An elegant Syrah, not showing many signs of age except perhaps in its harmonious melding of components. There’s still brightness to the blackberry and plum fruit, and nice hints of olive. Drinking wonderfully.
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I thought I was opening the pinot noir, but that's ok because it was served with salmon and a beef soup. And this syrah was extremely smooth, integrated. Pretty red fruit and kirsch. Slight secondary flavors and just a touch of a barnyard funk that was largely in the background. I may have had too high of hopes for Rhys syrah, I've heard they're phenomal. This was pleasant enough, but there's lots of good syrah in California, and this is one.
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Saturday hangout at Domaine (Chicago, IL): Very nice to cross paths with an older edition of this wine. It's lost a lot of the typical syrah characteristics, and while there's still some fruit here, it is in the process of drying out. Large scaled, but missing a lot of the elements that make syrah syrah. I'd be inclined to drink up -- this isn't the most convincing example of syrah at this age.
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Very well balanced after opening up for 20-30 minutes. Dark fruit, raspberry and earthiness aromas. Again, smooth and balanced with richness, but nothing distinctive on the palate. Drinks well now. Enough tannins and fruit to age for a few more years, but doubt it will improve. A bit lame for a 2008 Syrah at this price point.
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this has opened up and relaxed nicely - much rounder and more generous than 5 years ago. this was worth leaving to age. profound? not sure. but very nice, better as a 14 year old wine than at earlier points, interesting and fair for the price.
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This is nice enough but seems very short to me. There's some initial stem on the nose which fades after an hour or so after opening. Some red fruit with a dry finish. Not much difference between day 1 and day 2. It's a real effort to identify anything in particular to call out with this one.
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A recent auction purchase that filled a rare gap in my Rhys cellar. Cost me less than the release price all in. Sometime in the early to mid-10s is when I think the Rhys syrah program really stepped up their game, and before that, it seems like a decidedly more mixed bag, as they seemed to be tweaking their style to find their groove. A rather subdued, submissive nose, and it took a lot of swirling to coax out some herbal, shoe leather, flint and raspberry notes. Wild strawberry, sour cherry and red currant flavors, some floral notes, and an almost Burgundian, Savigny-like tart red fruit profile. Elegant, pretty, light-bodied syrah, which finishes with biting dry tannins that softened considerably on day 2. I see how some could be underwhelmed by this wine, as it is not one to overpower, but it is nonetheless lovely in its understatedness.
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Blackberry and black raspberry fruit prominent on the nose, and also a savory quality I couldn't quite place. Pleasant but not distinctive. The palate is still big and brawny, with firm tannins and mouthfilling fruit. I felt the mouthfeel was a little flat, possibly due to lowish acidity. The finish is unremarkable. This is unfortunately kind of charmless. Hard to know whether it will ever resolve to show more character, and if it does how long that might take.
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Not much different from my last note from 2016. It tastes fine, maybe I'd guess syrah blind but not distinctive. Still tannic and not showing much even on night two. I drank all my bottles so I'll probably never find out if this ever turns into something more interesting.
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-- bottle opened 1.75 hours before tasting -- -- tasted a single glass non-blind --
NOSE: school paste; ripe, rich purple fruits; light savory/funk facet.
BODY: lots of sediment present; medium bodied.
TASTE: a little thin on flavor --- almost nothing on the rear palate; ripe purple fruits; some oak; it's "fine," but not exciting. Gut impression score: somewhere in the mid to upper 80s.
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Very straight forward wine. A little bit of meatiness and pepper which made it easily identifiable at a blind tasting. Not much character besides that. The most interesting part was that it tasted much younger than 2008.
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Dark purple/garnet color. Medium minus nose with hints of black pepper and blackberry. Palate with medium minus intensity, low tannin with chalkiness, low acidity, medium minus body, medium alcohol, Reminds me of a nondescript cabernet blend between $10-15. Disappointing.
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Decanted and consumed over four hours. Dark fruit aromas, blackberry and raspberry. Nose is restrained, not giving too much. Elegant mouthfeel that I find to be a common characteristic of Rhys reds. On the palate is more dark red fruit with a savory acidic backbone. This is a civilized Syrah - not getting the wilder character that Syrah can have.
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Reticent nose, good mouth and feel, better length. Makes for a pretty picture that is better than the sum of its parts. Doesn’t seem like it’s in any danger of decay.
Try the other/last bottle in 2024.
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This is very good wine. I purchased this online for $35 and it appears to have been stored correctly and was in great shape. Lots of secondary fruit notes - this is a california syrah, not French, with a hint of olive and dried cranberry. Very well balanced with dusty tannin and racy acidity. Harmonious and delicious. It's in a great window right now with a few more years ahead of it, but not necessarily improving. To be enjoyed sooner rather than later.
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Superbowl wine that's been burning a hole in my pocket since it was delivered a long time ago. No notes. The wine was fine, but I'm glad it's out of my cellar.
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I can see how this disappoints many. It's certainly not up to the level of expression you expect from top end wineries. But this is a good wine. It's actually classic in feel the way the acidity keeps it fresh. I would dare call it a very good food wine. The fruit expression is more reserved giving away to more savory and herby notes. On the palate it's also note all that rich in feel. There is a touch of sourness on the fruit but somehow that doesn't really carry to the finish. There really isn't the concentration for improvement. It's fine to drink now in my estimation but also no rush. A poor value probably not not a bad wine. Just a decent wine.
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PnP. Classic Syrah nose. Lovely velvet texture with some slightly drying tannins on the finish, but excellent balance. Will keep last bottle a few more years.
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Tasted over 4 hrs -opaque red purple no bricking -low key rich dark berry -med acidity gives plenty of verve in the form of a continuous spine from entry to the slightly dried out finish, med/med+ weight med concentration focused linear streak of dark berry plum, med tannins with faint wood -OK but not great, the fading fruit is not being replaced by interesting tertiary elements yet and this bottle is a bit awkward right now
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PnP. Dark red, clearing at the rim. Pepper and olive nose; very classically Syrah. Velvet mid-palate with love dark flavors followed by very finely grained tannins on the finish. This is more Cote Rotie than Cornas or Hermitage. More restrained than some of the very good Sonoma Coast/RRV Syrahs with more varietal character. Still tasting quite young at age 10. Nice surprise for a first bottle.
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Nose - savory plum Mouth - nicely integrated, raspberry, plum, high toned and lively, with good structure, quite elegant, good length. At this stage of my palate evolution I’m favoring Rhys’ syrah over their pinots
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This left me a little underwhelmed last night. For context, it was opened several hours before the meal, then double decanted back to bottle just prior to tasting. Despite all of this effort to add some ox, this still showed backwards to me. Juicy black fruit, olive, incense and a tight, coiled finish that was to me drying and astringent.
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Lovely savory quality in this still young Syrah. N. Rhône style, but less tight maybe. Pnp passive cellared since purchase. W Asian flank steak. Nice wine.
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PopnPour, tasted over 2 hrs -opaque dark purple -rich dark berry black pepper -med acidity enough to give a brisk lift, med/med+ weight dense rich layers of earthy dark berry fruit with med+ gritty tannins -no longer primary but still young-ish, very good
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Getting close to ten years since the vintage, this is just barely starting to evolve. It still has significant depth of fruit, as well as more than sufficient tannins. Deep red fruit, the merest beginning of roasted meat tones and an intriguing back end creaminess make for a very enjoyable wine, but one that still has a long development ahead of it. It seems like this will eventually become an interesting and complex wine. The question is how much longer it will take to get there.
