2003 Ojai Syrah Bien Nacido Vineyard

Community Tasting Notes (40) Avg Score: 91.0 points

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  6/18/2023 - The Drunken Cyclist Likes this wine: 97 Points

  Retail $100? Big. Ass. Bottle. 100% Syrah. I purchased this online through a "grey market" seller back in 2011. I paid $25/bottle. Whoa right there. The seller said that he no longer "related" to the Ojai Syrahs and he thusly sold me a slew of them on the cheap. This is the very last one. Bien Nacido, by any account, is considered a "Grand Cru" vineyard and this *twenty-year-old* Syrah is a perfect example why. I popped this on Father's Day since my first son was born in 2003 (we had already had the 2008 champagne for my other son) and holy mother of Jesus. Where to begin? Inky dark in the glass with no real signs of age (isn't that what we all strive for?), the nose is one of the more compelling wines I have sniffed all year (and decade?). Intensely floral with rose petal, hibiscus, lavender at the fore. Add some fresh tobacco leaf, clove, cardamom, and nutmeg, plenty of nutmeg, and this deserves another Whoa. Every so often, there are wines that I would rather take a moment or eleven and just sniff. This is one of those wines. Holy cow. Already open a few hours, some anise sneaks in, as does some black and white pepper. When the time came to actually *taste* the wine, I was more than a tad hesitant as I felt, nay *knew*, that there was no chance that the palate could match the wonder of the nose. I happily admit I was wrong. Even dead wrong. The palate took it all a step further. Sure, the fruit is subtle, but blackberry and plum are both still there, willing to be noticed as if sitting in the front row of the classroom, waiting patiently to be called upon. Right after the fruit? The acidity, which is simply remarkable: tangy, tart, lip-smackingly lovely from beginning to end and in perfect harmony with the fruit although certainly less demure. The tannins (as witnessed by the noticeable sediment on the side of the bottle) have largely precipitated out, having done their job, protecting this beauty until right about now. It is indeed rare that I wax on thusly over a domestic Syrah, but this just might be one for the ages. So much so that I just joined the Ojai wine club. My first in over a decade.
  
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  11/29/2020 - rpenn77 Likes this wine: 91 Points

  A very pleasant surprise. Hadn't had this wine in several years but it was drinking really well now.

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  7/31/2017 - mdvino63 Likes this wine: 92 Points

  Deep blood red. Beautiful nose of meat, dark red fruits. Deep. Succulent, ripe fruit with nice acidity to balance it so it is not heavy of jammy, though it is rich and thick. Really a terrific California Syrah that is drinking fabulously well right now and should go on for several more years. Seriously, I wish I could throw this into a Guigal LaLa tasting. It would show Cali, but would make people perk up and think twice for a moment. Wish I had more.

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  11/14/2015 - sesalmon Likes this wine: 88 Points

  A nice wine still showing fruit but definitely past its prime. Went well with my lamb shank.

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  11/20/2013 - GrandeSerataFuori wrote: 88 Points

  A good wine that did well in the cellar but nothing exceptional here. Went fairly well with most foods we threw at it, but I don't think this is getting any better. Good quality but little of interest.
  The wife says "It was good."

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