2013 SonkinCellars Persona, California, Wine Review

WARNING-Biased Review. Although both of the 2014's scored higher, this is the best wine SonkinCellars made. It is still quite tight and needs air or time. Purple in color, inky at the core. The nose has black raspberries, black olives, slight roasted meat, slight cedar and spice. On the palate, this has firm tannins. Lush black raspberry fruit. An under layer of spice and roasted meats. Long finish. Still a few years from peak. Everything that needs to be in a great California warm climate Syrah that is not over the top but pushes ripe. Of course, this is a completely biased review, but it is everything we were hoping to achieve for this wine. Still some upside potential.

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2013

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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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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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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2014 SonkinCellars Persona, USA, California, Wine Review

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2014

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WARNING - Biased Review. This is our highest rated (by the critics) wine. WA96 points. In my biased opinion it is not there yet, but will get to that lofty position. It needs lots of air or a decant. If you ate opening a bottle today, 24 hours ahead of time is not too much. Purple in color. The nose has black raspberries, blueberries, black olives, slight oak and roasted meat. On the palate, what a great texture. Not quite seamless, but going in that direction. Black raspberry and blueberry fruit with underlying black olives and slight charred earth. Good finish. Needs hearty or

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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2013 SonkinCellars Persona, California, Wine Review

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Top Ten California Syrahs - 2016

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2014 SonkinCellars Persona, USA, California, Wine Review

Top 10 California Syrahs - The Wine List - October 2014