Opened with Spaghetti. Full bodied and very dark. Delicious dark fruits with some purple/black notes of black cherry, hoisin, prune, raisin and blackberry. Dense, voluptuous but not hot. Quite enjoyable 14 year old KB.
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Outstanding. Pnp at restaurant with lamb shank. Good from the 1st taste but better as the meal went on. Gave some to the waiter who couldn't stop raving. Plenty of time left with this one.
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This wine needed a few hours in a decanter and was best on day 2. It showed very Rhone-like with notes of dark berry, plum, mushroom, earth, slate and pepper throughout the 2 nights I enjoyed it. The palate was round and plush and echoed the nose.
A gift from MB.
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15.6% alcohol. Bottle 2096 of 6619. Youthful purple, color. Dark cherry and plum on the nose blended with floral notes, soy, green peppercorn, and a touch of wood. The palate took about 30 minutes to open, but when it did, it pumped out dark fruit, lavender, spice, green tobacco, and pepper. Structurally, this medium-bodied wine has balanced acidity and fully integrated tannins. The finish maintains the fruit intensity and supports a complex herbal note. Overall, I was very impressed by the balance and complexity of this wine, and if one wants a complex example of this varietal, I would not hesitate to put this on the table.
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wow, opened.... still smells like young juice right out of the tasting room. big fruit, slight secondaries like cola, vanilla, toast, raisin, blackberry. Big, but rounding into form. Dense, deep, murky.
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Cellared since release..15.6alc...Still fantastic! Dark liqueured berry fruit…silky smooth and creamy, sweet glycerin yet totally savory. Dusty dry graphite powder, sawdust tannins….probably just a tad bit drying out, but still enough sweet fruit around……dark chocolate, licorice, kirsch liqueur, white pepper spice, grilled meat rubbed with an herbed spice and coffee grounds! Tasty Syrah here!
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Pop and pour and consumed over 2 hours. No formal notes. This is in a great place right now. Brambly blackberry and black fruit dominated on the attack, with a red fruit and spice mid-palate followed by a creamy red and blue fruit finish. Well layered, with excellent balance. Delicious.
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This wine has really improved from the last bottle I tried some time ago. So happy to have a bottle left but sorry to have consumed the others before they reached their prime.
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Opened whilst enjoying pizza and holiday decorating. Massive, deep and dark, dense, chewy, full throttle syrah pours very dark ruby. Full bodied, this contains a colossal, big extracted fruit core that possesses potency and brute force ABV. Rounding out but still in command, the fruit spreads across the palate through the bristling finish. Chunky blacks, cocoa, garrigue, iron and blood. Blind this against a similar vintage Turley zin and you'd have a challenging time discerning the differences and nuances. 5 left. Day two under vac-u-vin much the same, a big monster. Perhaps turned a little flabby, but still enjoyable.
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I agree with Keithakers that this is an over ripe and over blown tones of black fruits, candy, black cherries and liqueur tones. taste: Full bodied with no real tannins that are noticeable. The tones of black fruits, candy, liqueur tones, and asphalt are overdone and chunky.
The only think is I paired it with a very flavorful bbq, that needed a BIG wine and this matched the flavors in the bbq and complimented it very well. This is not a wine to drink on its own, but needs a very smokey bbq to go with it.
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Bring a big cali syrah (My place, Chicago IL): nose: Over ripe and over blown tones of black fruits, candy, black cherries and liqueur tones. This is definitely over done and not too attractive.
taste: Full bodied with no real tannins that are noticeable. The tones of black fruits, candy, liqueur tones, and asphalt are overdone and chunky.
overall: This wasn't that enjoyable of a wine for me. It was very much in the overdone and clunky category. It didn't change much the next day either.
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I liked this more than I thought I would, and more than their pinots. I felt this was balanced and had a lot of fruit and oak. The finish was medium-plus. Just as good on days 2 and 3. It seemed to be a little hot.
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Pretty basic new world Syrah. Lots of fruit. Matched with toasty oak. Enjoyable but simple wine but I don't see it improving. It's not near dying but I don't see a reason to cellar further.
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Enjoyed with Easter dinner. Spicy dark fruit, resolved tannins with a bit of sweet fruit on the finish. Went well with grilled lamb that had been marinated in red wine, garlic and fresh herbs shish kebab style. This bottle was not in my inventory. Last one as far as I know.
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Good nose yet the palate was disjointed and out of balance. The fruit, tannins, and alcohol seemed to be arm wrestling each other. Decanting for 90 minutes showed minor improvement. The last bottle showed well so I'm wondering if there is some bottle variation.
Still fruit forward yet the finish was somewhat alcoholic and overly astringent. Tasted with 9 other wines of various varietals and regions (CA, Rhone, Tuscany, Bordeaux) and it just didn't hold up well.
Overall a reasonable wine yet I will consider drinking another relatively soon.
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My last bottle. Popped and poured. The oak was still evident on the nose. It never dissipated. Except for the heat on the back end it is very smooth on the palate. In the beginning there was some olive tapenade that added some interest. But over time the blackberry fruit overwhelmed it and it became monolithic. But not heavy. Just one note and not very interesting.
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Consumed blind with Raph and Dave, and time has done this wine wonders. Nicely balanced and integrated with some nice fruit, pepper, and spice. Drinking very nicely.
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Very dark red violet color; nice ripe plum, black fruit, tar, oak nose; oak, oak, tart black fruit pencil lead, stems, smoked bell pepper palate; medium-plus finish
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Good riddance, last bottle, totally unimpressed. I am a huge fan of the KB pinots, but mark me down as one of those happy they stopped the Syrah program...
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Consistent with our last visit. Dark color, nice berry nose, sweet fruit and pepper on the palate. Long finish with balanced fruit and acidity. Belies the label ABV.
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WAY better than the last bottle, which, in hindsight, might have been slightly flawed. Not this one. Everything was in balance, with good dark fruit, tame tannins, and a 30 second finish.
