2011 Saxum Terry Hoage Vineyard, USA, California, Paso Robles, Wine Review

The 2011 Saxums are drinking beautifully right now. It was a difficult vintage but Justin Smith and Saxum excelled. The wines are a bit more ready than most vintages, but that's fine. Pop and pour. 51% Grenache and 49% Syrah. Inky purple in color. The nose has black raspberries, dark chocolate, black pepper and roasted herbs. With air more chocolate comes out along with a bit or roasted meats. On the palate, this has a lovely juicy yet muscular texture. Lots of black raspberry fruit, some char and a bit of earthiness and black pepper. Nice finish. This is a big wine and will need big foods or just drink it on its own. We had it after dinner but before dessert while playing card games and it was brilliant.

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Score:

Vintage:

2011

Current Price:

$125.00USD

2008 Hospice du Rhone Events: Highs & Lows of American Rhone-style Wines Tasted

The Rhone Report: About Rhone and Rhone-Style Wines and Winemakers is part of an ongoing series. The 16th annual Hospice du Rhone events in Paso Robles, California from May 1 to 3, 2008 was an opportunity to consider Rhone-style wines from a fresh perspective. Unlike most tasting opportunities, these events included Rhone-style wines from the Rhone Valley itself (51 wineries), elsewhere in France (4 wineries) as well as from Spain (4 wineries), Australia (17 wineries), South Africa (6 wineries), Chile (2 wineries), Argentina (1 winery) and the United States. The American wines were mostly from California (144 wineries), but a few examples from Arizona (2 wineries) and Washington State (5 wineries) were also included. While this is a California-dominated event, and while many of the Rhone Valley’s best producers aren’t represented, there is still sufficient European and other entries to make for interesting comparisons and contrasts. The events included two general tastings and a series of focused seminars.

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America’s Best Rhone Style Red Wines: 11th Annual Rhone Rangers Tasting Reviewed

The Rhone Report: About Rhone and Rhone-Style Wines and Winemakers is part of an ongoing series. Last month we discussed the white Rhone style wines offered at the 2008 Rhone Rangers tasting event at Fort Mason in San Francisco on March 18. This month we turn to the reds, of which we tasted 50. Among those we tasted were some old favorites and some wineries or bottlings with which we were not yet familiar. We don’t pretend that we tasted a representative group of wines, because our sample was skewed to wines we have loved in the past and others about which we have heard positive comments.

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Top Ten California Syrahs - 2016

I tend to taste and drink a lot of wine over the course of a year. I am in a few tasting groups, sometimes the wines are consumed at various local wine store tastings and a number drunk with friends and family.

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Top 10 California Syrahs - The Wine List - October 2014

Syrah is a grape that most wine merchants will tell you is a difficult sell. It seems it’s always going to be the next big thing, but never is. For consumers, that’s a good thing. A great Syrah usually will cost far less than a comparable quality Cabernet or Pinot Noir. For my money, I tend to buy more Syrah than any other grape. A disclaimer here – I liked it so much, I started to make it. In any event, as the temperatures start to drop, fall is great time for a hearty red with dinner or next to a warming fire. Syrah is a grape that really changes its personality depending on where it is grown. Cooler climate Syrahs can be quite different from warmer climate ones. California has plenty of each. While I love many of the cooler climate Syrahs, most of the ones listed below are warmer climate Syrahs. In my opinion, that is where the very best of Syrahs from California can be found.

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2002 Terry Hoage Vineyards Syrah The Hedge, USA, California, Paso Robles, Wine Review

Vintage:

2002

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This is a classic example of how well these high octane Syrah's from Paso Robles can age and mature given the chance. The bottle lists this at 16.5% ABV. On release, many naysayers said it would fall apart after five years. They complained about the heat and taste, many without even tasting it first. Now, I will admit that I liked this wine young. And, at age 17, I liked it even better. Of course, if you didn't like it young, you probably won't like it now I suppose. But, it clearly has not fallen apart. It is delicious, complex and has years left. This wine was made by Justin Smit

2011 Saxum Terry Hoage Vineyard, USA, California, Paso Robles, Wine Review

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2002 Terry Hoage Vineyards Syrah The Hedge, USA, California, Paso Robles, Wine Review