2nd of 2 bottles, last one was consumed 5+ yrs ago. This wine was mildly tainted with TCA, but the underlying wine was pretty enough that we still drained the bottle. The wine was beautifully mature, showing softened red and black fruits with pepper, iron, blood, and spice. Finely grained tannins, with beautifully buffered acidity and a med+ and delicious finish. Drink now.
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Bought half a case of this in 2008. To be sure, the bottles with the most cellar age were better, but this wine never lost its notes of astringency and is now slightly past peak, in my opinion. Still, not a bad buy at $18. JL Chave is most famous for his Hermitage, but his St. Joseph, Cotes du Rhone and other Rhone varieties are worth seeking out.
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A really good wine. I opened and drank over 3 hours. Took about 30 mins to open. After 3 hours, started to fade. Really great fruit and nice spice with a long finish...
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Beautiful wine. Takes some time to open-up. Initially nose and flavours of leather and dirt. After 15 minutes, the "awkwardness" dissipated and the wine showed its true potential. Darker fruit flavours (plum). Long finish.
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PnP and consumed half the bottle the first night. Remaining bottle over the next 2 nights. Nice clear appearance, med ruby/purple color, fading to a light ruby/purple rim. Nose was in good condition, showing developing aromas that are med intensity, including red fruits like raspberry and red cherry, as well as sweet tobacco and a funky moist soil note that adds complexity and interest. The palate shows off a dry wine with med body and med alcohol (listed 13% abv), with flavors that are med intensity, including red cherry, a bit of strawberry, then tobacco, espresso beans, and a mild black pepper spice. There is ample med/med(+) acidity to give vivid freshness to this wine, supporting the med length finish of red fruits and mild spice. A very good quality wine that will improve another 2 years in bottle, and drink well through approx 2018.
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Dark purple in the glass. Initial aromas of barnyard and grape jam. Needed about 1 hour to open up into a complex and smooth Syrah. I have three more from a 1/2 case and they are ready to drink.
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Very muted at first with some flowers and fruit. But two hours later, black fruit came out along with leather, earth, olives all balanced by acidity and minerality. Nothing over the top, everything in place.
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Nothern Rhone $20 to $40; 11/23/2011-11/24/2011: Purple ruby in color. The nose is big if a bit awkward. Dusty, leather and some raspberries. Slick texture. On the palate, mostly black raspberries, some pepper. Slightly tart. Heat on the finish. Nice wine, won't improve.
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WINO in New Orleans (New Orleans, LA): dark purple color. nose shows black olives, black cherries and squid ink. gorgeous balane and mouthfeel. medium acid and tannins. black cherry and black olives and bacon drippings. soft finish, a kick of green olive. exquisite finish. what i love about the northern rhone for a fraction of the price.
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Northern Rhone Syrahs (Vin Vino Wine, Palo Alto, CA): Stewed strawberries and violets on the nose. Light to medium body, sour cherry with medium+ acidity and noticeable tannins. Disjointed, may just need time.
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Had w/dinner after letting it breathe 2+ hrs & Vinturied. Came back to it after 3-1/2 hrs, which really opened up this wine beautifully. Dry, full-bodied & spicy w/well integrated tannins, good acidity, nice structure & medium finish. Aromas & flavors are most noteworthy of black pepper, raw bacon, bright red & dark fruit, garrigue, mineral & garden herb. (89+)
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After catching heat from Vertical for not having written a note in some time, I thought it is warranted with this wine, especially considering my previous experience with previous bottles of this wine. This bottle was opened for about an hour and then consumed over the course of an evening as a foil to duck a l"Orange. Despite the obviously disparate regional pairing, suffice to say, it worked. The wine is ready to go as a factor of tannin integration, fruit expression and availability of acidity. Lots of deep Syrah notes, and the bottling is varietal-typic without question. This wine is rustic without feeling pedestrian. The Brett is present and to this taster is a good thing. Highly recommended and, finally, ready to drink.