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Note on day 2. Green pepper on the nose. Seems to be lacking rich fruit - shows green. Confirms my belief that KB's pinots are far superior to their syrahs.
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This actually has come together nicely. Decanted for 30 minutes. Nose was still full of blackberry and cherry fruit. Some spice and earth was also noted. But to my surprise (and pleasure) notes of wildflowers began to emerge! On the palate, rich berry fruit was balanced by spice, anise, lavendar, violet and creamy oak. Really was an excellent bottle and drinking very well after a slow evolution. I guess my only complaint is the amount of oak. I think large doses of oak tend to mask some of the flavors and perfume of syrah. I think this falls into the heavily oaked category.
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I was disappointed by this wine, unfortunately. The 2004 was deep and layered, but this wine was over-ripe and over-oaked, in my opinion. There was a lot there, but not really what I was looking for.
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Needed 1+ hours of air to show. Nice typical Syrah dark purple color. An interesting nose dominated by tobacco and black pepper, with blackberry in the background. On day 2, the blackberry moved slightly forward with licorice notes joining the party. Nice medium bodied palate with similar notes as the nose, leading to a nice finish.
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Delicious blackberry and black cherry aromas and flavors with silky texture and spice and oak notes on the long finish. Only let down a bit with a touch of heat on the finish.
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Since my last bottle in March, this wine has become a bit more tame. It is showing more syrah than cab characteristics. The green pepper before is now more a green olives/pine that gives it an aged cote rotie edge. But it is all California - dark fruity, bigger boned. Not showing as much oak as before, and the alcohol was not obvious. Overall, a nice, big syrah.
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Quite interesting - there's plenty of ripe cherry and blackberry fruit here accented with touches of tar and spice but also some green pepper and herbal notes that give the aromatics a sense of freshness and complexity. Brawny and very rich in the mouth with a firm tannic spine, but there's a touch of alcohol at the back end (though I was quite surprised to see the label indicating 15.6% when this was unveiled, as this felt a bit lighter).
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A bell pepper/green note in the aromatics, along with caramel. Medium palate of blue and red fruit with same green note in the palate, too. While I don't think the KB Amber Rdige syrahs were all that great, it's worth noting that the syrahs Michael is making for Jim Mack over at Jemrose are markedly better and worth seeking out.
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Classic California Syrah. Ripe and rich with a firm skeleton to hang all that wonder fruit on. Peppery on the finish with lingering fruit for 60 secs. Really nice wine. Those Kosta Browe guys really know how to do it!
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My first bottle of the 2005. Gobs of oak, almost seemed to be american. And the wine came across almost like an unripe cab - lots of green pepper notes. Very strange and not what was expected given my good experiences with the 2004s I've had.
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Opened and poured right from cellar temperature [56.2 degrees ;)]. Very tame for a KB, most likely because of the temp. Bramble and spice with a nice finish. Enjoyed with grilled beef filets.
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Powerful nose with some viol and a whole fruit salad with a lot of everything, the alcohol is however a little to dominant, the wine cannot handle it and it becomes weak in the middle and the aftertaste is a little to much alcohol.
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Not impressive, even after 90 minutes in the decanter. Maybe this needed even more time, but I doubt it was getting a lot better. What to do with my other bottle?
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This wine needs to be decanted! Flat, little nose out of the bottle. After an hour this wine really pulls together. The wood to fruit pop's with dark cherry's, creamy vanilla, cassis, pepper, roasted coffee beans on the finish.
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Shows some green pepper aroma, forward nose with a whiff of pepper. The palate is pretty rich and I'd offer too much so at this point, along with wood barrel tannin/flavor, ala mocha. There is fruit here, a mix of black and red but in this instance, the wood is cloaking much of the wine so I would urge a hold here and see if that softens.
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For the price point, I was highly underwhelmed. Watery at first, it finally started to show a bit after about 2 hours. There are a lot of good syrahs better and cheaper than this. Glad I stopped buying with this vintage.
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Smoke, black berries bit of earth and a overall good wine, UNTIL the finish. Searing acidity at the back end makes this seem that you are drinking rubbing alcohol or gasoline. Tears up your mouth
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Dark color with brambly fruit on the nose. Raspberry and spice on the mid palate. Pepper and spice with sweet tannins on the finish. Drank well tonight with grilled ribeyes on a balmy summer evening outside.
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Better than I was expecting, especially after the notes below. Loads of white pepper and cassis. Per below no beef or bacon, true, but that is dependent on many factors and maybe just not typical of this Syrah. I find that at best you get the beefy edge without the bacon fat in most California Syrah if you get it at all. I usually get more of the licorice, beef and pepper side of Syrah from California. If it did have some of those or other extra complexities it would have scored higher, maybe a 93-94. I did not find it to a fruit bomb or sweet, though a tad high in alcohol. But, for as high as the alcohol was (a whopping 15.6%) after about 30 minutes it was not nearly as noticeable as the rest of the wines attributes kicked in. For high alc haters, ok, maybe an 85 at worst. I also detected a little green pepper akin to some notes below. Or maybe it was the mix of the licorice and white pepper aromas? This was likely from stems left in the initial ferment (just checked their website, 50% whole cluster so it is indeed mostly in part from the stems).
Color: Dark, almost black center with red edges.
Bouquet: Blackberry, white pepper, some licorice and a few whiffs of green pepper and violets, though the violets faded midway through
Palate: A tad alcoholic at first, but after 45 or so minutes the rest of the wine blossomed to bring it back into balance. After an hour it was hitting its stride nicely. Blackberry, cassis, white pepper, some secondary leather and earth. Great oak integration. Long finish of black and red fruits with some mocha sails on. Funny though as I did not get any mocha on the palate initially, maybe just a little extra oak on the finish.
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Really simple wine with sweet blackberry, vanilla, and jam like texture. No minerality or meat/pepper notes to speak of, drinks like an ok Aussie shiraz.