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Opened and poured. Starts off with a lot of cured black olives on the nose, along with some herbs. Still has some tannins, but they’re integrating nicely. A mix of red and black fruit, but seems to lean to red. Seems just a touch hollow on the mid-palate; don’t know how else to describe it. Overall, this is a nice 10-year old California syrah, but it doesn’t really move me.
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Opaque purple with a nose of dark fruit, smoked meat, hints of pepper, stony minerality, and some oak spice. The palate is still pretty tight with robust tannins and nice acidity. Seems younger than 10 years and still needs to come into balance a bit, but overall still probably the best California syrah I've had.
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Patience (and a Coravin) is a virtue with this bottling. I read the below notes with some concern and decided to take the plunge on my lone bottle (and first of 4 bottles of Rhys I purchased in the fall of 2011). I poured my first glass about 5 weeks ago. Gave it about an hour of air and it remained one dimensional. Tasted like an uninspiring $15-20 CdR. The same for glass 2 which followed about week later.
Then lo' an behold, I open the remainder for a group tasting two nights ago and the bottle was singing with a great N. Rhone signature of savory goodness. The olives and meat were all there with more to come. Give this 2-3 more years before your next bottle.
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Wonderful at thanksgiving. Decanted 6 hours. Inky color, yet medium mouthfeel - not overdone at all. I was surprised just how deep and dark the flavors were. A bigger wine than I expected, though all on the savory side. Not at all the blueberry juice-bomb you often get with CA, though I wouldn't blind it as French.
At any rate, delightful and count me in on exploring these more.
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Dark fruit mostly with a little bit of spice. Some tannins. Did not reveal much. More on the attack than mid palate. It seems riper than I expected for a Santa Cruz Mountains syrah. Decant, which we did not do, or let it age another couple of years. I think it is still improving.
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Rhys 08/09/10 (Sun Wah BBQ, Chicago, IL): Medium nose comes across as a bit simple. Lots of black fruits with subtle meat and pepper, if you really look for it. The palate is similarly simple with lots of rich black fruit. A bit flat and boring.
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The Rotating Dinners, II.1: Rhys, 2008-10 (Chicago, IL): The nose here shows quite a bit of syrah character -- it's dark and meaty, with a touch of briny olive. The palate is very full bodied, with tons of rich fruit; perhaps a bit thicker and denser than I am accustomed to in syrah. This is a full degree of alcohol higher than the 2009 and 2010, but this is surprisingly similar to the 2009 in profile.
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I share some other reviewers' sentiments that this wine doesn't have much going on now. Maybe it's in a dumb phase? Nose of black cherry, menthol, and just a hint of smoked meat. I like the plush fruit on the palate. But overall, this is a bit dull.
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Disappointing bottle. Showed grapey and simple on first opening. Let sit for a day and still showing same simple profile. WTF. There are some drying tannins, but this just doesn't haven't anything else going on.
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Not sure about this. Fine over all- opens perfectly nice and syrah-y, but then some not very compelling fruit takes over. I think the advice to wait to 2020 may well be right- it's, well, not very compelling now and there was enough on opening that it's worth taking a chance. May never turn out to be much, but I guess I'll find out
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With lamb stew on Christmas Eve. Pop n pour and consumed voer 3+ hours. Kind of a disappointing bottle as it lacked Syrah character (no meat, no pepper, no olives, etc.) The nose offers more red than black fruit. Palate is medium bodied with good fruit and balance, but the flavor profiles lack depth and interest. A bottle I had a few months ago was much finer.
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Dense and tight upon opening. Some olives. Some burnt earth. Tannic. Structured. Will wait a few hours before tasting again.
With air this is something special. Meanders between that bright, special crunchy high quality northern Rhone and Cali Rhone. Still is a bit primary, but is showing enough for me to enjoy a half bottle and wanting more. Has some floral elements, but on deep thought, this is still primary. But what a primary it is. One more bottle left. Will wait a few years.
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Juicy, fruit driven Syrah. Prior bottle noted alcohol present but not in this bottle. New world style consistent between bottles. Greater secondary flavors, texture in the palate would have added to wine's presence.
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This was very nice, dark fruit, tannins unobtrusive, stems seem a bit prominent, but will agree with the previous note that it didn't really ascent do any great heights. Maybe in a dumber phase.
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Nanda does Grand Sichuan (St. Marks Place Grand Sich, NY): Nope, not a fan of this. Bright, ripe red and dark fruit with a slightly bitter tree bark element, but the acidity feels a bit disjointed and gives it a slight citric tang on the finish that I found offputting, with some hard tannin also showing on the back end.
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Plums, pepper, blackberries, and leather notes on the nose. Noticeable, but well integrated tannins with dried plum on the palate. Very nice finish. Great now, but could use another couple of years.
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Ripe fruits and slightly coarse, grippy tannin on night #1. Loosened up considerably on day 2, showing more classically N. Rhone aromatics and a cool, low-alcohol style. Could easily be mistaken for a top-flight St. Joseph from Chave or Gonon. As with most all Rhys wines, a nice long decant is advisable here if you're thinking of opening one anytime soon.
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Decanted and consumer over 6+ hours. Dark purple. Full nose has stem-driven herb, cloves, smoke, blackberry and plum. Palate is mid-weight with juicy acidity. Young and still all about youthful fruit and herbs (from the stem / whole cluster, I'm guessing). Well-balanced with robust acidity and suave tannins that are concealed by the fruit. Better with food. Let's see how this develops -- certainly seems to have the potential.
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Textbook expression of Syrah. Meaty, violets, black pepper. I disagree with some that the wine is too high in acid, i think this makes it a stellar match for a roasted meat dish to really counter the fat. Well done.
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Definitely closed. Reluctant when I popped the bottle, took a good three hours to open up. On the nose it has the old-world Syrah style I hoped for but I'd say the palate wasn't quite there yet - fair amount of acid. Got 2 more bottles, going to sit on them.
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underwhelmed...not bad just did not meet expectations. thought style was more new world/extracted/higher alcohol that RHYS house style. Thought alcohol showed through, wine definitely lacked any texture, was a bit short and secondary flavors were underdeveloped. will be interesting to see this wine in 3-5 years.
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Popped and poured and drank over three nights. Shut down or possibly dumb right now. This bottle was disproportionately acidic and lacking in fruit. It was best on day three but still not coming together all the way. I'm not sure what's going on here but I would lose sight of these for a few years before checking in again if I had any bottles left.
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Rhys Tasting With The Gang--Part 2 (My Place): Next to the 2009, this 2008 comes across riper and certainly lacks the defining black pepper of the 2009. Cherry fruit, light herbal and a touch of blueberry preserve. Even with the decant this saw of about an hour earlier in the day and the slow ox time, was still tight at dinner.
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Still very peppery and primary - sure there's some excellent wine under there but far too young for my taste. Interestingly I have a sense that this requires significantly more time than its cousins in the N Rhone to come around...
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Quite tight on opening. Suave plum and deep red fruits are very much in balance with the earth and iron character on the nose. Lots of pepper on the palate with more chalky red fruits that seem like they'll be out to play more with some air, very tight. Deep but not brooding. Definitely old world and balanced in style.
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Balanced Syrah with a nice freshness, but it just doesn't wow me. The nose is pretty fruit dominant - dark and cool - but not getting a lot of complexity in this wine. Will be interesting to see how this develops after some more time in bottle.
