Dark, dark color. Beautiful nose with dark fruit, light floral notes, grilled meat, touches of oak and smoke, nice secondary notes. More of the same on the palate with balanced, tannins and smooth mouthfeel. Long finish. Overall a beautiful wine.
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Gang of 4 in Covid19 times; USA (@ RW): Beautiful bouquet with blood and iron, black olives , meat and herbs and spices like thyme. On the palate very juicy red and dark berries, beautiful acidity and fully mature now. Beautiful wine.
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This is really good and lives up to expectations. Nice balance and no heavy licorice. Very claret-like for a syrah. Probably near peak, but will be good a while longer.
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PnP. Drank over 4 hours. Maybe a half hour air (in bottle) helped. Plum, black plum, blackberry. Bloody roasted beef. Black pepper, cinnamon, tobacco chew. Not a ton of fruit, but I don't sense this is fading in the next few years. I don't drink a ton of it, especially at age, but this may be the best new world syrah I've ever had. Age is a part of that. Nice. Per vineyard: 90% Syrah, 5% Grenache, 5% Mourvedre In retrospect, I'm not surprised by the grenache nor mouvedre.
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Last bottle......has been a great wine and a better value. However, this bottle had some hints of tiring. The Pro Reviewers says this one has legs well past 2020. I am not so sure. For those that still have bottles, I suggest making sure they are not beginning to tire.
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Big and juicy. Our last of six, and I wish that I'd purchased more. A little bit rustic in feel, but not in quality. Quite good nose, excellent length, and full, fruity, earthy mouth. Some traces of medicinal cherries buried in the earthy, dark fruited mouth.
Still has quite a bit of evolution left ahead, if the reader has some remaining.
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Quite good, not blingy but resolved and nicely olivey/earthy. The taste seems a bit forward in the mouth, but that's quibbling, with a nice nose, a decent mouth, and a good length, especially in the nose. Nice.
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No formal notes, but this is a full bodied wine, good black fruits, some herbs and spices, a firm amount of sweetness, but also good acidity and pleasant bitterness. This wine is in its adolescent stage now and has a future until at least 2017. It will probably become even a bit more smooth, although it is a great pleasure already.
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Powerfull nose of bacon, cherries jam, nice volatile acidity, ripe black cherries, smoked meat, hint of eucalyptus, almost artificial nose... in the mounth, very ripe black cherries, spices, quite long, good acidity, a bit artificial but well made
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Damn, I wish I'd bought more of these. Consistent with a bottle six months ago. Blueberries, smoke, all that good stuff. This time, however, it struck me as a little less integrated and a little more tannic. In other words, it has not yet hit its stride. I'd give it another year or two.
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Still young, but very rich and round. Good but nebulous nose (perhaps owing to age) with huge, round mouth of saturated, dark red fruit and dirty earth. Nice length of graphite and blackish red fruit. Already quite together, but could use some toning down! It has got the structure to age this phase out.
Try next in 2013, but if ths is the only Ojai available, it could be worse...
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big, spice laden dark fruit. not sappy at all, but not for the faint of heart. espresso notes, some hints of licorice. I am enjoying this. it is well made for sure. On day two, mellowed a bit. Sweet tannins holding it together, with a very nice blend of spice and bright dark berry fruit. Wish i had some smoked ribs or something to go with this.
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Best Syrah I've had in a long time. Obviously a California wine. Blueberries, grilled meat, and a little smoke on both the nose and palate. Luscious mouthfeel, with big-time fruit filling the nasal cavities. Tannins still present, but perfectly balanced with the fruit. Most notable characteristic was the extremely long, rich finish. I have no idea if it's at its peak, but I'm pretty sure it's going to at least hold for quite a while.
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Adam Tolmach's densest and perhaps most luscious syrah is usually the Thompson. The 2005 vintage is no exception to this rule with a nose revealing mature dark fruits, boysenberries, blueberries and a very appealing touch of black pepper. The palate is full, clean and very pleasant with tannins taking a grip but in a flirty way. Overall impression of this well integrated wine is truly positive. Score is 93-94. Highly recommended.
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Does Adam know how to make wine or what? I have never had a bad bottle of Syrah from Ojai, and with the quality of fruit from Thompson, you could not miss. Rich, great fruit with a wonderful mid-palate and nice finish. My only regret...not opening the 2005 Tensley Thompson for comparison.
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Very blingy, especially upon opening but even 4 hours later. Nice, saturated fruit with an omnipresent nose and a more-extended-than-usual length. Certainly not going to decline anytime soon, and though it's quite good now and I risk some change, I'd say:
Try next in 2012.