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15.6% alcohol. Green nose and palate on this wine. Nothing like the first bottle, which wasn't great, but this wine was indicative of something strange happening. It would be hard to believe it's underripe, given the alcohol percentage. But it was distinctly green, stemmy, and with a hint of bell pepper. Unpleasant and bitter. C
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This is just great syrah. complex, integrated, not hot, all you want. I think the KB label hurts it...blind tasting with a bunch of northern rhone would be telling.
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Solid wine with dark fruits and some earth notes. That it improved with air suggests keeping these to age a little longer. Definitely new world syrah, but an enjoyable one at that.
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Medium to dark purple hue. I poured this wine into a decanter and explored it over four hours. Aromas of blackcurrant, violets, and earth are followed by a palate showing essences of sweet plum fruit, pepper, milk chocolate, and a hint of smoke. Medium bodied, with crisp acidity, while the fruit remains delicate. Being familiar with the house style, I expected this wine to be less restrained. However, with admirable opulence and purity, it doesn't disappoint.
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Previous note 6/5/08: Green, bell pepper, tons of oak (tasted like American oak though I believe KB only uses French). Terrible. No better on day 2 or 3. Bad bottle? NR/FLAW New note: 3/7/09: Green, herbaceous, oaky, disjointed. Slightly better on day 2, though undrinkable on day 3 (recorked and left in the fridge). Glad it is my last bottle and that I passed on the '06. 79 points.
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This is a dead ringer for an Australian Shiraz. Anyone looking for a Rhone style here will walk away disappointed. This is a big, simple sugar fest. With all those caveats out of the way, if you like a cherry Tootsie roll pop you will love this. That said you could buy a BUSHEL of Tootsie roll pops for the price of a bottle...I don't think I will buy the 2006.
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Good, no not good, oh yes good, maybe not..... well. What a strange night with this. Ultimately, wins out as pretty good -- actually damn good. Dark purple, great nose...really classic syrah nose but with confectioners sugar and cola (so non classic). Deep plum taste, again almost with a bit of sugar. Traditionalists aside, it is yummy and if that is what you are looking for, you will like it. Tonight, I was in the mood.
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No formal notes. Opened over Christams with family and splash decanted left to sit in decanter for 5 hours before drinking. Deap purple red color, nice fruity nose with a touch of vanilla. This wine needed every bit of the 5 hours to start to show anything. Nice but nothing that made me want to go out and buy more.
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Splash decanted for 2 hours. A very pleasant, elegant, melange of cherry, raspberry, warm meat, caramel and herbs on the nose. Fresh, medium-light in weight, and very enjoyable on the palate with the cherry and carmalized flavors coming through with just a hint of spice. Medium length finish with no heat experienced on the nose or palate.
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I like the flavor profile, i.e. the cool climate syrah/ northern rhone characteristics of dark fruit, grilled meat, with a bit of tarry notes mixed in. Unfortunately, I get a lot of heat. Toned back one notch, and this would be excellent.
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Pop and Pour. Interesting nose, raspberry jam, smoke, anise and quite floral. Palate has ok fruit on the front end and then transitions to massive toasted oak on the tail end with some heat coming through. Finish is very disappointing!.
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Really excellent bottle. Great nose. Finish was fruity and built as it lingered. I had been disappointed by previous KBs I had tried given the hype, but this has me excited to try more.
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Syah/Shiraz Blind Tasting: This was a consensus top half pick in our blind tasting of 12 syrah/shiraz. It was a bit surprising, to be honest. A superior nose -- maybe the best nose of the night. Bursting with meat and cherry. The nose was really incredible. It was vivid and tantalizing. The palate was a bit of a step down. It was doughy, thick and rich. The meat and cherry evolved and as the wine sat in the glass, there was some chocolate as well. Did not have the same level of complexity and concentration as some of the top wines, but this is a great effort and a nice QPR, all things considered.
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Opened and tasted. Was very closed. Recorked and let sit overnight. Much more approachable on night two. Very deep purple color. On the nose there is a bit of heat, but it's not overpowering and is matched with crushed chalk, ripe raspberry, dried herbs and baked pine wood. On the palate there are really tight fruits, spice, zingy acidity and elegant tannins, but there is a bit of heat through the attack. This wine is an infant, patience is highly recommended (at least 2010 before I open another bottle). foodandwineblog.com
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Nose: big nose with jammy fruit coming right at you with some roasted meat/smoky aromas. Taste: Nice dark fruits slightly raisiny into solid finish. Surprisingly I didnt find the alcohol to really hit me despite the 15.6% on the label. Fruit is good enough to keep it in check. Not very tannic at all though. I can see this one being very good for the next 5 yrs or so.
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Decanted for an hour and brand over the next four. Ripe dark fruit nose that had some alcohol to it, but faded over time. Medium bodied with tannins lurking in the background and enough acidity to keep the plush blackberry, dark fruit and chocolate flavors fresh. I liked this wine, but would have really enjoyed it more if the alcohol wasn't as in the forefront as it is. I hope this will mellow with time and if it does, this will be even better with the structure and fruit present.
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Decanted 1+hr’s. Red fruits with vanilla, but rather one dimensional with a simple texture. This is currently closed for business. Revisit in 6-12 months. NS
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Nose of raspberry, blackberry, dust and nilla wafers. This flavor profile is carried through the palate along with a nice spice characteristic. The finish is loaded with alcohol and heat. This was was out of balance initially. After 3-4 hours in the decanter it came together very nicely. The heat died down and the fruit, spice and oak intergrated nicely. Highly recommend liberal decanting or holding until the alcohol dies down a little.
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Big fruit and viscous in the mouth. Very tasty but not especially complex. This seems better at this point than the previous vintage which was a bit disjointed.