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Sunday Night Dinner (RPM Steak - Chicago, IL): This might be the first non-Alesia bottling of syrah I've had from Rhys. I liked this a lot. Had some spicy dark fruits, a touch of meatiness, and beautiful florals. Nice acidity and a cool fruit profile, I was a fan.
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Popped and poured and drank in a flight with a Guillaume Gilles 2008 Cornas. From the nose alone it was almost impossible to tell which was wine from from the old world. Very savory and peppery with a slight ripeness on the finish distinguishing it from the Cornas. Still on the primary side and didn't develop much complexity over two days. On the second day, acid came through as well but integrated well with the wine overall.
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2008 Rhys (The Medlar, London): Dark fruit, black with a veneer of red. Sweet lift. A touch of black olive. So far so good. Very smooth on the attack with sweet fruit, but chalky density and a very dry finish. Not particularly long and dominated by the dry tannins. Mouth puckering. I don't think this is balanced and it doesn't have the fruit to cover the dry tannin. Not for me. **
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I haven't drank one of these in over 3 years, kind of forgot about it. Open about 30 mins, starting to unfold. Mix of savory, blue fruit, metal shaving, black olive and lavender. All of these are pretty reserved right now, under some moderate structure and dusty tannin. Thus, an open and pour is not showing a lot but I'll head this to dinner and see how a few more hours of slow ox air treats it...turned out just fine over dinner, although it got lost amongst the food, a few other bottles and good conversation. Seemed to flesh out some more yet retain the freshness of the fruit and medium body.
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A Whole Lotta Syrahs (and more) at the Girl and the Fig; 3/4/2014-3/6/2014 (The Girl and the Fig): I brought this out with me, so it may have suffered from some travel shock I suppose. That said, it drank quite well, so who knows. Lots of red fruits on the nose. It took some time to open up. Lovely texture some medium tannins. Dark cherries, black raspberries, slight dark chocolate notes. Long, nice finish. Good acidity. Needs air but drinking well.
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Tannic and very tight, even after several hours of air. It gave a less savory impression than the 2009, though it still had big-time mineral presence. Of course, the quality and potential is obvious.
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This started out a little more primary than expected but started showing off that delicious savory syrah meatiness an hour or two in. Unfortunately by then it was almost gone...
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Popped and poured. Tight, with grippy tannins. Opens slowly to reveal a core of intense blackberry fruit. A slight bit of volatility gives a nice bacony lift to the fruit. Needs time but should be very good to excellent at peak. Hold for five years and revisit at age ten.
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limited nose, attractive bordeaux-esque note mouth - restrained while being substantive. like their pinots. good fruit, good structure. basically, a nice syrah try again in 5 yrs, maybe at that point it will have some secondary flavors.
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Still tight, but much more open than my last attempt. Dark fruit, strong acidity, powerful tannins. Enjoyable now, but only if you have multiple bottles.
After picking up more air, there's a nice lingering sweetness on the palate and finish. This definitely got better as the evening went on, but still, very tight.
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My bottle; I just got a quick taste of this. Decanted about 2 hours, nose shows forest floor, white pepper, black fruits and smoked meat. Palate is ok, showing a lot of structure and the fruit seems a bit cloaked. This doesn't wow and feels like it needs more time to flesh out.
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After5-6 hours decanted, this was hitting on all cylinders, reminding me of a nice Northern Rhone syrah. 93-94. 1-2 hours of air just isn't enough for this.
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Decanted and poured, this wine required time in the decanter to show its best; however, unlike a bottle tasted in December of 2011, on this occasion the wine becomes more expressive and balanced with airing. Based on this showing, the wine seems to have shed some of its stern character with the still prominent tannins better balanced by the fruit component on the finish. At this stage, the wine gives the impression that it will benefit from another year or two of bottle age.
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Dinner with Mike Grammer (Pera, San Francisco): Smooth ripe red fruit, reticent; smooth, red fruit, strong tannins, very young. Hard to tell how it will develop given that I don't have much experience with Rhys. Should be at least good, possibly very good or excellent. 88-93
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13.9% ABV. Pretty much opaque dark garnet in the glass. Reticent aromatics with a dominant mineral dry earth note and background leather and a touch of funky meat. Medium bodied with a taut personality on the palate. The fruit seems subsumed by the structure of the wine. I'd give this one some more time.
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Solid syrah. Had to try one to see if I wanted to order some 09s this Fall. Agree with Reptibark that this leans more WA style (which I prefer as well). Nice fruits, funk and meat to the wine with funk coming right out when opened. Some tartness that didn't appeal to me, and tannic ending - needs a few years for sure to show it's true form.
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Veyr good CA Syrah (coming from someone who naturally prefers WA Syrah) with a dark hue and nose of spice, red and black fruits and a touch of berry along with an interesting Asian spice note. Palate is medium bodied with lots of those black fruits and more berry profile as well as smoked meat, funk and rich tannins that coat the palate and give the wine more substance than the nose would let off. Very good and worth the $.
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Did not need much air to show it's stuff. Very lean, spicy, with dark red fruits, maybe blueberry as well, and meaty undertones - really well rounded. The flowery fragrance was powerful and impressive, probably better than the taste of the wine.
Really impressive stuff that drinks well now.
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Very interesting profile. Aerated and decanted. On day one this was tannic and muscular and at first came off as a restrained cool weather syrah. It definitely softened over the course of the night with blackberry, oak, and vanilla making an appearance. A completely different wine on day three with the acid still there, but a bit more funk, minerality, and tartness emerging.
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95+. Spectacular, and different. At first, I thought the flavor profile was of bitter cherry but, upon further reflection, it's a dead ringer for a perfect Santa Rosa plum. Comparable: Mariano Rivera before he ripped his knee apart.
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Impressive at this stage and could potentially work with a big meal to balance it. Looking forward to seeing how this is after some sleep in the cellar, though. Big tannins and big acidity, balanced by some subtle, very tasty, fruit.
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Less ready than the Skyline, with really noticeable tannins. This can be beautiful one day. Bright red fruits overlaying a bed of dark ones. Good acidity that makes this wine work better with food than without. Hold.
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Aromas of black pepper, blackberry. Fat and lush black fruit that is in balance with everything else in the wine. Black pepper and licorice emerge on finish.
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Weeknight Tasting in Wellesley (Andrew's House): Decanted for one hour, followed over the next five hours. A little less concentrated than the previous 2 wines, this had a nose of dark fruits, black currants, huge white pepper notes, with a touch of cedar, lemon zest and mild floral undertones. On the palate, not incredibly complex, showing dark fruits, white pepper and citrus. Reasonable balance here, with significantly less tannin than I was expecting. The acidic structure is quite large and dominates the finish in the mouth. Unlike the last 2 wines, this is much less concentrated an leaner on the palate. Much more refreshing, and is quite easy to drink. I have one bottle of this left and I would like to wait another 5 years or so before I open the next one.
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Nose: Blackberries, plums, sage, white pepper, braised beef, some floral notes as well. Beautiful nose. Palate: Raspberries, blackberries on the attack. Seamless transition to the mid-palate where big time tannins, sarsaparilla dominate. Everything dries out on the finish, with notes of sage and flowers lingering.
