Quarterly Blind Tasting - Bring Anything (My Place): Second wine of blind, "bring anything" tasting. I guessed $45 2009 Bordeaux blend from Washington. Giant, black, thick, motor oil of a wine had most thinking a petite sirah. Raisin notes in the background also pushed some in this direction. Needs 3-5 years to become more balanced....acidity lacking a bit. That being said, all the pieces are there for this to be very good and warrant a higher score in the future in my opinion. Hold.
My 90 points, group 90. #4 of 7 wines on the night
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Gorgeous wine! Popped-n-poured, probably would have benefited from decanting... but still outstanding. Big lovely nose, with loads of black berry, cherry, cassis, peppery spice and a hint of cinnamon. Nice structure, great balance, with well integrated velvery tannins and mid-length finish. It's been quite some time since I've tasted this good of a Syrah... 93+
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Love this wine. Big peppery nose and finish. Is much more balanced and elegant than one might think for a 15.5% alcohol level but it finishes balanced and smooth with a lot of spice and cassis. Wonderful.
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Dark deep purple in color. One of the best California syrahs we've had. Very pure and clean with no hint of being tired or over the hill. Lots of dark fruit on the palate with some minerality. Not a hint of alcohol, just wonderful wine from first sip to the last.
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15.5% ABV. PNP. Opaque dark garnet in the glass. Meaty, somewhat rustic nose. Medium-full bodied with black fruit that reminds me of Petite Sirah but more tangy. Somewhat chewy. Probably an early drinker? 90ish.
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Drank at Ed's welcome home party. Nice full nose with black fruit, leather and above all, some serious fatty, gamey, meaty notes. On the palate, great balance of fruit and that earthy meatiness, and, oh yeah, the alcohol let's you know it's there. Very enjoyable...sign me up
15.5% ABV. Dark garnet, nearly opaque in the glass. Slightly roasted plum fruit on the nose with secondary cherry and meat notes. Medium full bodied with red fruits and meat and leather notes. Pretty good.
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15.5% ABV. Dark garnet, mostly opaque in the glass. Somewhat reticent initially with ripe roasted plum fruit. Slight cherry and meaty Rhone notes. Medium full bodied with bright, slightly high toned red fruit and a secondary suggestion of meat. This is good. I enjoyed it quite a bit more than when tasted in June of '09.
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Gorgeous. Took about an hour and a half for this bottle to really shine. A generous poor of this Syrah, and as I tilt my glass, the pitch black color toward the center reflected some red and purple rays near the edges. Some heavy swirling and the nose wasn't coy about sharing bright red fruits - raspberry, cherry, hints of cinnamon, and a faint heat. You can smell this beautiful cuvee from several feet away. On the palette, the wine is nearly seamless--rich, lush, full, round. Copious red and black fruits balanced by (SLIGHTLY more than necessary) oak, and a good dollop of black pepper. The finish lingers with sweet, and almost perfectly resolved tannins. What a remarkable wine. Unfortunately, impossible to find in NYC (or anywhere, with only 300 cases produced). I was lucky enough to get this complimentary bottle at a tasting about a year ago. Claims to be a "cool climate" Syrah on the bottle description. Tastes a little extracted for such as assertion, and doesn’t contain the purity of fruit I've come to expect from such syrahs. Chalk the discrepancy up to poor marketing. This wine is beautiful for what it is.
Hold for 6-12 months as the oak mellows, then enjoy for another 2-3 years. 94 -JRS
((PS, paired beautifully with lunch: rosemary dusted grilled loin of lamb chops, grilled kobe wagyu Sirloin, grilled new potatoes/red onions/zucchini, and roasted/marinated red peppers.))
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Lots of meat, steak, beef blood, spice and black currant on the nose... explosive out of the gate. Palate is fairly well balanced, pepper, spice, earthy, with some dark and some sour red fruits finish out. Well balanced and a steel for the price.
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Big yet balanced and smooth. The nose didn't reveal much fruit, a bit of alcohol (15.5%). On the palette; dark berry fruits, a bit of spice, subtle integrated tannins, and a nice long finish. Good stuff.
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Wonderful juice! Deep, dark purple with lovely medium to big body. Oak, pepper, a hint of spice and great fruit-forward attributes. This wine held up terrifically with some BBQ'd beef ribs slathered with sauce.
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6/10/2017 - smcilhen Likes this wine: 90 Points
Quarterly Blind Tasting - Bring Anything (My Place): Second wine of blind, "bring anything" tasting. I guessed $45 2009 Bordeaux blend from Washington. Giant, black, thick, motor oil of a wine had most thinking a petite sirah. Raisin notes in the background also pushed some in this direction. Needs 3-5 years to become more balanced....acidity lacking a bit. That being said, all the pieces are there for this to be very good and warrant a higher score in the future in my opinion. Hold.
My 90 points, group 90. #4 of 7 wines on the night
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4/22/2016 - folsomarndt wrote: 93 Points
Wow...what a lovely wine!!
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5/7/2015 - folsomarndt wrote: 93 Points
Gorgeous wine! Popped-n-poured, probably would have benefited from decanting... but still outstanding. Big lovely nose, with loads of black berry, cherry, cassis, peppery spice and a hint of cinnamon. Nice structure, great balance, with well integrated velvery tannins and mid-length finish. It's been quite some time since I've tasted this good of a Syrah... 93+
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10/30/2014 - WineDoctors wrote: 94 Points
delicious
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4/13/2014 - GlenviewGSW Likes this wine: 94 Points
Love this wine. Big peppery nose and finish. Is much more balanced and elegant than one might think for a 15.5% alcohol level but it finishes balanced and smooth with a lot of spice and cassis. Wonderful.