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This was very good. It was dark and weighty with a very garrigue like nose. There was floral, herbs, spice, tar, and smoke. My only complaint was that it didn’t have the length of a great wine. I was impressed by the elegance and readiness of the juice. Delicious!
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What the hell...Superbowl weekend...didn't decant... 15.1% alcohol...extremely spicey, very expressive nose, bits of smoke, but not NRhone in profile, seemingly much more ripe with a load of black and red fruit, black cherries, quite a dollop of vanilla...interesting texture, grainy tannic structure, full tannins, full-bodied, so structured it takes some time for the fruit to come through, which is does in spades on the midpalate and finish...good. Great, not yet, hard to justify at the $. This was my last bottle. ***/*****.
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Dark maroon/black color. Intense nose of red fruit and oak. The palate is very sweet and dominated by super-ripe, soft fruit, spice, and creamy oak. Lacking in grip and structure. Long finish that thankfully doesn't show any heat. This isn't bad, but my palate is moving away from this style of wine at warp speed.
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The nose had cherry, raspberry, and tobacco on the nose. The palate was added nuances of spice and a slight candied note. It was really amazing to me that this wine was very similar to the 2005 KB RRV Pinot, but with a fuller body and a bit more intensity. I'm a big fan of these wines - just like everybody else unfortunately.
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6/4/2022 - kris.h Likes this wine: 91 Points
Drinking very well now and should hold for at least a few more years.
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3/28/2020 - redz wrote: 92 Points
Typical earthy, tar notes of nicely aged Cali Syrah. Needs food.
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7/14/2019 - ScottPreston wrote: 95 Points
still in incredible shape, color looks like a 2 year old wine. This still has all the freshness after 14 years. huge surprise.
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6/11/2019 - Senso-beak wrote: 91 Points
Opened with Spaghetti. Full bodied and very dark. Delicious dark fruits with some purple/black notes of black cherry, hoisin, prune, raisin and blackberry. Dense, voluptuous but not hot. Quite enjoyable 14 year old KB.
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2/7/2019 - sancarlosdoc Likes this wine: 93 Points
Outstanding. Pnp at restaurant with lamb shank. Good from the 1st taste but better as the meal went on. Gave some to the waiter who couldn't stop raving. Plenty of time left with this one.
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3/6/2017 - CRAUBER4242 Likes this wine: 91 Points
This wine needed a few hours in a decanter and was best on day 2. It showed very Rhone-like with notes of dark berry, plum, mushroom, earth, slate and pepper throughout the 2 nights I enjoyed it. The palate was round and plush and echoed the nose.
A gift from MB.
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12/31/2015 - Meerlust wrote: 92 Points
15.6% alcohol. Bottle 2096 of 6619. Youthful purple, color. Dark cherry and plum on the nose blended with floral notes, soy, green peppercorn, and a touch of wood. The palate took about 30 minutes to open, but when it did, it pumped out dark fruit, lavender, spice, green tobacco, and pepper. Structurally, this medium-bodied wine has balanced acidity and fully integrated tannins. The finish maintains the fruit intensity and supports a complex herbal note. Overall, I was very impressed by the balance and complexity of this wine, and if one wants a complex example of this varietal, I would not hesitate to put this on the table.
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12/4/2015 - Senso-beak wrote: 93 Points
wow, opened.... still smells like young juice right out of the tasting room. big fruit, slight secondaries like cola, vanilla, toast, raisin, blackberry. Big, but rounding into form. Dense, deep, murky.
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9/29/2015 - Mrbuzz Likes this wine: 93 Points
Cellared since release..15.6alc...Still fantastic! Dark liqueured berry fruit…silky smooth and creamy, sweet glycerin yet totally savory. Dusty dry graphite powder, sawdust tannins….probably just a tad bit drying out, but still enough sweet fruit around……dark chocolate, licorice, kirsch liqueur, white pepper spice, grilled meat rubbed with an herbed spice and coffee grounds! Tasty Syrah here!
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10/5/2014 - Grape Stuff Likes this wine: 91 Points
Pop and pour and consumed over 2 hours. No formal notes. This is in a great place right now. Brambly blackberry and black fruit dominated on the attack, with a red fruit and spice mid-palate followed by a creamy red and blue fruit finish. Well layered, with excellent balance. Delicious.
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5/25/2014 - Screameagle Likes this wine: 90 Points
This wine has really improved from the last bottle I tried some time ago. So happy to have a bottle left but sorry to have consumed the others before they reached their prime.
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12/13/2013 - Senso-beak wrote: 92 Points
Opened whilst enjoying pizza and holiday decorating. Massive, deep and dark, dense, chewy, full throttle syrah pours very dark ruby. Full bodied, this contains a colossal, big extracted fruit core that possesses potency and brute force ABV. Rounding out but still in command, the fruit spreads across the palate through the bristling finish. Chunky blacks, cocoa, garrigue, iron and blood. Blind this against a similar vintage Turley zin and you'd have a challenging time discerning the differences and nuances. 5 left. Day two under vac-u-vin much the same, a big monster. Perhaps turned a little flabby, but still enjoyable.
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5/27/2013 - pelwart Likes this wine: 91 Points
I agree with Keithakers that this is an over ripe and over blown tones of black fruits, candy, black cherries and liqueur tones.
taste: Full bodied with no real tannins that are noticeable. The tones of black fruits, candy, liqueur tones, and asphalt are overdone and chunky.
The only think is I paired it with a very flavorful bbq, that needed a BIG wine and this matched the flavors in the bbq and complimented it very well. This is not a wine to drink on its own, but needs a very smokey bbq to go with it.
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1/5/2013 - KeithAkers wrote: 79 Points
Bring a big cali syrah (My place, Chicago IL): nose: Over ripe and over blown tones of black fruits, candy, black cherries and liqueur tones. This is definitely over done and not too attractive.
taste: Full bodied with no real tannins that are noticeable. The tones of black fruits, candy, liqueur tones, and asphalt are overdone and chunky.
overall: This wasn't that enjoyable of a wine for me. It was very much in the overdone and clunky category. It didn't change much the next day either.