My justification for popping one of these open, despite the other CT notes suggesting it's closed, was that I have 6 of them. I'm not going to say that this syrah was completely open and showing all it has, but it was definitely not shut down for me. I'm also not going to say this is like Hermitage or Cote Rotie (although it is the next closest thing) but it is such a far cry from what I'm used to for California syrah. It's not primary, not creamy and lush, it's got loads of acidity and tannins, and it has that classic French syrah sage/floral action going. Rhys hype aside, this syrah is genuinely delicious right now and the only nit I would have is the relative lack of weight of the fruit. Ultimately, this is a structural beast that needs 7+ years in the cellar and should most definitely improve.
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nose: tight, even after 3 hours decanted but with balanced and revealing tones of dark red fruits, dark cherries, violets, berries and currants. Excellent depth with a real savory quality to it as well
taste: full bodied with good medium+ acidity and very chewy tannins. Balanced with real good depth and great tones of dark cherries, currants, smoke and a touch of violets. The tannins are big and thrash the palate a bit.
Overall: I love the real savory quality to the wine. Very young and definitely in need of real lay down time. This can definitely be a stunner with age on it. There is great depth on both the nose and palate. This was decanted for about 3 hours before drinking and it was still tight
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Decanted and poured, this wine showed a reserved, stern personality that did not become more forthcoming with airing. This will require a few years of bottle age to begin to unwind and become more accessible.
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Drank the night before Thanksgiving, likely infanticide. One of the most interesting syrahs I have ever consumed. Struck by dark, dark cherry flavors, followed by a bitter finish. Not a typical syrah (blueberry, etc.). I will wait awhile before opening another. Rhys advises that this syrah needs a good number of additional years to come into its own. Comparable: Jesus Montero.
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Nose - soft and warm youthful berry fruit, woodsy and floral, incense. Soft tannin, black currant and boysenberry, soft touch of zest, with nutmeg and orange. Pert. Drink '11-'17. 91+ pts
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Rhys Pickup Day (Rhys Winery, Santa Cruz Mtns.): Black fruit on the nose, but not super ripe, bit of olive and anise too. Similar on the palate, medium bodied with fresh black fruit, plums and currants, some savory notes, nice acidity and noticeable tannins. Unique syrah flavor profile in my experience... ripe black fruit but fresh and lively, not heavy. Great now but I think it will improve as the tannins soften.
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Tasted at the Rhys pickup event, and no notes taken. A very nice, deeply pitched syrah. Palate is well textured and very firm, but this is really young.
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Open 12 hours. Blueberry, lots of tannin around the edges, some crushed red fruits. char and some new wood on the finish. youthful and yet bright. needs some settle time for a few more years. good bright core.
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Rhys Tour and Tasting (Various Rhys vineyards): The aromatics were wild and lovely; concentrated, minerals, and a nice finish. My note taking was definitely nose diving by this point, but at this stage this seems much more approachable than the Skyline Syrah.
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12/31/2023 - Backdoctor wrote: 91 Points
Excellent, still plenty fruit on the palate.
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12/25/2023 - zscheiner wrote:
An elegant Syrah, not showing many signs of age except perhaps in its harmonious melding of components. There’s still brightness to the blackberry and plum fruit, and nice hints of olive. Drinking wonderfully.
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10/15/2023 - galewskj wrote: 91 Points
I thought I was opening the pinot noir, but that's ok because it was served with salmon and a beef soup. And this syrah was extremely smooth, integrated. Pretty red fruit and kirsch. Slight secondary flavors and just a touch of a barnyard funk that was largely in the background. I may have had too high of hopes for Rhys syrah, I've heard they're phenomal. This was pleasant enough, but there's lots of good syrah in California, and this is one.
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2/4/2023 - acyso wrote: 88 Points
Saturday hangout at Domaine (Chicago, IL): Very nice to cross paths with an older edition of this wine. It's lost a lot of the typical syrah characteristics, and while there's still some fruit here, it is in the process of drying out. Large scaled, but missing a lot of the elements that make syrah syrah. I'd be inclined to drink up -- this isn't the most convincing example of syrah at this age.
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11/22/2022 - pjhr Likes this wine: 92 Points
Tasty blackberry, olive, and pepper notes on the nose and palate with savory tannins on the moderate finish.
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10/23/2022 - gary.m.robinson@gmail.com Likes this wine: 89 Points
Very well balanced after opening up for 20-30 minutes. Dark fruit, raspberry and earthiness aromas. Again, smooth and balanced with richness, but nothing distinctive on the palate. Drinks well now. Enough tannins and fruit to age for a few more years, but doubt it will improve. A bit lame for a 2008 Syrah at this price point.
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10/11/2022 - rhanke wrote: 88 Points
Nice nose of raspberry and herbs , thin on taste.
Expect more from $50+ wine.
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10/4/2022 - Nanda wrote: 91 Points
Drank very well, and classically, over two days. Still room to age though it feels nicely complex with good evolution. Tasty now.
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8/30/2022 - Jahull03 wrote:
this has opened up and relaxed nicely - much rounder and more generous than 5 years ago. this was worth leaving to age. profound? not sure. but very nice, better as a 14 year old wine than at earlier points, interesting and fair for the price.
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5/31/2022 - amoryb wrote:
This is nice enough but seems very short to me. There's some initial stem on the nose which fades after an hour or so after opening. Some red fruit with a dry finish. Not much difference between day 1 and day 2. It's a real effort to identify anything in particular to call out with this one.
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4/13/2022 - cchoukal wrote:
Still youthful in terms of tannin structure.
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3/14/2022 - GrapeScott wrote: 90 Points
A recent auction purchase that filled a rare gap in my Rhys cellar. Cost me less than the release price all in. Sometime in the early to mid-10s is when I think the Rhys syrah program really stepped up their game, and before that, it seems like a decidedly more mixed bag, as they seemed to be tweaking their style to find their groove. A rather subdued, submissive nose, and it took a lot of swirling to coax out some herbal, shoe leather, flint and raspberry notes. Wild strawberry, sour cherry and red currant flavors, some floral notes, and an almost Burgundian, Savigny-like tart red fruit profile. Elegant, pretty, light-bodied syrah, which finishes with biting dry tannins that softened considerably on day 2. I see how some could be underwhelmed by this wine, as it is not one to overpower, but it is nonetheless lovely in its understatedness.
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1/1/2022 - jlm wrote:
Blackberry and black raspberry fruit prominent on the nose, and also a savory quality I couldn't quite place. Pleasant but not distinctive. The palate is still big and brawny, with firm tannins and mouthfilling fruit. I felt the mouthfeel was a little flat, possibly due to lowish acidity. The finish is unremarkable. This is unfortunately kind of charmless. Hard to know whether it will ever resolve to show more character, and if it does how long that might take.
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11/17/2021 - pjhr Likes this wine: 92 Points
Similar tasting notes to previous bottle, but this one was not as open.
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9/7/2021 - Tubulus wrote:
Not much different from my last note from 2016. It tastes fine, maybe I'd guess syrah blind but not distinctive. Still tannic and not showing much even on night two. I drank all my bottles so I'll probably never find out if this ever turns into something more interesting.
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8/3/2021 - grafstrb wrote:
-- bottle opened 1.75 hours before tasting --
-- tasted a single glass non-blind --
NOSE: school paste; ripe, rich purple fruits; light savory/funk facet.
BODY: lots of sediment present; medium bodied.
TASTE: a little thin on flavor --- almost nothing on the rear palate; ripe purple fruits; some oak; it's "fine," but not exciting. Gut impression score: somewhere in the mid to upper 80s.
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7/2/2021 - imafloormatt wrote: 85 Points
Very straight forward wine. A little bit of meatiness and pepper which made it easily identifiable at a blind tasting. Not much character besides that. The most interesting part was that it tasted much younger than 2008.