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1/12/2014 - fmoehl@yahoo.com wrote: 92 Points
Dark luscious, yet well balanced Syrah, needed to open up a bit through and aerator. long finish, good body
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1/1/2014 - Double D's Cellar wrote: 91 Points
Dark black Cherry, Leather, High Alcohol so slightly a dicic. Glad i have more to let sit and enjoy. Very very nice
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1/11/2013 - lvjohn Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dark deep purple in color. One of the best California syrahs we've had. Very pure and clean with no hint of being tired or over the hill. Lots of dark fruit on the palate with some minerality. Not a hint of alcohol, just wonderful wine from first sip to the last.
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1/4/2011 - OneLastSyrah wrote: 90 Points
15.5% ABV. PNP. Opaque dark garnet in the glass. Meaty, somewhat rustic nose. Medium-full bodied with black fruit that reminds me of Petite Sirah but more tangy. Somewhat chewy. Probably an early drinker? 90ish.
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11/20/2010 - nittanyjack wrote: 93 Points
Drank at Ed's welcome home party. Nice full nose with black fruit, leather and above all, some serious fatty, gamey, meaty notes. On the palate, great balance of fruit and that earthy meatiness, and, oh yeah, the alcohol let's you know it's there. Very enjoyable...sign me up
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11/9/2010 - GlenviewGSW wrote: 95 Points
this is an outstanding syrah. Smooth but at the the same time rich and powerful. One of the best Syrah's I have had in a long time.
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9/4/2010 - OneLastSyrah Likes this wine:
15.5% ABV. Dark garnet, nearly opaque in the glass. Slightly roasted plum fruit on the nose with secondary cherry and meat notes. Medium full bodied with red fruits and meat and leather notes. Pretty good.
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7/25/2010 - caboychuck wrote:
Dark fruit, spice, lively acidity. A really enjoyable bottle of wine. Some left to taste tomorrow.
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5/15/2010 - OneLastSyrah Likes this wine: 92 Points
15.5% ABV. Dark garnet, mostly opaque in the glass. Somewhat reticent initially with ripe roasted plum fruit. Slight cherry and meaty Rhone notes. Medium full bodied with bright, slightly high toned red fruit and a secondary suggestion of meat. This is good. I enjoyed it quite a bit more than when tasted in June of '09.
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8/19/2009 - CdP in NYC wrote: 94 Points
Gorgeous. Took about an hour and a half for this bottle to really shine.
A generous poor of this Syrah, and as I tilt my glass, the pitch black color toward the center reflected some red and purple rays near the edges. Some heavy swirling and the nose wasn't coy about sharing bright red fruits - raspberry, cherry, hints of cinnamon, and a faint heat. You can smell this beautiful cuvee from several feet away. On the palette, the wine is nearly seamless--rich, lush, full, round. Copious red and black fruits balanced by (SLIGHTLY more than necessary) oak, and a good dollop of black pepper. The finish lingers with sweet, and almost perfectly resolved tannins.
What a remarkable wine. Unfortunately, impossible to find in NYC (or anywhere, with only 300 cases produced). I was lucky enough to get this complimentary bottle at a tasting about a year ago.
Claims to be a "cool climate" Syrah on the bottle description. Tastes a little extracted for such as assertion, and doesn’t contain the purity of fruit I've come to expect from such syrahs. Chalk the discrepancy up to poor marketing. This wine is beautiful for what it is.
Hold for 6-12 months as the oak mellows, then enjoy for another 2-3 years. 94 -JRS
((PS, paired beautifully with lunch: rosemary dusted grilled loin of lamb chops, grilled kobe wagyu Sirloin, grilled new potatoes/red onions/zucchini, and roasted/marinated red peppers.))
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6/27/2009 - OneLastSyrah wrote:
Sonoma-Napa Trip Day 2 and 3; 6/27/2009-6/28/2009 (Sonoma): 15.5% ABV. Inky - all but opaque. Touch stinky nose. Meaty rich minerals. Concentrated. Somewhat tannic and chunky. Little coffee. Tooth staining. Pretty good.
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5/30/2009 - winestem wrote: 90 Points
Super rich with a stunning finish, this really is an unctuous, vanilla-laced, fully loaded syrah.
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2/3/2009 - pakabear wrote: 93 Points
Lots of meat, steak, beef blood, spice and black currant on the nose... explosive out of the gate. Palate is fairly well balanced, pepper, spice, earthy, with some dark and some sour red fruits finish out. Well balanced and a steel for the price.
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11/12/2008 - shakedown wrote: 91 Points
Big yet balanced and smooth. The nose didn't reveal much fruit, a bit of alcohol (15.5%). On the palette; dark berry fruits, a bit of spice, subtle integrated tannins, and a nice long finish. Good stuff.
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10/12/2008 - winestem wrote: 91 Points
Wonderful juice! Deep, dark purple with lovely medium to big body. Oak, pepper, a hint of spice and great fruit-forward attributes. This wine held up terrifically with some BBQ'd beef ribs slathered with sauce.
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7/27/2008 - rjonwine@gmail.com wrote: 91 Points
Winemakers Open House at Vinify Wine Services (Vinify Wine Services in Santa Rosa, CA): Nice lavender, black fruit and berry nose; tasty, black fruit and pepper palate with depth; medium-plus finish 91+ pts.
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