2014 Samsara Syrah Zotovich Vineyard, USA, California, Santa Barbara, Sta. Rita Hills, Wine Review

Great showing for this wine. A cooler climate style of Syrah. Garnet in color, ruby at the rim. Mostly clear and bright. The nose has boysenberries, black pepper, black olives and slight char. Medium to full bodied. On the palate, black raspberries, some black cherries with underlying earthiness. Good acidity. Nice finish. This is drinking well now and should continue to do so for another seven to ten years. Nice on its own, it should be better with food. Chili or beef stew would be a nice choice.

Grade:

Score:

Vintage:

2014

Current Price:

$50.00USD

2018 Melville Syrah Estate, USA, California, Santa Barbara, Sta. Rita Hills, Wine Review

Vintage:

2018

Score:

Grade:

A-

Current Price:

$35.00USD

Purple in color, opaque and bright. The nose has black cherry fruit and roasted herbs. There is some depth on the palate. Full bodied. Black cherries, black raspberries with underlying char and pepper. This comes across more cooler climate, that is (for Syrah) lean, sinewy but with power. No doubt this will get better as it matures. Maybe another five years to get closer to peak and drink for ten after than. A nice match with Indian food.

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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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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2018 Samsara Syrah, USA, California, Santa Barbara, Wine Review

Vintage:

2018

Score:

Grade:

A-

Current Price:

$48.00USD

Ruby in color, mostly opaque and partly bright. The nose has cherries, strawberries, slight black olives and slight black pepper. Medium bodied. Lower acidity. On the palate, black cherries and cherries with a soft texture and light tannins. Easy drinking and approachable. Seems more cooler climate in style. Nice finish. More on the delicate/feminine side of Syrah. Nice on its own, this will work well with foods, but stay away from foods that may overpower it. Pan roasted chicken breast would work well. Drink over the next five to eight years.

2014 Samsara Syrah Zotovich Vineyard, USA, California, Santa Barbara, Sta. Rita Hills, Wine Review

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2018 Samsara Syrah, USA, California, Santa Barbara, Wine Review