, but ended up calming down by day 2. Blackberry, fig, loam, seaweed and coffee. Drink now - 2030.
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Forest floor and moss underpins a nose of slightly overripe fruit. At first approach, seems unremarkable - too much fruit. Digging deeper, you get a hint of citrus and vanilla. What throws me off is the way it "floats" over your tongue when you sip. A weak body, and not too much tannin to hold it up. The flavor is there, which punctuates the thought started by the nose. However, the finish builds up toward the end, but only to end prematurely. This was a very good drink when I purchased at a tasting bistro, and what I'm drinking now is not what I remember. Perhaps it settles out somewhat (maybe too much) in the cellar.
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Inky purple. Earth and wet stone on the nose. Tart plum on the palate. Medium to full body with notable acidity and somewhat drying tannin. Not very expressive. I was hoping it would show more character as it opened up but the overall impression is of tart, drying plum and not a whole lot else. Seems well made but with inferior fruit. Maybe a difficult year? Disappointing, considering the price.
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Very enjoyable fruit and spice profile featuring black cherry, anise, and black pepper. Good richness, coming across slightly sweeter than I’d prefer, showing slightly simpler and more hollow in the middle than I’d prefer as well. Doubt there is further upside. I don’t understand the critics’ lofty reviews.
Really loved this wine. Took about 30 minutes to open up and then dark berry fruit with anise, lavender, floral components. Just continued to get better over several hours.
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Nice deep color. Nose is earthy. On the palate, a little jammy fruit and olive in the finish. Light in acid and tannins. Finish has some heat but not much else to it. No real oomph to wine. To be honest, I found this underwhelming and a bit disappointing.
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Winemaker's Notes: 100% Syrah. A gush of happy red and purple flowers – seemingly out of some utopian fairytale vision - sweep from the nose through the finish. A verdant, dense forest aspect supports the chirping whimsy while lending a sense of fertility and rotund jubilance. A citrus spray of tangerine peel illuminates the entire scene with an energetic glow. Clearly one of the prettiest Hilltops Syrah bottlings to date.
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9/11/2023 - thalver wrote:
This bottle was more accessible than a couple other bottles in the last year and a half.....there was a bit more nose/aroma.....savory syrah flavors and no appreciable funk
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8/6/2023 - RPerro wrote: 88 Points
P&P; not as enjoyable as the previous bottle. Nice funk and bright red and black fruit at first but took on a sour, acidic profile later on that made it tedious to drink. I see another recent note had the same experience as I did. Bottle variation maybe? Bought the two bottles I've opened from the same auction lot. No idea how to call the drinking window. Maybe better with more age?
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11/24/2022 - wino121 wrote: 90 Points
Vinturied into decant, tuff one to pin down.
Ballard canyon funk all over the nose and color, from there it became loose and somewhat disjointed..acidic and unbalanced.
It work with food but became tedious after that.
Not sure on the drink window either, now thru 2026-7?
I personally will hold my 2 btls for a couple more years.
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10/12/2022 - Dale Rattles Likes this wine: 89 Points
Nice nose of tar and fruit, medium-full bodied but slightly thin on the mid-palate and finish. Pretty good QPR and should get better in another year.
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8/10/2022 - dsamuel Likes this wine: 91 Points
Dark ruby/ purple color - minimal rim clearing
Medium plus intensity aromas of ripe red/ blue fruit with characteristic smoked meat and green herb in background - definitely fruit forward on the nose
Medium plus body with palate of ripe/ sweet red and black fruit with hints of green - fruit driven and delicious but lacking in complexity
Medium acidity with medium plus ripe tannin structure
Medium plus alcohol with moderately long fruit driven finish
Quite enjoyable - definitely not to be confused with Rhone wine however and definitely in the California camp
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6/30/2022 - CPSchoeff Likes this wine: 90 Points
mostly black and blue fruit on the nose with some pepper and tar to compliment. The palate was full and had the same black and blue fruits — it had structure but was the least structured of the three. Quite enjoyable and the most immediately accessible, though my #3 against the Halcon and Cornas.