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Apparently very different experiences and opinions on this wine - to the point where one wonders if all were drinking the same thing. Respi-aerate to decanter. Color cherry red with lots of black hues, opaque nearly to rim, medium-full body. Initial bouquet had a strong animal note that blew off in a few minutes to reveal smokey maple-cured bacon, garrigue, loamy earth, clay, and bright raspberries and strawberries packed underneath. Overall, for the first hour the nose was quite lovely, and was just what I would expect from a Rhone syrah. Later at hours 2 and 3, many of the aromas have waned noticeably, as well as darkened, which was disappointing. I'm less excited with the palate, where the attack is somewhat thin with red seed fruits mixed with dry herbs and more prominent dark earth and tobacco, a midpalate that feels hollow, and in the short-ish finish, sour cherries and tomato with minerals emerging from dry earth, along with a dash of pepper and a touch of game in the aftertaste. Acid medium-plus, and the medium level tannins are firm and a bit tight, adding to the dryness of the minerals, earth and tobacco in the profile. Overall, a food-friendly Rhone syrah that shows good typicity and a measure of poise, but is lacking depth and length. This might benefit from softening a bit from another 1-2 years sideways, but I would not wait too long given the level of fruit showing now. Delivers fairly well at its price point of 23.
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Disappointing bottle of wine. Hints of barnyard on the nose. Soft and gentle on the palate. No finish to speak of at all, and even a mild sour note. I will give my other bottles 12-24 months.
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100% Syrah. Elegant and well-balanced with new world style and old world structure. Yes, Silene is more fruity when compared to those typically found in Northern Rhone, but it is not at all like an Aussie Shiraz. Most Shiraz from Australia is so bold and in your face with black pepper and murky dark fruits that things can get quite overwhelming on the palate. This particular bottle overcomes typical Aussie Shiraz by featuring a good amount of lucious red fruits (instead of 100% black fruits) and subtle mixed spice (instead of 100% black pepper). The aroma consists of mineral and rosemary inflected wild red berries. On the palate, it has nice acid in the beginning and relaxed tannins on the finish. Overall, this is a wonderfully, slightly dry Syrah with excellent structure and focus.
I don't bother myself as to whether or not a varietal has the same exact characteristics as the rest in that particular area; that is not important. Staying true to the varietal itself however is important. You don't want Syrah to taste like Pinot Noir or vice-versa. You should welcome uniqueness. I believe that every Syrah shouldn't be dominated by black pepper and murky dark fruits just like every Sauvignon Blanc should not be dominated by the three G's: grapefruit, grass and gooseberry. That gets very boring and predictable. Subtle variations from typical Syrah notes and the inclusion of more red fruit flavor makes Silene stand apart from the rest. You need to let this bottle breathe in order for the flavors and aromas to come together so you can truly appreciate it.
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I'm with Kdawg. This is thick and Aussie like. It doesn't have the usual Gallic beefy-ness, minerality, or bracing structure; it's much more "modern," showing a good deal of sweet, soft blackberry fruit. It's tasty, balanced, and certainly well-priced, but I'm not entirely sure that it's true to its region.
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nose: relatively forward nose with blackberries, black cherries, bits of pepper, spice, and some dark berry tones. Not extremely deep, and not really a classic northern rhone nose. Certainly smells like syrah, but doesn't really have a sense of place to it, just a generic riper syrah nose
taste: good medium feel with good medium tannins and medium acidity. A bit ripe on the palate(well, ripe for the region) with tones of red cherries, black pepper, spice tones, and dark berries
overall: a solid crozes. Its well made, but it doesn't really taste like a northern rhone. A good solid syrah and decent for the price(~$24). Comes across as rather standard and the tannins and acidity take over the mid palate a bit. not really what I'm looking for as I really want those northern rhone qualities to syrah, and this doesn't completely provide it
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Huge initial funk on opening, initially thought it was corked - first sip revealed all was intact. 15 minutes later, funk has blown off and beautiful and intense syrah aromas emerge. Deep, dark almost opaque in color. Diving into the blackness revels nice purity and lasting complexity. Solid backbone and ripe fruit, elegance and again purity with no signs of oak - real or perceived. A fantastic syrah.