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1/5/2013 - tooch wrote: 76 Points
An Evening of Californian Syrah (Keith's House): A clunky wine that was incredibly rich, spicy and dense. Lots of berries, mocha, grilled meats and some heat. Meh.
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12/26/2012 - BenGraham wrote: 90 Points
Ok after it was able to sit for an hour.
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5/26/2012 - CLo wrote: 89 Points
Much better on day two.
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5/8/2012 - galewskj wrote: 90 Points
I liked this more than I thought I would, and more than their pinots. I felt this was balanced and had a lot of fruit and oak. The finish was medium-plus. Just as good on days 2 and 3. It seemed to be a little hot.
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4/13/2012 - Jason wrote: 89 Points
Pretty basic new world Syrah. Lots of fruit. Matched with toasty oak. Enjoyable but simple wine but I don't see it improving. It's not near dying but I don't see a reason to cellar further.
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4/8/2012 - Sweet Nancy wrote:
Enjoyed with Easter dinner. Spicy dark fruit, resolved tannins with a bit of sweet fruit on the finish. Went well with grilled lamb that had been marinated in red wine, garlic and fresh herbs shish kebab style. This bottle was not in my inventory. Last one as far as I know.
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3/23/2012 - elise wrote: 88 Points
Good nose yet the palate was disjointed and out of balance. The fruit, tannins, and alcohol seemed to be arm wrestling each other. Decanting for 90 minutes showed minor improvement. The last bottle showed well so I'm wondering if there is some bottle variation.
Still fruit forward yet the finish was somewhat alcoholic and overly astringent. Tasted with 9 other wines of various varietals and regions (CA, Rhone, Tuscany, Bordeaux) and it just didn't hold up well.
Overall a reasonable wine yet I will consider drinking another relatively soon.
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1/21/2012 - JFish wrote:
My last bottle. Popped and poured. The oak was still evident on the nose. It never dissipated. Except for the heat on the back end it is very smooth on the palate. In the beginning there was some olive tapenade that added some interest. But over time the blackberry fruit overwhelmed it and it became monolithic. But not heavy. Just one note and not very interesting.
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12/18/2011 - markjahnke wrote:
Consumed blind with Raph and Dave, and time has done this wine wonders. Nicely balanced and integrated with some nice fruit, pepper, and spice. Drinking very nicely.
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12/14/2011 - rjonwine@gmail.com wrote: 87 Points
Very dark red violet color; nice ripe plum, black fruit, tar, oak nose; oak, oak, tart black fruit pencil lead, stems, smoked bell pepper palate; medium-plus finish
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12/12/2011 - jbposell wrote: 86 Points
Good riddance, last bottle, totally unimpressed. I am a huge fan of the KB pinots, but mark me down as one of those happy they stopped the Syrah program...
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12/8/2011 - sumshark wrote: 88 Points
OK, not really a typical Syrah profile, good table wine, but not worth the cost of the wine.
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11/5/2011 - Sweet Nancy wrote:
This was brought to a casual tasting so I took no formal notes and did not get to track it after opening. Drank well and was balanced.
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9/20/2011 - budman wrote: 92 Points
Saved the best bottle for last. Some age has done wonders for this wine.
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4/9/2011 - Deryl wrote: 89 Points
Very competent, nothing to knock your socks off
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3/10/2011 - Sweet Nancy wrote:
Consistent with our last visit. Dark color, nice berry nose, sweet fruit and pepper on the palate. Long finish with balanced fruit and acidity. Belies the label ABV.
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1/27/2011 - budman wrote: 91 Points
WAY better than the last bottle, which, in hindsight, might have been slightly flawed. Not this one. Everything was in balance, with good dark fruit, tame tannins, and a 30 second finish.
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12/12/2010 - cookie7 wrote:
Note on day 2. Green pepper on the nose. Seems to be lacking rich fruit - shows green. Confirms my belief that KB's pinots are far superior to their syrahs.
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11/15/2010 - jnanz wrote: 90 Points
This actually has come together nicely. Decanted for 30 minutes. Nose was still full of blackberry and cherry fruit. Some spice and earth was also noted. But to my surprise (and pleasure) notes of wildflowers began to emerge! On the palate, rich berry fruit was balanced by spice, anise, lavendar, violet and creamy oak. Really was an excellent bottle and drinking very well after a slow evolution. I guess my only complaint is the amount of oak. I think large doses of oak tend to mask some of the flavors and perfume of syrah. I think this falls into the heavily oaked category.
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10/28/2010 - pjhr wrote: 92 Points
Even tastier than the last bottle.
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10/10/2010 - CADomer wrote:
I was disappointed by this wine, unfortunately. The 2004 was deep and layered, but this wine was over-ripe and over-oaked, in my opinion. There was a lot there, but not really what I was looking for.
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10/4/2010 - CRAUBER4242 wrote: 90 Points
Needed 1+ hours of air to show. Nice typical Syrah dark purple color. An interesting nose dominated by tobacco and black pepper, with blackberry in the background. On day 2, the blackberry moved slightly forward with licorice notes joining the party. Nice medium bodied palate with similar notes as the nose, leading to a nice finish.
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9/21/2010 - pjhr wrote: 92 Points
Delicious blackberry and black cherry aromas and flavors with silky texture and spice and oak notes on the long finish. Only let down a bit with a touch of heat on the finish.
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9/17/2010 - JFish wrote:
Since my last bottle in March, this wine has become a bit more tame. It is showing more syrah than cab characteristics. The green pepper before is now more a green olives/pine that gives it an aged cote rotie edge. But it is all California - dark fruity, bigger boned. Not showing as much oak as before, and the alcohol was not obvious. Overall, a nice, big syrah.