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3/19/2021 - spartap Does not like this wine: 87 Points
Dark purple/garnet color. Medium minus nose with hints of black pepper and blackberry. Palate with medium minus intensity, low tannin with chalkiness, low acidity, medium minus body, medium alcohol,
Reminds me of a nondescript cabernet blend between $10-15. Disappointing.
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2/21/2021 - devillighter wrote: 88 Points
Decanted and consumed over four hours. Dark fruit aromas, blackberry and raspberry. Nose is restrained, not giving too much. Elegant mouthfeel that I find to be a common characteristic of Rhys reds. On the palate is more dark red fruit with a savory acidic backbone. This is a civilized Syrah - not getting the wilder character that Syrah can have.
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1/23/2021 - pjhr Likes this wine: 93 Points
Delicious blackberry, olive, and pepper notes on the nose and palate with savory tannins on the moderate finish. Opening up beautifully!
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8/27/2020 - jbaron wrote: 92 Points
Reticent nose, good mouth and feel, better length. Makes for a pretty picture that is better than the sum of its parts. Doesn’t seem like it’s in any danger of decay.
Try the other/last bottle in 2024.
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4/14/2020 - Thirsty1 Likes this wine:
This is very good wine. I purchased this online for $35 and it appears to have been stored correctly and was in great shape. Lots of secondary fruit notes - this is a california syrah, not French, with a hint of olive and dried cranberry. Very well balanced with dusty tannin and racy acidity. Harmonious and delicious. It's in a great window right now with a few more years ahead of it, but not necessarily improving. To be enjoyed sooner rather than later.
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2/2/2020 - dhammer53 wrote: 90 Points
Superbowl wine that's been burning a hole in my pocket since it was delivered a long time ago. No notes. The wine was fine, but I'm glad it's out of my cellar.
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1/15/2020 - WetRock wrote:
I can see how this disappoints many. It's certainly not up to the level of expression you expect from top end wineries. But this is a good wine. It's actually classic in feel the way the acidity keeps it fresh. I would dare call it a very good food wine. The fruit expression is more reserved giving away to more savory and herby notes. On the palate it's also note all that rich in feel. There is a touch of sourness on the fruit but somehow that doesn't really carry to the finish. There really isn't the concentration for improvement. It's fine to drink now in my estimation but also no rush. A poor value probably not not a bad wine. Just a decent wine.
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1/10/2020 - rosenst1 wrote: 92 Points
PnP. Classic Syrah nose. Lovely velvet texture with some slightly drying tannins on the finish, but excellent balance. Will keep last bottle a few more years.
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11/24/2019 - Cote d'Or wrote:
Tasted over 4 hrs
-opaque red purple no bricking
-low key rich dark berry
-med acidity gives plenty of verve in the form of a continuous spine from entry to the slightly dried out finish, med/med+ weight med concentration focused linear streak of dark berry plum, med tannins with faint wood
-OK but not great, the fading fruit is not being replaced by interesting tertiary elements yet and this bottle is a bit awkward right now
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10/17/2019 - gmbdds wrote: 92 Points
Crisp and precise with a red fruit profile. Quite young at age 11, but showing some savory side of Syrah. Delicious and bright at this stage.
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9/17/2019 - B Paul wrote:
Red fruit, olive and meat. I like the style here (restrained CA ). That said, for me this is good, but not great. Drink now and over next 5-7 years.
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8/29/2019 - pjhr Likes this wine: 91 Points
Similar tasting notes to previous bottle, but this one was not as open.
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12/14/2018 - Tree512 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Much more approachable. Clear Syrah, no longer closed/reduced. Meaty with classic olive profile.
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11/2/2018 - CLo wrote: 91 Points
Much better on day two.
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8/24/2018 - rosenst1 wrote: 93 Points
PnP. Dark red, clearing at the rim. Pepper and olive nose; very classically Syrah. Velvet mid-palate with love dark flavors followed by very finely grained tannins on the finish. This is more Cote Rotie than Cornas or Hermitage. More restrained than some of the very good Sonoma Coast/RRV Syrahs with more varietal character. Still tasting quite young at age 10. Nice surprise for a first bottle.
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8/19/2018 - soyhead wrote:
Nose - savory plum
Mouth - nicely integrated, raspberry, plum, high toned and lively, with good structure, quite elegant, good length. At this stage of my palate evolution I’m favoring Rhys’ syrah over their pinots
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5/31/2018 - Frank Murray III wrote:
This left me a little underwhelmed last night. For context, it was opened several hours before the meal, then double decanted back to bottle just prior to tasting. Despite all of this effort to add some ox, this still showed backwards to me. Juicy black fruit, olive, incense and a tight, coiled finish that was to me drying and astringent.
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5/6/2018 - Acohen wrote: flawed
Corked
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4/29/2018 - Chrisinroch wrote:
Lovely savory quality in this still young Syrah. N. Rhône style, but less tight maybe. Pnp passive cellared since purchase. W Asian flank steak. Nice wine.
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4/22/2018 - Cote d'Or wrote:
PopnPour, tasted over 2 hrs
-opaque dark purple
-rich dark berry black pepper
-med acidity enough to give a brisk lift, med/med+ weight dense rich layers of earthy dark berry fruit with med+ gritty tannins
-no longer primary but still young-ish, very good
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4/8/2018 - Rieslingfan wrote:
Getting close to ten years since the vintage, this is just barely starting to evolve. It still has significant depth of fruit, as well as more than sufficient tannins. Deep red fruit, the merest beginning of roasted meat tones and an intriguing back end creaminess make for a very enjoyable wine, but one that still has a long development ahead of it. It seems like this will eventually become an interesting and complex wine. The question is how much longer it will take to get there.
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3/13/2018 - pjhr wrote: 92 Points
Tasty blackberry, olive, and pepper notes on the nose and reserved palate with savory tannins on the moderate finish.
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1/29/2018 - xwine wrote:
Opened and poured. Starts off with a lot of cured black olives on the nose, along with some herbs. Still has some tannins, but they’re integrating nicely. A mix of red and black fruit, but seems to lean to red. Seems just a touch hollow on the mid-palate; don’t know how else to describe it. Overall, this is a nice 10-year old California syrah, but it doesn’t really move me.
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1/26/2018 - jnewman77 Likes this wine:
Opaque purple with a nose of dark fruit, smoked meat, hints of pepper, stony minerality, and some oak spice. The palate is still pretty tight with robust tannins and nice acidity. Seems younger than 10 years and still needs to come into balance a bit, but overall still probably the best California syrah I've had.
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12/19/2017 - Mtnmd1 Likes this wine: 91 Points
More refined now. Elegant syrah
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12/1/2017 - WG Johns@n Likes this wine: 92 Points
Patience (and a Coravin) is a virtue with this bottling. I read the below notes with some concern and decided to take the plunge on my lone bottle (and first of 4 bottles of Rhys I purchased in the fall of 2011). I poured my first glass about 5 weeks ago. Gave it about an hour of air and it remained one dimensional. Tasted like an uninspiring $15-20 CdR. The same for glass 2 which followed about week later.
Then lo' an behold, I open the remainder for a group tasting two nights ago and the bottle was singing with a great N. Rhone signature of savory goodness. The olives and meat were all there with more to come. Give this 2-3 more years before your next bottle.
