2016 Zaca Mesa Syrah Eight Barrel

Community Tasting Notes (5) Avg Score: 91.1 points

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  4/23/2021 - WineKnut Likes this wine: 92 Points

  A time machine. Taking me back to the early days on my wine journey. I'll always have a fondness for Zaca because their tasting room was the first place that I tasted Syrah about 30 years ago. One sip and I was hooked.
  
  This vintage is an impressionistic and hedonistic look back on everything that captured my attention during that first taste. This is a big wine. Period. Surprisingly approachable given the massive amounts of blackberry, vanilla, sage, tarragon, black olive, black tea and lemon zest that each sip unleashes. Lingering on for at least a minute. Tannins are not a burden to this wine right now, either. Really in a good place with about 1 hour in the decanter if you like youthful wines. Maybe 3-5 years away from a more mature profile.

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  12/13/2020 - MattMauldin wrote: 90 Points

  Deep black-garnet color. Aromas of blueberry, tobacco leaf & cedar, pressed violets, tea and sage. Rich and concentrated palate, with its oak spices tamping down the fruit a bit at the moment. Silky and round, and well-layered. Shows even ripeness in its black fruit, with ample vanilla, cocoa and clove secondary depth. Full-bodied and structured, with easy & integrated acidity and round plush tannins. Finishes with lingering spices. Pleasurable, definitely more oak-prevalent than my previous bottle. Difficult to read how this will evolve fruit vs oak. Of note, this is purposely Zaca Mesa’s most barrel-driven Syrah.

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  8/15/2020 - MattMauldin Likes this wine: 92 Points

  Deep ruby color. Aromas of cassis & black cherry, black tea, tapenade, rubbed sage, smoked paprika and worn cedar. Black fruit on the palate, refined and rich, with depth of violet, scrub florals & herbs, tea and oak spices. Round middle density, with balanced acid and full smooth tannins, and lingering concentration of spices on the finish. Very nice.

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  2/18/2020 - scarlet834 Likes this wine: 90 Points

  Pretty-much everything that BobMilton has to say. Add some cherry and a hint of oak leaves.

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  8/15/2019 - BobMilton Likes this wine: 91 Points

  Another very nice Syrah from Zaca Mesa. Good dark fruit, touch of Syrah spiciness. Still one of my favorite Zaca wines.

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