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Day later from memory. Got the whole backstory on this one. This wine is actually produced by a negociant operation originally formed by Chave and Kermit Lynch, though Lynch is no longer involved. Apparently they are able to source some high- class Crozes fruit from producers whose output isn't big enough to go it alone. This wine isn't a powerhouse or particularly deep, but it is very fruit-forward, with big waves of ripe, lush blackberry fruit and meaty, peppery and mineral overtones. In fact, as I mentioned a few weeks ago, I've been looking for a mental image to restore my lost ability to identify Northern Rhone wines blind, and as I was slurping this I suddenly had an image of the Who album "Meaty, Beaty, Big and Bouncy." So I'll try that for a while and see if I don't get fooled again.
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Distracting old cellar/stale leather/rotting wood nose. The fruit was there: cherries, raspberries, a bit of tobacco. Very nice, but here is the catch: this reminded me so much of the 2007 Can Blau ($12 Spanish Montsant) that we opened that one as well and tasted the wine side by side. Well, at 1/2 of Silene's price, Can Blau was a favorite for all four of us. There must be another $20 bottle of great Crozes-Hermitage out there; I'll just keep looking. Then again, perhaps I am just living in the past...
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12/23/2018 - drrobvino wrote: flawed
2nd of 2 bottles, last one was consumed 5+ yrs ago.
This wine was mildly tainted with TCA, but the underlying wine was pretty enough that we still drained the bottle.
The wine was beautifully mature, showing softened red and black fruits with pepper, iron, blood, and spice.
Finely grained tannins, with beautifully buffered acidity and a med+ and delicious finish.
Drink now.
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3/15/2017 - Pour Boy wrote: 88 Points
Bought half a case of this in 2008. To be sure, the bottles with the most cellar age were better, but this wine never lost its notes of astringency and is now slightly past peak, in my opinion. Still, not a bad buy at $18. JL Chave is most famous for his Hermitage, but his St. Joseph, Cotes du Rhone and other Rhone varieties are worth seeking out.
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1/14/2017 - tadams66 Likes this wine: 91 Points
A really good wine. I opened and drank over 3 hours. Took about 30 mins to open. After 3 hours, started to fade. Really great fruit and nice spice with a long finish...
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8/21/2014 - Pour Boy wrote: 89 Points
Long wait for these, but after 6 years in the cellar this has finally come around.
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6/29/2014 - Jscalia Likes this wine: 89 Points
Beautiful wine. Takes some time to open-up. Initially nose and flavours of leather and dirt. After 15 minutes, the "awkwardness" dissipated and the wine showed its true potential. Darker fruit flavours (plum). Long finish.
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4/24/2013 - drrobvino Likes this wine: 90 Points
PnP and consumed half the bottle the first night. Remaining bottle over the next 2 nights.
Nice clear appearance, med ruby/purple color, fading to a light ruby/purple rim.
Nose was in good condition, showing developing aromas that are med intensity, including red fruits like raspberry and red cherry, as well as sweet tobacco and a funky moist soil note that adds complexity and interest.
The palate shows off a dry wine with med body and med alcohol (listed 13% abv), with flavors that are med intensity, including red cherry, a bit of strawberry, then tobacco, espresso beans, and a mild black pepper spice. There is ample med/med(+) acidity to give vivid freshness to this wine, supporting the med length finish of red fruits and mild spice.
A very good quality wine that will improve another 2 years in bottle, and drink well through approx 2018.
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2/2/2013 - Pour Boy wrote: 90 Points
Dark purple in the glass. Initial aromas of barnyard and grape jam. Needed about 1 hour to open up into a complex and smooth Syrah. I have three more from a 1/2 case and they are ready to drink.
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7/21/2012 - RhoneG wrote: 91 Points
Very muted at first with some flowers and fruit. But two hours later, black fruit came out along with leather, earth, olives all balanced by acidity and minerality. Nothing over the top, everything in place.
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11/23/2011 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 89 Points
Nothern Rhone $20 to $40; 11/23/2011-11/24/2011: Purple ruby in color. The nose is big if a bit awkward. Dusty, leather and some raspberries. Slick texture. On the palate, mostly black raspberries, some pepper. Slightly tart. Heat on the finish. Nice wine, won't improve.