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11/24/2017 - Jahull03 wrote:
Wonderful at thanksgiving. Decanted 6 hours. Inky color, yet medium mouthfeel - not overdone at all. I was surprised just how deep and dark the flavors were. A bigger wine than I expected, though all on the savory side. Not at all the blueberry juice-bomb you often get with CA, though I wouldn't blind it as French.
At any rate, delightful and count me in on exploring these more.
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11/5/2017 - stevetimko Likes this wine:
Dark fruit mostly with a little bit of spice. Some tannins. Did not reveal much. More on the attack than mid palate. It seems riper than I expected for a Santa Cruz Mountains syrah. Decant, which we did not do, or let it age another couple of years. I think it is still improving.
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5/24/2017 - Nanda wrote: 87 Points
Rhys 08/09/10 (Sun Wah BBQ, Chicago, IL): Medium nose comes across as a bit simple. Lots of black fruits with subtle meat and pepper, if you really look for it. The palate is similarly simple with lots of rich black fruit. A bit flat and boring.
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5/24/2017 - acyso wrote: 88 Points
The Rotating Dinners, II.1: Rhys, 2008-10 (Chicago, IL): The nose here shows quite a bit of syrah character -- it's dark and meaty, with a touch of briny olive. The palate is very full bodied, with tons of rich fruit; perhaps a bit thicker and denser than I am accustomed to in syrah. This is a full degree of alcohol higher than the 2009 and 2010, but this is surprisingly similar to the 2009 in profile.
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4/16/2017 - glou.sf Likes this wine: 93 Points
Lovely nose of dried plums, pepper, leather, and smoke. Dark fruit with medium+ tannins and a hint of ripe blueberries on the palate. Nice finish.
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3/1/2017 - rmalloy Likes this wine: 87 Points
I share some other reviewers' sentiments that this wine doesn't have much going on now. Maybe it's in a dumb phase? Nose of black cherry, menthol, and just a hint of smoked meat. I like the plush fruit on the palate. But overall, this is a bit dull.
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1/14/2017 - lolo66 wrote: 80 Points
Disappointing bottle. Showed grapey and simple on first opening. Let sit for a day and still showing same simple profile. WTF. There are some drying tannins, but this just doesn't haven't anything else going on.
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1/11/2017 - collin wrote:
Not sure about this. Fine over all- opens perfectly nice and syrah-y, but then some not very compelling fruit takes over. I think the advice to wait to 2020 may well be right- it's, well, not very compelling now and there was enough on opening that it's worth taking a chance. May never turn out to be much, but I guess I'll find out
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12/24/2016 - Nanda wrote: 87 Points
With lamb stew on Christmas Eve. Pop n pour and consumed voer 3+ hours. Kind of a disappointing bottle as it lacked Syrah character (no meat, no pepper, no olives, etc.) The nose offers more red than black fruit. Palate is medium bodied with good fruit and balance, but the flavor profiles lack depth and interest. A bottle I had a few months ago was much finer.
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12/4/2016 - lolo66 wrote:
Dense and tight upon opening. Some olives. Some burnt earth. Tannic. Structured. Will wait a few hours before tasting again.
With air this is something special. Meanders between that bright, special crunchy high quality northern Rhone and Cali Rhone. Still is a bit primary, but is showing enough for me to enjoy a half bottle and wanting more. Has some floral elements, but on deep thought, this is still primary. But what a primary it is. One more bottle left. Will wait a few years.
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11/25/2016 - Tree512 wrote: 88 Points
Hard to tell now - super closed with no secondaries. Don't approach until 2020.
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8/17/2016 - JBVino wrote:
Juicy, fruit driven Syrah. Prior bottle noted alcohol present but not in this bottle. New world style consistent between bottles. Greater secondary flavors, texture in the palate would have added to wine's presence.
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7/5/2016 - Tubulus wrote: 89 Points
This was very nice, dark fruit, tannins unobtrusive, stems seem a bit prominent, but will agree with the previous note that it didn't really ascent do any great heights. Maybe in a dumber phase.
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7/3/2016 - elodin wrote:
Dark, peppery, rough tannic finish after an hour open. Not integrated, no finesse. I'm not a fan.
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6/5/2016 - DugyDog Likes this wine: 94 Points
Smooth, pepper,
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6/2/2016 - Nanda wrote: 92 Points
Casual Wine Dinner (Grand Sichuan at St. Marks, New York City): Wow, great lifted aromatics in the full nose of blackberry, toasted herbs and spice. Polished palate has mid-weight with real polish and fine tannin. Nice, long herby finish.
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6/2/2016 - salil wrote: 84 Points
Nanda does Grand Sichuan (St. Marks Place Grand Sich, NY): Nope, not a fan of this. Bright, ripe red and dark fruit with a slightly bitter tree bark element, but the acidity feels a bit disjointed and gives it a slight citric tang on the finish that I found offputting, with some hard tannin also showing on the back end.
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4/17/2016 - d_chism wrote: 91 Points
Still quite enjoyable now that it has mellowed.
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4/3/2016 - glou.sf Likes this wine: 94 Points
Plums, pepper, blackberries, and leather notes on the nose. Noticeable, but well integrated tannins with dried plum on the palate. Very nice finish. Great now, but could use another couple of years.
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2/3/2016 - Billigan Likes this wine: 91 Points
Ripe fruits and slightly coarse, grippy tannin on night #1. Loosened up considerably on day 2, showing more classically N. Rhone aromatics and a cool, low-alcohol style. Could easily be mistaken for a top-flight St. Joseph from Chave or Gonon. As with most all Rhys wines, a nice long decant is advisable here if you're thinking of opening one anytime soon.
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10/22/2015 - d_chism wrote: 91 Points
Quite enjoyable. Red fruit up front. nice tannins. Moderate astringency.
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10/10/2015 - Nanda Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted and consumer over 6+ hours. Dark purple. Full nose has stem-driven herb, cloves, smoke, blackberry and plum. Palate is mid-weight with juicy acidity. Young and still all about youthful fruit and herbs (from the stem / whole cluster, I'm guessing). Well-balanced with robust acidity and suave tannins that are concealed by the fruit. Better with food. Let's see how this develops -- certainly seems to have the potential.
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10/7/2015 - ScottPreston wrote: 92 Points
Textbook expression of Syrah. Meaty, violets, black pepper. I disagree with some that the wine is too high in acid, i think this makes it a stellar match for a roasted meat dish to really counter the fat. Well done.
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6/23/2015 - ruchottalex Likes this wine: 89 Points
Definitely closed. Reluctant when I popped the bottle, took a good three hours to open up. On the nose it has the old-world Syrah style I hoped for but I'd say the palate wasn't quite there yet - fair amount of acid. Got 2 more bottles, going to sit on them.
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5/22/2015 - JBVino wrote:
underwhelmed...not bad just did not meet expectations. thought style was more new world/extracted/higher alcohol that RHYS house style. Thought alcohol showed through, wine definitely lacked any texture, was a bit short and secondary flavors were underdeveloped. will be interesting to see this wine in 3-5 years.
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5/1/2015 - EhrlichDY wrote:
Popped and poured and drank over three nights. Shut down or possibly dumb right now. This bottle was disproportionately acidic and lacking in fruit. It was best on day three but still not coming together all the way. I'm not sure what's going on here but I would lose sight of these for a few years before checking in again if I had any bottles left.
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1/17/2015 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Rhys Tasting With The Gang--Part 2 (My Place): Next to the 2009, this 2008 comes across riper and certainly lacks the defining black pepper of the 2009. Cherry fruit, light herbal and a touch of blueberry preserve. Even with the decant this saw of about an hour earlier in the day and the slow ox time, was still tight at dinner.