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9/16/2010 - salil wrote: 85 Points
Quite interesting - there's plenty of ripe cherry and blackberry fruit here accented with touches of tar and spice but also some green pepper and herbal notes that give the aromatics a sense of freshness and complexity. Brawny and very rich in the mouth with a firm tannic spine, but there's a touch of alcohol at the back end (though I was quite surprised to see the label indicating 15.6% when this was unveiled, as this felt a bit lighter).
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8/22/2010 - Frank Murray III wrote:
A bell pepper/green note in the aromatics, along with caramel. Medium palate of blue and red fruit with same green note in the palate, too. While I don't think the KB Amber Rdige syrahs were all that great, it's worth noting that the syrahs Michael is making for Jim Mack over at Jemrose are markedly better and worth seeking out.
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7/17/2010 - ruddy wrote:
Big, fruit-driven. Tasty, but not a lot of finesse.
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6/26/2010 - Rieslingfan wrote: 76 Points
Thick, alcoholic, vulgar and entirely appropriate for a Friday pizza after a lousy week at work.
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6/7/2010 - bonedocnine wrote: 93 Points
Classic California Syrah. Ripe and rich with a firm skeleton to hang all that wonder fruit on. Peppery on the finish with lingering fruit for 60 secs. Really nice wine. Those Kosta Browe guys really know how to do it!
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4/21/2010 - windypinot wrote: 88 Points
Intense syrah; perhaps too young to open now, but still not showing much fruit
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4/18/2010 - pdemaio wrote: 93 Points
Love this. Wasn't expecting so much. quite a pretty wine with nice structure and integration.
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3/21/2010 - jrodman wrote:
a little green.
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3/19/2010 - JFish wrote:
My first bottle of the 2005. Gobs of oak, almost seemed to be american. And the wine came across almost like an unripe cab - lots of green pepper notes. Very strange and not what was expected given my good experiences with the 2004s I've had.
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2/17/2010 - Tpety wrote: 92 Points
Man, this was the best KB wine that I have ever had! I should have bought more syrah and less Pinot. Layers and layers of wonderful flavors.
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2/14/2010 - Sweet Nancy wrote:
Opened and poured right from cellar temperature [56.2 degrees ;)]. Very tame for a KB, most likely because of the temp. Bramble and spice with a nice finish. Enjoyed with grilled beef filets.
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2/8/2010 - jazzb wrote:
rostade fat, mörka bär, örter, stall, charkuterier, mjuk, balanserad, smörkola
7.5p
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2/2/2010 - Highmountain wrote: 84 Points
Powerful nose with some viol and a whole fruit salad with a lot of everything, the alcohol is however a little to dominant, the wine cannot handle it and it becomes weak in the middle and the aftertaste is a little to much alcohol.
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12/4/2009 - jbposell wrote:
Not impressive, even after 90 minutes in the decanter. Maybe this needed even more time, but I doubt it was getting a lot better. What to do with my other bottle?
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11/26/2009 - CMCLR wrote: 85 Points
Too much heat
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11/22/2009 - jc510 wrote: 93 Points
This wine needs to be decanted! Flat, little nose out of the bottle. After an hour this wine really pulls together. The wood to fruit pop's with dark cherry's, creamy vanilla, cassis, pepper, roasted coffee beans on the finish.
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10/31/2009 - Sweet Nancy wrote:
Drinking well. Shared with friends at a party. Typical KB style Syrah.
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10/17/2009 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Shows some green pepper aroma, forward nose with a whiff of pepper. The palate is pretty rich and I'd offer too much so at this point, along with wood barrel tannin/flavor, ala mocha. There is fruit here, a mix of black and red but in this instance, the wood is cloaking much of the wine so I would urge a hold here and see if that softens.
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9/28/2009 - budman wrote: 87 Points
For the price point, I was highly underwhelmed. Watery at first, it finally started to show a bit after about 2 hours.
There are a lot of good syrahs better and cheaper than this. Glad I stopped buying with this vintage.
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9/23/2009 - oski wrote: 83 Points
Smoke, black berries bit of earth and a overall good wine, UNTIL the finish. Searing acidity at the back end makes this seem that you are drinking rubbing alcohol or gasoline. Tears up your mouth
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8/17/2009 - EMichels wrote: 92 Points
Big big nose; Nice build
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8/4/2009 - Cheryl wrote:
First Tuesday of the Month - Bring What You Want (Lenny's Home, NYC): Big syrupy sweet, More body than the Arnot-Roberts, not great. Ok
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7/30/2009 - GA wrote: 91 Points
7/09 Young and hot - good fruit and balnce. 91 pts.
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7/29/2009 - Cheryl wrote:
Syrahs and Duck (PDH, New York City): More alcohol, lighter body, but more alcohol than other KBs.
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7/29/2009 - JOsgood wrote: 80 Points
Light in color. Lacking in fruit and tons of heat. Thin on the palate.
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7/8/2009 - Sweet Nancy wrote:
Dark color with brambly fruit on the nose. Raspberry and spice on the mid palate. Pepper and spice with sweet tannins on the finish. Drank well tonight with grilled ribeyes on a balmy summer evening outside.
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6/14/2009 - tkoby11 wrote: 92 Points
Better than I was expecting, especially after the notes below. Loads of white pepper and cassis. Per below no beef or bacon, true, but that is dependent on many factors and maybe just not typical of this Syrah. I find that at best you get the beefy edge without the bacon fat in most California Syrah if you get it at all. I usually get more of the licorice, beef and pepper side of Syrah from California. If it did have some of those or other extra complexities it would have scored higher, maybe a 93-94. I did not find it to a fruit bomb or sweet, though a tad high in alcohol. But, for as high as the alcohol was (a whopping 15.6%) after about 30 minutes it was not nearly as noticeable as the rest of the wines attributes kicked in. For high alc haters, ok, maybe an 85 at worst. I also detected a little green pepper akin to some notes below. Or maybe it was the mix of the licorice and white pepper aromas? This was likely from stems left in the initial ferment (just checked their website, 50% whole cluster so it is indeed mostly in part from the stems).