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4/7/2011 - isaacjamesbaker wrote: 91 Points
WINO in New Orleans (New Orleans, LA): dark purple color. nose shows black olives, black cherries and squid ink. gorgeous balane and mouthfeel. medium acid and tannins. black cherry and black olives and bacon drippings. soft finish, a kick of green olive. exquisite finish. what i love about the northern rhone for a fraction of the price.
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4/6/2011 - SanFranSoxFan04 Likes this wine: 89 Points
NORTHERN RHÔNE SYRAHS (Vin, Vino, Wine Palo Alto CA): Good value
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4/5/2011 - zscheiner wrote: 85 Points
Northern Rhone Syrahs (Vin Vino Wine, Palo Alto, CA): Stewed strawberries and violets on the nose. Light to medium body, sour cherry with medium+ acidity and noticeable tannins. Disjointed, may just need time.
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3/20/2011 - DRS-Inc wrote: 89 Points
Had w/dinner after letting it breathe 2+ hrs & Vinturied. Came back to it after 3-1/2 hrs, which really opened up this wine beautifully. Dry, full-bodied & spicy w/well integrated tannins, good acidity, nice structure & medium finish. Aromas & flavors are most noteworthy of black pepper, raw bacon, bright red & dark fruit, garrigue, mineral & garden herb. (89+)
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2/7/2011 - ticktock wrote: 92 Points
After catching heat from Vertical for not having written a note in some time, I thought it is warranted with this wine, especially considering my previous experience with previous bottles of this wine. This bottle was opened for about an hour and then consumed over the course of an evening as a foil to duck a l"Orange. Despite the obviously disparate regional pairing, suffice to say, it worked. The wine is ready to go as a factor of tannin integration, fruit expression and availability of acidity. Lots of deep Syrah notes, and the bottling is varietal-typic without question. This wine is rustic without feeling pedestrian. The Brett is present and to this taster is a good thing. Highly recommended and, finally, ready to drink.
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1/3/2011 - jmh st louis wrote: 85 Points
vegetal briar, thin fruit
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8/17/2010 - Vinacull wrote: 88 Points
Apparently very different experiences and opinions on this wine - to the point where one wonders if all were drinking the same thing. Respi-aerate to decanter. Color cherry red with lots of black hues, opaque nearly to rim, medium-full body. Initial bouquet had a strong animal note that blew off in a few minutes to reveal smokey maple-cured bacon, garrigue, loamy earth, clay, and bright raspberries and strawberries packed underneath. Overall, for the first hour the nose was quite lovely, and was just what I would expect from a Rhone syrah. Later at hours 2 and 3, many of the aromas have waned noticeably, as well as darkened, which was disappointing. I'm less excited with the palate, where the attack is somewhat thin with red seed fruits mixed with dry herbs and more prominent dark earth and tobacco, a midpalate that feels hollow, and in the short-ish finish, sour cherries and tomato with minerals emerging from dry earth, along with a dash of pepper and a touch of game in the aftertaste. Acid medium-plus, and the medium level tannins are firm and a bit tight, adding to the dryness of the minerals, earth and tobacco in the profile. Overall, a food-friendly Rhone syrah that shows good typicity and a measure of poise, but is lacking depth and length. This might benefit from softening a bit from another 1-2 years sideways, but I would not wait too long given the level of fruit showing now. Delivers fairly well at its price point of 23.
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12/4/2009 - Pour Boy wrote: 84 Points
Disappointing bottle of wine. Hints of barnyard on the nose. Soft and gentle on the palate. No finish to speak of at all, and even a mild sour note. I will give my other bottles 12-24 months.
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8/24/2009 - ChefR0b wrote: 91 Points
100% Syrah. Elegant and well-balanced with new world style and old world structure. Yes, Silene is more fruity when compared to those typically found in Northern Rhone, but it is not at all like an Aussie Shiraz. Most Shiraz from Australia is so bold and in your face with black pepper and murky dark fruits that things can get quite overwhelming on the palate. This particular bottle overcomes typical Aussie Shiraz by featuring a good amount of lucious red fruits (instead of 100% black fruits) and subtle mixed spice (instead of 100% black pepper). The aroma consists of mineral and rosemary inflected wild red berries. On the palate, it has nice acid in the beginning and relaxed tannins on the finish. Overall, this is a wonderfully, slightly dry Syrah with excellent structure and focus.