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1/10/2015 - lozatron wrote:
Still very peppery and primary - sure there's some excellent wine under there but far too young for my taste. Interestingly I have a sense that this requires significantly more time than its cousins in the N Rhone to come around...
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11/27/2014 - joshbryer wrote:
Quite tight on opening. Suave plum and deep red fruits are very much in balance with the earth and iron character on the nose. Lots of pepper on the palate with more chalky red fruits that seem like they'll be out to play more with some air, very tight. Deep but not brooding. Definitely old world and balanced in style.
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11/16/2014 - Lessthanzero wrote: 90 Points
Good. High toned. Classic Rhys Syrah. Needs more air.
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10/3/2014 - theharve wrote: 90 Points
nice almost at peak try in 2015
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9/28/2014 - gblacave wrote: 88 Points
Balanced Syrah with a nice freshness, but it just doesn't wow me. The nose is pretty fruit dominant - dark and cool - but not getting a lot of complexity in this wine. Will be interesting to see how this develops after some more time in bottle.
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9/28/2014 - tooch wrote: 90 Points
Sunday Night Dinner (RPM Steak - Chicago, IL): This might be the first non-Alesia bottling of syrah I've had from Rhys. I liked this a lot. Had some spicy dark fruits, a touch of meatiness, and beautiful florals. Nice acidity and a cool fruit profile, I was a fan.
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9/24/2014 - EhrlichDY Likes this wine: 91 Points
Popped and poured and drank in a flight with a Guillaume Gilles 2008 Cornas. From the nose alone it was almost impossible to tell which was wine from from the old world. Very savory and peppery with a slight ripeness on the finish distinguishing it from the Cornas. Still on the primary side and didn't develop much complexity over two days. On the second day, acid came through as well but integrated well with the wine overall.
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9/15/2014 - Mike Dildine Likes this wine: 93 Points
13.9% abv. Rich and concentrated red and blue fruit with spice and leather accents. Deep and long, should evolve well for several years.
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9/11/2014 - SimonG wrote: 83 Points
2008 Rhys (The Medlar, London): Dark fruit, black with a veneer of red. Sweet lift. A touch of black olive. So far so good. Very smooth on the attack with sweet fruit, but chalky density and a very dry finish. Not particularly long and dominated by the dry tannins. Mouth puckering. I don't think this is balanced and it doesn't have the fruit to cover the dry tannin. Not for me. **
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5/25/2014 - Frank Murray III wrote:
I haven't drank one of these in over 3 years, kind of forgot about it. Open about 30 mins, starting to unfold. Mix of savory, blue fruit, metal shaving, black olive and lavender. All of these are pretty reserved right now, under some moderate structure and dusty tannin. Thus, an open and pour is not showing a lot but I'll head this to dinner and see how a few more hours of slow ox air treats it...turned out just fine over dinner, although it got lost amongst the food, a few other bottles and good conversation. Seemed to flesh out some more yet retain the freshness of the fruit and medium body.
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3/6/2014 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 90 Points
A Whole Lotta Syrahs (and more) at the Girl and the Fig; 3/4/2014-3/6/2014 (The Girl and the Fig): I brought this out with me, so it may have suffered from some travel shock I suppose. That said, it drank quite well, so who knows. Lots of red fruits on the nose. It took some time to open up. Lovely texture some medium tannins. Dark cherries, black raspberries, slight dark chocolate notes. Long, nice finish. Good acidity. Needs air but drinking well.
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2/2/2014 - rhit Likes this wine:
Tannic and very tight, even after several hours of air. It gave a less savory impression than the 2009, though it still had big-time mineral presence. Of course, the quality and potential is obvious.
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12/8/2013 - Keith Levenberg Likes this wine:
This started out a little more primary than expected but started showing off that delicious savory syrah meatiness an hour or two in. Unfortunately by then it was almost gone...
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11/2/2013 - Pinotfanbg Likes this wine:
Popped and poured. Tight, with grippy tannins. Opens slowly to reveal a core of intense blackberry fruit. A slight bit of volatility gives a nice bacony lift to the fruit. Needs time but should be very good to excellent at peak. Hold for five years and revisit at age ten.
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8/2/2013 - Mtnmd1 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Reserved balanced, quiet fruit. Initially pop'd then set aside for a day as it clearly wasn't ready. Will wait a few years for the next bottle.
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7/4/2013 - Mike Dildine Likes this wine: 92 Points
Still a little reticent, this wine is round and deep. Will be outstanding in a few years.
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3/23/2013 - soyhead wrote: 90 Points
limited nose, attractive bordeaux-esque note
mouth - restrained while being substantive. like their pinots. good fruit, good structure. basically, a nice syrah
try again in 5 yrs, maybe at that point it will have some secondary flavors.
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1/26/2013 - Michael Davidson wrote:
Still tight, but much more open than my last attempt. Dark fruit, strong acidity, powerful tannins. Enjoyable now, but only if you have multiple bottles.
After picking up more air, there's a nice lingering sweetness on the palate and finish. This definitely got better as the evening went on, but still, very tight.
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12/20/2012 - gblacave wrote:
My bottle; I just got a quick taste of this. Decanted about 2 hours, nose shows forest floor, white pepper, black fruits and smoked meat. Palate is ok, showing a lot of structure and the fruit seems a bit cloaked. This doesn't wow and feels like it needs more time to flesh out.
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11/22/2012 - sachsen wrote: 93 Points
After5-6 hours decanted, this was hitting on all cylinders, reminding me of a nice Northern Rhone syrah. 93-94. 1-2 hours of air just isn't enough for this.
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11/21/2012 - BklynNeophyte wrote: 87 Points
Thanksgiving Eve 2012 in the Berkshires (Berkshires (West Stockbridge, Massachusetts)): Overall ranked third, and my fourth, of 5 California syrahs tasted on Thanksgiving eve. I completely mis-pegged this one, finding it young and harsh.
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9/30/2012 - elamasters wrote:
Comes across as a bit thin and metallic today. Probably needs a lot more time to flesh out.
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9/16/2012 - sehill wrote: 91 Points
Decanted and poured, this wine required time in the decanter to show its best; however, unlike a bottle tasted in December of 2011, on this occasion the wine becomes more expressive and balanced with airing. Based on this showing, the wine seems to have shed some of its stern character with the still prominent tannins better balanced by the fruit component on the finish. At this stage, the wine gives the impression that it will benefit from another year or two of bottle age.
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8/28/2012 - Keith Levenberg wrote:
Nice, but not quite as edgy and succulent as the '07 was last time I had it - this is more about the fruit at the moment.
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8/25/2012 - aagrawal wrote: 91 Points
Dinner with Mike Grammer (Pera, San Francisco): Smooth ripe red fruit, reticent; smooth, red fruit, strong tannins, very young. Hard to tell how it will develop given that I don't have much experience with Rhys. Should be at least good, possibly very good or excellent. 88-93
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8/12/2012 - OneLastSyrah wrote: 90 Points
13.9% ABV. Pretty much opaque dark garnet in the glass. Reticent aromatics with a dominant mineral dry earth note and background leather and a touch of funky meat. Medium bodied with a taut personality on the palate. The fruit seems subsumed by the structure of the wine. I'd give this one some more time.
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8/1/2012 - vinosean wrote:
Much too young. Supremely dense blueberry riding on top of grape concentrate. Coarse oak and tannic finish.