Color: Dark, almost black center with red edges.
Bouquet: Blackberry, white pepper, some licorice and a few whiffs of green pepper and violets, though the violets faded midway through
Palate: A tad alcoholic at first, but after 45 or so minutes the rest of the wine blossomed to bring it back into balance. After an hour it was hitting its stride nicely. Blackberry, cassis, white pepper, some secondary leather and earth. Great oak integration. Long finish of black and red fruits with some mocha sails on. Funny though as I did not get any mocha on the palate initially, maybe just a little extra oak on the finish.
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6/13/2009 - mattiasjansson wrote:
Not Your Daddy's Margaux (Kate Portanova's House): Did not care for this at all. Would have rated very low - withholding judgment.
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6/8/2009 - rmodak wrote: 84 Points
Really simple wine with sweet blackberry, vanilla, and jam like texture. No minerality or meat/pepper notes to speak of, drinks like an ok Aussie shiraz.
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5/24/2009 - gutt22 wrote:
15.6% alcohol. Green nose and palate on this wine. Nothing like the first bottle, which wasn't great, but this wine was indicative of something strange happening. It would be hard to believe it's underripe, given the alcohol percentage. But it was distinctly green, stemmy, and with a hint of bell pepper. Unpleasant and bitter. C
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5/12/2009 - DesMarteau wrote: 95 Points
This is just great syrah. complex, integrated, not hot, all you want. I think the KB label hurts it...blind tasting with a bunch of northern rhone would be telling.
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5/8/2009 - glg wrote: 90 Points
Solid wine with dark fruits and some earth notes. That it improved with air suggests keeping these to age a little longer. Definitely new world syrah, but an enjoyable one at that.
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5/7/2009 - Sweet Nancy wrote:
Good with grilled beef filet. Better when on the cool side of cellar temperature.
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4/17/2009 - ChrisWilen wrote: 88 Points
No formal notes. Didn't have a chance to decant and I think it could have used it. A bit wound up.
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3/17/2009 - mmasterson wrote: 90 Points
Fruit forward cali syrah, with some meaty notes adding a hint of typicity.
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3/14/2009 - scott davis wrote: 89 Points
Medium to dark purple hue. I poured this wine into a decanter and explored it over four hours. Aromas of blackcurrant, violets, and earth are followed by a palate showing essences of sweet plum fruit, pepper, milk chocolate, and a hint of smoke. Medium bodied, with crisp acidity, while the fruit remains delicate. Being familiar with the house style, I expected this wine to be less restrained. However, with admirable opulence and purity, it doesn't disappoint.
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3/9/2009 - cMan76 wrote: 79 Points
Previous note 6/5/08: Green, bell pepper, tons of oak (tasted like American oak though I believe KB only uses French). Terrible. No better on day 2 or 3. Bad bottle? NR/FLAW
New note: 3/7/09: Green, herbaceous, oaky, disjointed. Slightly better on day 2, though undrinkable on day 3 (recorked and left in the fridge). Glad it is my last bottle and that I passed on the '06. 79 points.
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2/28/2009 - ljones wrote: 82 Points
Drunk over two nights, and it was worse the second night. This wine is hot, sweet, over the top. Not recommended. Unfortunately I have two more...
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2/9/2009 - wineislife wrote: 89 Points
This is a dead ringer for an Australian Shiraz. Anyone looking for a Rhone style here will walk away disappointed. This is a big, simple sugar fest. With all those caveats out of the way, if you like a cherry Tootsie roll pop you will love this. That said you could buy a BUSHEL of Tootsie roll pops for the price of a bottle...I don't think I will buy the 2006.
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2/4/2009 - cadamson wrote: 90 Points
Good, no not good, oh yes good, maybe not..... well. What a strange night with this. Ultimately, wins out as pretty good -- actually damn good. Dark purple, great nose...really classic syrah nose but with confectioners sugar and cola (so non classic). Deep plum taste, again almost with a bit of sugar. Traditionalists aside, it is yummy and if that is what you are looking for, you will like it. Tonight, I was in the mood.
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1/2/2009 - jimmythesaint wrote:
Green and spicy.
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12/26/2008 - jnanz wrote: 90 Points
See previous note. Coming together nicely.
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12/26/2008 - Seanr7 wrote: 89 Points
No formal notes. Opened over Christams with family and splash decanted left to sit in decanter for 5 hours before drinking. Deap purple red color, nice fruity nose with a touch of vanilla. This wine needed every bit of the 5 hours to start to show anything. Nice but nothing that made me want to go out and buy more.
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12/1/2008 - KSC02 wrote: 92 Points
Splash decanted for 2 hours. A very pleasant, elegant, melange of cherry, raspberry, warm meat, caramel and herbs on the nose. Fresh, medium-light in weight, and very enjoyable on the palate with the cherry and carmalized flavors coming through with just a hint of spice. Medium length finish with no heat experienced on the nose or palate.
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11/10/2008 - jerhardt wrote: 89 Points
I like the flavor profile, i.e. the cool climate syrah/ northern rhone characteristics of dark fruit, grilled meat, with a bit of tarry notes mixed in. Unfortunately, I get a lot of heat. Toned back one notch, and this would be excellent.
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11/4/2008 - pakabear wrote: 88 Points
Pop and Pour. Interesting nose, raspberry jam, smoke, anise and quite floral. Palate has ok fruit on the front end and then transitions to massive toasted oak on the tail end with some heat coming through. Finish is very disappointing!.
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10/17/2008 - Sweet Nancy wrote:
Big and fruity. Dark fruit. Opened up nicely. Just had a small taste when taken to an event.
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10/10/2008 - ews3 wrote: 94 Points
Really excellent bottle. Great nose. Finish was fruity and built as it lingered. I had been disappointed by previous KBs I had tried given the hype, but this has me excited to try more.