I don't bother myself as to whether or not a varietal has the same exact characteristics as the rest in that particular area; that is not important. Staying true to the varietal itself however is important. You don't want Syrah to taste like Pinot Noir or vice-versa. You should welcome uniqueness. I believe that every Syrah shouldn't be dominated by black pepper and murky dark fruits just like every Sauvignon Blanc should not be dominated by the three G's: grapefruit, grass and gooseberry. That gets very boring and predictable. Subtle variations from typical Syrah notes and the inclusion of more red fruit flavor makes Silene stand apart from the rest. You need to let this bottle breathe in order for the flavors and aromas to come together so you can truly appreciate it.
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8/4/2009 - Stephan O wrote: 89 Points
I'm with Kdawg. This is thick and Aussie like. It doesn't have the usual Gallic beefy-ness, minerality, or bracing structure; it's much more "modern," showing a good deal of sweet, soft blackberry fruit. It's tasty, balanced, and certainly well-priced, but I'm not entirely sure that it's true to its region.
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6/5/2009 - KeithAkers wrote: 87 Points
nose: relatively forward nose with blackberries, black cherries, bits of pepper, spice, and some dark berry tones. Not extremely deep, and not really a classic northern rhone nose. Certainly smells like syrah, but doesn't really have a sense of place to it, just a generic riper syrah nose
taste: good medium feel with good medium tannins and medium acidity. A bit ripe on the palate(well, ripe for the region) with tones of red cherries, black pepper, spice tones, and dark berries
overall: a solid crozes. Its well made, but it doesn't really taste like a northern rhone. A good solid syrah and decent for the price(~$24). Comes across as rather standard and the tannins and acidity take over the mid palate a bit. not really what I'm looking for as I really want those northern rhone qualities to syrah, and this doesn't completely provide it
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6/3/2009 - JasonAdams wrote:
Huge initial funk on opening, initially thought it was corked - first sip revealed all was intact. 15 minutes later, funk has blown off and beautiful and intense syrah aromas emerge. Deep, dark almost opaque in color. Diving into the blackness revels nice purity and lasting complexity. Solid backbone and ripe fruit, elegance and again purity with no signs of oak - real or perceived. A fantastic syrah.
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3/1/2009 - bevetroppo wrote: 88 Points
Day later from memory. Got the whole backstory on this one. This wine is actually produced by a negociant operation originally formed by Chave and Kermit Lynch, though Lynch is no longer involved. Apparently they are able to source some high- class Crozes fruit from producers whose output isn't big enough to go it alone. This wine isn't a powerhouse or particularly deep, but it is very fruit-forward, with big waves of ripe, lush blackberry fruit and meaty, peppery and mineral overtones. In fact, as I mentioned a few weeks ago, I've been looking for a mental image to restore my lost ability to identify Northern Rhone wines blind, and as I was slurping this I suddenly had an image of the Who album "Meaty, Beaty, Big and Bouncy." So I'll try that for a while and see if I don't get fooled again.
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2/21/2009 - dcclimb wrote: 89 Points
Distracting old cellar/stale leather/rotting wood nose.
The fruit was there: cherries, raspberries, a bit of tobacco.
Very nice, but here is the catch: this reminded me so much of the 2007 Can Blau ($12 Spanish Montsant) that we opened that one as well and tasted the wine side by side.
Well, at 1/2 of Silene's price, Can Blau was a favorite for all four of us.
There must be another $20 bottle of great Crozes-Hermitage out there; I'll just keep looking.
Then again, perhaps I am just living in the past...
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2/11/2009 - InternationalWineReport wrote: 89 Points
Tons of Cherry, Blackberry, and Mineral, Medium body with an elegant long finish. (Best from 2009-2013) - JD89+
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1/9/2009 - ticktock wrote:
A nice effort. Needed a longer decant to fully evaluate.
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