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6/29/2012 - cpsmith33 wrote: 91 Points
Solid syrah. Had to try one to see if I wanted to order some 09s this Fall. Agree with Reptibark that this leans more WA style (which I prefer as well). Nice fruits, funk and meat to the wine with funk coming right out when opened. Some tartness that didn't appeal to me, and tannic ending - needs a few years for sure to show it's true form.
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5/28/2012 - Reptibark wrote: 91 Points
Veyr good CA Syrah (coming from someone who naturally prefers WA Syrah) with a dark hue and nose of spice, red and black fruits and a touch of berry along with an interesting Asian spice note. Palate is medium bodied with lots of those black fruits and more berry profile as well as smoked meat, funk and rich tannins that coat the palate and give the wine more substance than the nose would let off. Very good and worth the $.
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5/21/2012 - DuaneT wrote: 94 Points
Did not need much air to show it's stuff. Very lean, spicy, with dark red fruits, maybe blueberry as well, and meaty undertones - really well rounded. The flowery fragrance was powerful and impressive, probably better than the taste of the wine.
Really impressive stuff that drinks well now.
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5/16/2012 - 14frimaire wrote:
Damnation! Smelled great on opening, intense and tannic. Then the TCA struck and took over everything.
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5/9/2012 - Matt T wrote: 92 Points
Very interesting profile. Aerated and decanted. On day one this was tannic and muscular and at first came off as a restrained cool weather syrah. It definitely softened over the course of the night with blackberry, oak, and vanilla making an appearance. A completely different wine on day three with the acid still there, but a bit more funk, minerality, and tartness emerging.
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5/4/2012 - BklynNeophyte wrote: 95 Points
95+. Spectacular, and different. At first, I thought the flavor profile was of bitter cherry but, upon further reflection, it's a dead ringer for a perfect Santa Rosa plum. Comparable: Mariano Rivera before he ripped his knee apart.
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4/23/2012 - missionpk wrote: 91 Points
Impressive at this stage and could potentially work with a big meal to balance it. Looking forward to seeing how this is after some sleep in the cellar, though. Big tannins and big acidity, balanced by some subtle, very tasty, fruit.
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3/18/2012 - Lessthanzero wrote: 91 Points
Less ready than the Skyline, with really noticeable tannins. This can be beautiful one day. Bright red fruits overlaying a bed of dark ones. Good acidity that makes this wine work better with food than without. Hold.
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3/3/2012 - Burgundy Al wrote: 91 Points
Aromas of black pepper, blackberry. Fat and lush black fruit that is in balance with everything else in the wine. Black pepper and licorice emerge on finish.
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3/2/2012 - alittle wrote: 91 Points
Weeknight Tasting in Wellesley (Andrew's House): Decanted for one hour, followed over the next five hours. A little less concentrated than the previous 2 wines, this had a nose of dark fruits, black currants, huge white pepper notes, with a touch of cedar, lemon zest and mild floral undertones. On the palate, not incredibly complex, showing dark fruits, white pepper and citrus. Reasonable balance here, with significantly less tannin than I was expecting. The acidic structure is quite large and dominates the finish in the mouth. Unlike the last 2 wines, this is much less concentrated an leaner on the palate. Much more refreshing, and is quite easy to drink. I have one bottle of this left and I would like to wait another 5 years or so before I open the next one.
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3/1/2012 - gunpwdr wrote: 94 Points
Nose: Blackberries, plums, sage, white pepper, braised beef, some floral notes as well. Beautiful nose. Palate: Raspberries, blackberries on the attack. Seamless transition to the mid-palate where big time tannins, sarsaparilla dominate. Everything dries out on the finish, with notes of sage and flowers lingering.
My justification for popping one of these open, despite the other CT notes suggesting it's closed, was that I have 6 of them. I'm not going to say that this syrah was completely open and showing all it has, but it was definitely not shut down for me. I'm also not going to say this is like Hermitage or Cote Rotie (although it is the next closest thing) but it is such a far cry from what I'm used to for California syrah. It's not primary, not creamy and lush, it's got loads of acidity and tannins, and it has that classic French syrah sage/floral action going. Rhys hype aside, this syrah is genuinely delicious right now and the only nit I would have is the relative lack of weight of the fruit. Ultimately, this is a structural beast that needs 7+ years in the cellar and should most definitely improve.
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1/31/2012 - KeithAkers wrote: 92 Points
nose: tight, even after 3 hours decanted but with balanced and revealing tones of dark red fruits, dark cherries, violets, berries and currants. Excellent depth with a real savory quality to it as well
taste: full bodied with good medium+ acidity and very chewy tannins. Balanced with real good depth and great tones of dark cherries, currants, smoke and a touch of violets. The tannins are big and thrash the palate a bit.
Overall: I love the real savory quality to the wine. Very young and definitely in need of real lay down time. This can definitely be a stunner with age on it. There is great depth on both the nose and palate. This was decanted for about 3 hours before drinking and it was still tight
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12/11/2011 - sehill wrote: 88 Points
Decanted and poured, this wine showed a reserved, stern personality that did not become more forthcoming with airing. This will require a few years of bottle age to begin to unwind and become more accessible.
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12/4/2011 - Jbray wrote:
interesting, intellectual more than hedonistic.
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12/3/2011 - BklynNeophyte wrote: 94 Points
Drank the night before Thanksgiving, likely infanticide. One of the most interesting syrahs I have ever consumed. Struck by dark, dark cherry flavors, followed by a bitter finish. Not a typical syrah (blueberry, etc.). I will wait awhile before opening another. Rhys advises that this syrah needs a good number of additional years to come into its own. Comparable: Jesus Montero.
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11/17/2011 - Michael Davidson wrote:
Very, very tightly wound right now. Definitely muscular and dense. Needs time in the cellar.
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2/26/2011 - SanFranSoxFan04 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Rhys Vineyards Winery Pickup Weekend (Rhys Vineyards Skyline cave): Pepper, spicy and meaty flavors, the gaminess was almost hot dog like. Luscious fruit, super enjoyable.
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2/26/2011 - yhn wrote: 91 Points
Nose - soft and warm youthful berry fruit, woodsy and floral, incense.
Soft tannin, black currant and boysenberry, soft touch of zest, with nutmeg and orange. Pert. Drink '11-'17. 91+ pts
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2/26/2011 - zscheiner Likes this wine: 90 Points
Rhys Pickup Day (Rhys Winery, Santa Cruz Mtns.): Black fruit on the nose, but not super ripe, bit of olive and anise too. Similar on the palate, medium bodied with fresh black fruit, plums and currants, some savory notes, nice acidity and noticeable tannins. Unique syrah flavor profile in my experience... ripe black fruit but fresh and lively, not heavy. Great now but I think it will improve as the tannins soften.
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2/26/2011 - xwine wrote:
Tasted at the Rhys pickup event, and no notes taken. A very nice, deeply pitched syrah. Palate is well textured and very firm, but this is really young.
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1/24/2011 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Open 12 hours. Blueberry, lots of tannin around the edges, some crushed red fruits. char and some new wood on the finish. youthful and yet bright. needs some settle time for a few more years. good bright core.
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12/1/2010 - etherscreen wrote:
do yourself a favor and hold.
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5/21/2010 - xwine wrote:
Rhys Tour and Tasting (Various Rhys vineyards): The aromatics were wild and lovely; concentrated, minerals, and a nice finish. My note taking was definitely nose diving by this point, but at this stage this seems much more approachable than the Skyline Syrah.
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