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10/10/2008 - jrobs7777 wrote: 91 Points
Syah/Shiraz Blind Tasting: This was a consensus top half pick in our blind tasting of 12 syrah/shiraz. It was a bit surprising, to be honest. A superior nose -- maybe the best nose of the night. Bursting with meat and cherry. The nose was really incredible. It was vivid and tantalizing. The palate was a bit of a step down. It was doughy, thick and rich. The meat and cherry evolved and as the wine sat in the glass, there was some chocolate as well. Did not have the same level of complexity and concentration as some of the top wines, but this is a great effort and a nice QPR, all things considered.
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8/8/2008 - jimmythesaint wrote: 90 Points
Did not decant and drank over an hour. Not a bad Syrah but smothered by the 04 Copain we drank.
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6/27/2008 - Cheryl wrote:
I Had a Blast in Atlanta! Kistler, Kutch, KB, Arcadian, SQN, Trimbach, Littorai & More (Dynamic Dish, Atlanta, Georgia): This was nice. Lots of alcohol on the nose that blew off eventually. This was decanted for approx an hour. I hope to let my others age a bit.
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5/29/2008 - cookie7 wrote:
Lots of black pepper and spices. Seems like a nice N. Rhone
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5/26/2008 - foodandwineblog wrote: 90 Points
Opened and tasted. Was very closed. Recorked and let sit overnight. Much more approachable on night two. Very deep purple color. On the nose there is a bit of heat, but it's not overpowering and is matched with crushed chalk, ripe raspberry, dried herbs and baked pine wood. On the palate there are really tight fruits, spice, zingy acidity and elegant tannins, but there is a bit of heat through the attack. This wine is an infant, patience is highly recommended (at least 2010 before I open another bottle). foodandwineblog.com
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5/25/2008 - rguynn wrote: 91 Points
Nose: big nose with jammy fruit coming right at you with some roasted meat/smoky aromas. Taste: Nice dark fruits slightly raisiny into solid finish. Surprisingly I didnt find the alcohol to really hit me despite the 15.6% on the label. Fruit is good enough to keep it in check. Not very tannic at all though. I can see this one being very good for the next 5 yrs or so.
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5/18/2008 - tim_c wrote: 90 Points
Decanted for an hour and brand over the next four. Ripe dark fruit nose that had some alcohol to it, but faded over time. Medium bodied with tannins lurking in the background and enough acidity to keep the plush blackberry, dark fruit and chocolate flavors fresh. I liked this wine, but would have really enjoyed it more if the alcohol wasn't as in the forefront as it is. I hope this will mellow with time and if it does, this will be even better with the structure and fruit present.
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4/12/2008 - GreenDrazi wrote:
Decanted 1+hr’s. Red fruits with vanilla, but rather one dimensional with a simple texture. This is currently closed for business. Revisit in 6-12 months. NS
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4/3/2008 - jnanz wrote: 89 Points
Nose of raspberry, blackberry, dust and nilla wafers. This flavor profile is carried through the palate along with a nice spice characteristic. The finish is loaded with alcohol and heat. This was was out of balance initially. After 3-4 hours in the decanter it came together very nicely. The heat died down and the fruit, spice and oak intergrated nicely. Highly recommend liberal decanting or holding until the alcohol dies down a little.
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3/29/2008 - mreinitz wrote: 90 Points
Big fruit and viscous in the mouth. Very tasty but not especially complex. This seems better at this point than the previous vintage which was a bit disjointed.
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3/15/2008 - mebydef wrote: 93 Points
This was very good. It was dark and weighty with a very garrigue like nose. There was floral, herbs, spice, tar, and smoke. My only complaint was that it didn’t have the length of a great wine. I was impressed by the elegance and readiness of the juice. Delicious!
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2/2/2008 - CO CHRIS wrote:
What the hell...Superbowl weekend...didn't decant...
15.1% alcohol...extremely spicey, very expressive nose, bits of smoke, but not NRhone in profile, seemingly much more ripe with a load of black and red fruit, black cherries, quite a dollop of vanilla...interesting texture, grainy tannic structure, full tannins, full-bodied, so structured it takes some time for the fruit to come through, which is does in spades on the midpalate and finish...good. Great, not yet, hard to justify at the $. This was my last bottle. ***/*****.
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1/29/2008 - Siggy wrote: 85 Points
Dark maroon/black color. Intense nose of red fruit and oak. The palate is very sweet and dominated by super-ripe, soft fruit, spice, and creamy oak. Lacking in grip and structure. Long finish that thankfully doesn't show any heat. This isn't bad, but my palate is moving away from this style of wine at warp speed.
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7/8/2007 - last chance wrote: 93 Points
The nose had cherry, raspberry, and tobacco on the nose. The palate was added nuances of spice and a slight candied note. It was really amazing to me that this wine was very similar to the 2005 KB RRV Pinot, but with a fuller body and a bit more intensity. I'm a big fan of these wines - just like everybody else unfortunately.
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4/14/2007 - ruddy wrote: 90 Points
It's My Birthday and I'll Drink Lots of Wine if I Want To (Nick and Stef's): No good notes, but I remember this wine being nicely balanced, plums and black fruits with pepper and smoke. Not over the top at all. Should age well for a couple of years.
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2/17/2007 - tanglenet wrote:
Vinocellar 4th Annual Celebration; 2/16/2007-2/18/2007 (Sonoma County): Tasted at the Freeman winery as part of the Vinocellar 4th Annual Celebration. Quick notes: sweet spicy fruit with a dry finish. OK.
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6/8/2006 - OneLastSyrah wrote:
Napa-Noma, June 2006: Barrel Sample - Peppery with pinon wood aromas. Tannic. Green. Not good.
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6/8/2006 - OneLastSyrah wrote:
Napa-Noma, June 2006: Barrel Sample of destemmed fruit - Meaty and smoky. Dense fruit. Needs time.
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