(The 2004 Thompson, if memory serves, is a bit less complex, a bit more juicy, and a bit less blingy. Drink that one first.)
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Monthly Tasting Group HWS #047; California. (By AW): Beautiful bouquet with some pleasant barnyard, laurel and black cherries. On the palate cassis, chocolate and again cherries and laurel. Some spiciness as well. Ripe tannin, some pleasant sweetness and ok bitters. A mouth full. Good concentration. Still youthful and already a great pleasure. No problem storing this for another 5+ years.
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Nose of smoke, meat and dark fruit. Mirrored on the palate with ample tannins that arrive late. Dark and rich with little sweetness. Complex and impressive.
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seems to have closed down completely since tasted a couple of months ago. Seemed like a 91 pointer wine last time when briefly tasted. Shoud merit a much higher score in the future
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After all the bold Rhones I've been drinking lately, this is not as fruit forward. Well balanced enjoyable wine by itself. Great with some dark chocolate.
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9/6/2022 - levinml wrote: 92 Points
Amazing age-ability. Still drinking near peak with great balance and flavors. Not fading at all. Good stuff.
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6/4/2022 - Geoff Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dark, dark color. Beautiful nose with dark fruit, light floral notes, grilled meat, touches of oak and smoke, nice secondary notes. More of the same on the palate with balanced, tannins and smooth mouthfeel. Long finish. Overall a beautiful wine.
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12/4/2021 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Certainly a big boy and showing no signs of slowing down. Delicious now but will go farther.
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12/3/2021 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
As Scott notes the way syrah should smell.
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12/30/2020 - Zweder wrote: 92 Points
Gang of 4 in Covid19 times; USA (@ RW): Beautiful bouquet with blood and iron, black olives , meat and herbs and spices like thyme. On the palate very juicy red and dark berries, beautiful acidity and fully mature now. Beautiful wine.
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11/24/2020 - levinml wrote: 92 Points
This is really good and lives up to expectations. Nice balance and no heavy licorice. Very claret-like for a syrah. Probably near peak, but will be good a while longer.
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11/29/2018 - kenv Likes this wine: 94 Points
WCC US Syrah Blind (Provence Restaurant, Albany, NY): Ripe spicy complex sweet with a super-long finish.
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11/23/2016 - BrunelloBob wrote: 92 Points
PnP. Drank over 4 hours. Maybe a half hour air (in bottle) helped.
Plum, black plum, blackberry. Bloody roasted beef. Black pepper, cinnamon, tobacco chew. Not a ton of fruit, but I don't sense this is fading in the next few years. I don't drink a ton of it, especially at age, but this may be the best new world syrah I've ever had. Age is a part of that. Nice.
Per vineyard: 90% Syrah, 5% Grenache, 5% Mourvedre
In retrospect, I'm not surprised by the grenache nor mouvedre.
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9/22/2016 - WineGuyFL Likes this wine: 92 Points
Last bottle......has been a great wine and a better value. However, this bottle had some hints of tiring. The Pro Reviewers says this one has legs well past 2020. I am not so sure. For those that still have bottles, I suggest making sure they are not beginning to tire.
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10/23/2014 - jbaron wrote: 93 Points
Big and juicy. Our last of six, and I wish that I'd purchased more. A little bit rustic in feel, but not in quality. Quite good nose, excellent length, and full, fruity, earthy mouth. Some traces of medicinal cherries buried in the earthy, dark fruited mouth.
Still has quite a bit of evolution left ahead, if the reader has some remaining.
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6/26/2014 - WineGuyFL wrote: 92 Points
Was good, but not quite as good as my first bottle. It had a little cloudy look to it. Suspect the bottle might have been slightly flawed.
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2/22/2013 - jbaron wrote: 92 Points
Quite good, not blingy but resolved and nicely olivey/earthy. The taste seems a bit forward in the mouth, but that's quibbling, with a nice nose, a decent mouth, and a good length, especially in the nose. Nice.
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12/7/2012 - bbcc66 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Bacon on the nose. A soft Syrah with a nice berry taste.
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6/8/2012 - Zweder wrote: 91 Points
No formal notes, but this is a full bodied wine, good black fruits, some herbs and spices, a firm amount of sweetness, but also good acidity and pleasant bitterness. This wine is in its adolescent stage now and has a future until at least 2017. It will probably become even a bit more smooth, although it is a great pleasure already.