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4/1/2022 - thebonnydooner wrote: 89 Points
Dark in colour and pretty ripe on the nose, not overly complex however. Sweet on the palate, ripe and full bodied with juicy acidity and mild tannins. Very nice finish. Overall this is very nice, sweet, ripe and tasty with blackberry and black cherry fruit. Decent enough length. Interested to see if this improves tomorrow.
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12/12/2021 - wmccone54 wrote: 86 Points
Great aromatics; however, like the 2014 vintage which I tried in December 2020, the palate comes across as an overly ripe fruit bomb. Whatever structural elements (tannin and acid) exist are completely overshadowed by the syrupy rich, sweet fruit. Based on my prior experience with the 2014 vintage, I paired this with a spicy Jambalaya…the spiciness of the food definitely mitigated the fruitiness of the wine.
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10/18/2021 - DavidWong168 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Medium purple. Aromas of black pepper, smoke, black cherry and tar. On the palate I found black cherry and savory meat, perhaps well-seasoned steak tartare. Medium acidity, ripe tannins and excellent persistence.
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9/22/2021 - Dmax808 wrote: 92 Points
Nice balance w/good secondary characteristics. Not at all overextracted. Great QPR.
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8/12/2021 - RPerro Likes this wine: 92 Points
P&P. Brilliant nose, very fruit forward with undertones of forest floor and loam. Flavors started out too fruity, but ended up calming down by day 2. Blackberry, fig, loam, seaweed and coffee. Drink now - 2030.
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6/28/2021 - optioninvestor Likes this wine: 88 Points
Forest floor and moss underpins a nose of slightly overripe fruit. At first approach, seems unremarkable - too much fruit. Digging deeper, you get a hint of citrus and vanilla. What throws me off is the way it "floats" over your tongue when you sip. A weak body, and not too much tannin to hold it up. The flavor is there, which punctuates the thought started by the nose. However, the finish builds up toward the end, but only to end prematurely. This was a very good drink when I purchased at a tasting bistro, and what I'm drinking now is not what I remember. Perhaps it settles out somewhat (maybe too much) in the cellar.
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5/29/2021 - Pford2 wrote:
Another year will do better. 2015 and 2912 were best
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4/8/2021 - jhanne8 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Took a bit to open up. Good but not spectacular
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2/20/2021 - lemerick wrote: 87 Points
Inky purple. Earth and wet stone on the nose. Tart plum on the palate. Medium to full body with notable acidity and somewhat drying tannin. Not very expressive. I was hoping it would show more character as it opened up but the overall impression is of tart, drying plum and not a whole lot else. Seems well made but with inferior fruit. Maybe a difficult year? Disappointing, considering the price.
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2/15/2021 - Burgundy Al wrote: 87 Points
Very enjoyable fruit and spice profile featuring black cherry, anise, and black pepper. Good richness, coming across slightly sweeter than I’d prefer, showing slightly simpler and more hollow in the middle than I’d prefer as well. Doubt there is further upside. I don’t understand the critics’ lofty reviews.
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1/10/2021 - elevwine Likes this wine: 92 Points
Really loved this wine. Took about 30 minutes to open up and then dark berry fruit with anise, lavender, floral components. Just continued to get better over several hours.
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11/23/2020 - Defcahn5 wrote: 88 Points
Nice deep color. Nose is earthy. On the palate, a little jammy fruit and olive in the finish. Light in acid and tannins. Finish has some heat but not much else to it. No real oomph to wine. To be honest, I found this underwhelming and a bit disappointing.
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11/17/2018 - bortender wrote:
Winemaker's Notes: 100% Syrah. A gush of happy red and purple flowers – seemingly out of some utopian fairytale vision - sweep from the nose through the finish. A verdant, dense forest aspect supports the chirping whimsy while lending a sense of fertility and rotund jubilance. A citrus spray of tangerine peel illuminates the entire scene with an energetic glow. Clearly one of the prettiest Hilltops Syrah bottlings to date.
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