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1/20/2012 - Philippe_C wrote: 94 Points
Powerfull nose of bacon, cherries jam, nice volatile acidity, ripe black cherries, smoked meat, hint of eucalyptus, almost artificial nose... in the mounth, very ripe black cherries, spices, quite long, good acidity, a bit artificial but well made
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12/16/2011 - Night Train wrote: 93 Points
Damn, I wish I'd bought more of these. Consistent with a bottle six months ago. Blueberries, smoke, all that good stuff. This time, however, it struck me as a little less integrated and a little more tannic. In other words, it has not yet hit its stride. I'd give it another year or two.
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12/14/2011 - jbaron wrote: 92 Points
Almost made it to 2012, here in Dcember 2011.
Still young, but very rich and round. Good but nebulous nose (perhaps owing to age) with huge, round mouth of saturated, dark red fruit and dirty earth. Nice length of graphite and blackish red fruit. Already quite together, but could use some toning down! It has got the structure to age this phase out.
Try next in 2013, but if ths is the only Ojai available, it could be worse...
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9/16/2011 - lolo66 wrote:
big, spice laden dark fruit. not sappy at all, but not for the faint of heart. espresso notes, some hints of licorice. I am enjoying this. it is well made for sure. On day two, mellowed a bit. Sweet tannins holding it together, with a very nice blend of spice and bright dark berry fruit. Wish i had some smoked ribs or something to go with this.
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5/29/2011 - Night Train wrote: 93 Points
Best Syrah I've had in a long time. Obviously a California wine. Blueberries, grilled meat, and a little smoke on both the nose and palate. Luscious mouthfeel, with big-time fruit filling the nasal cavities. Tannins still present, but perfectly balanced with the fruit. Most notable characteristic was the extremely long, rich finish. I have no idea if it's at its peak, but I'm pretty sure it's going to at least hold for quite a while.
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12/2/2010 - Christoffer78 wrote: 93 Points
Adam Tolmach's densest and perhaps most luscious syrah is usually the Thompson. The 2005 vintage is no exception to this rule with a nose revealing mature dark fruits, boysenberries, blueberries and a very appealing touch of black pepper. The palate is full, clean and very pleasant with tannins taking a grip but in a flirty way. Overall impression of this well integrated wine is truly positive. Score is 93-94. Highly recommended.
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11/6/2010 - psirah wrote: 90 Points
Does Adam know how to make wine or what? I have never had a bad bottle of Syrah from Ojai, and with the quality of fruit from Thompson, you could not miss. Rich, great fruit with a wonderful mid-palate and nice finish. My only regret...not opening the 2005 Tensley Thompson for comparison.
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9/15/2010 - jbaron wrote: 91 Points
Very blingy, especially upon opening but even 4 hours later. Nice, saturated fruit with an omnipresent nose and a more-extended-than-usual length. Certainly not going to decline anytime soon, and though it's quite good now and I risk some change, I'd say:
Try next in 2012.
(The 2004 Thompson, if memory serves, is a bit less complex, a bit more juicy, and a bit less blingy. Drink that one first.)
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8/27/2010 - EvanJB wrote: 90 Points
Very smooth, definitely ready to drink. good balance.
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5/12/2010 - Zweder wrote: 93 Points
Monthly Tasting Group HWS #047; California. (By AW): Beautiful bouquet with some pleasant barnyard, laurel and black cherries. On the palate cassis, chocolate and again cherries and laurel. Some spiciness as well. Ripe tannin, some pleasant sweetness and ok bitters. A mouth full. Good concentration. Still youthful and already a great pleasure. No problem storing this for another 5+ years.
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4/16/2010 - DPMc wrote: 93 Points
Nose of smoke, meat and dark fruit. Mirrored on the palate with ample tannins that arrive late. Dark and rich with little sweetness. Complex and impressive.
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1/30/2010 - PourritureNoble wrote: 89 Points
seems to have closed down completely since tasted a couple of months ago. Seemed like a 91 pointer wine last time when briefly tasted. Shoud merit a much higher score in the future
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12/19/2009 - EvanJB wrote: 90 Points
After all the bold Rhones I've been drinking lately, this is not as fruit forward. Well balanced enjoyable wine by itself. Great with some dark chocolate.
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11/28/2009 - jkoenen wrote: 90 Points
Hedonistic Diner (Restaurant Le Défi, Sprang-Capelle): (*) Tasted blind. No formal note. 17.5/20
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10/16/2009 - Zweder wrote:
Dark fruits. Chocolate. Soft tannin and a lot of sweetness. Full bodied. I did not score the wine, but it must be 90+
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