2015 Carr Vineyards & Winery Syrah, USA, California, Santa Barbara, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2015
Score: 
90
Grade: 
A-

Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose is dusty with black raspberries and some roasted meats.  On the palate, this has sweet black raspberry fruit.  It approaches cloying but not quite.  Also some blueberries.  This is a big jammy fruit filled wine.  It will probably a difficult food match but drinks easy and great on its own.  Hard to say how long it will age but drinking in the next five years should be safe.  

2014 Revelry Vintners Syrah Block 18, USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2014
Score: 
92
Grade: 
A-

Purple with ruby swirls.  The nose is tight on opening but reveals smoky black raspberries.  On the palate, this is sweet black raspberry fruit.  It has a nice complexity to it and is more "elegant" than a fruit bomb.  Drinking quite well, it will probably still improve with good cellaring.  Food friendly for most foods.  Nice finish.  It retails for around $60.

2014 K Vintners Syrah Motor City Kitty, USA, Washington, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2014
Score: 
93
Grade: 
A

Purple/ruby in color.  The nose has black raspberries, black pepper and a burnt rubber note that is present (in a good way) in many Washington Syrahs.  On the palate, there is nice boysenberry fruit.  Layered but tight with fruit and crushed rocks.  There is an almost seamless texture to this wine that is really nice.  It will work with a wide variety of food and has a nice backbone of acidity to assist.  Good finish.  This competes with wines at twice the price.  Good now, it probably won't improve but should remain here for at least five and probably ten more years.  

2014 Reynvaan Family Vineyards Syrah Stonessence, USA, Washington, Walla Walla, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2018
Score: 
90
Grade: 
A-

This was very good, but given the price (around $100), quite disappointing.  Purple/ruby in color.  The nose is earthy with some funk and meaty tones.  Also some black raspberries.  On the palate, this has a sour cherry note.  It is not to dissimilar for red cherry soda with a bit or sweetness to match the sour fruit.  Medium bodied.  An almost aquarium note, so perhaps this was poorly stored during shipment (the storage on the receiving end was fine).  In any event, it was good with a northern Rhone, cooler climate quality to it with sour cherry fruit.  Would work with food.  

2013 K Vintners Syrah The Deal Sundance Vineyard, USA, Washington, Wahluke Slope, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2013
Score: 
93
Grade: 
A

Ruby/purple in color.  The nose is nice with coffee, black raspberries and black olives.  Very much a Washington meets the Northern Rhone nose.  On the palate, this is tannic.  Black cherry fruit.  Tight layers of fruit and earth.  Good acidity.  Long finish.  This continued to improve in the glass all night.  Still very tight and young, there is certainly plenty of upside potential left.  It will be interesting to see where this is in five years as it approaches peak.  

2015 Charles Smith Syrah Boom Boom, USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2016
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A-

In a tasting, two bottles were tasted side by side.  They showed differently.  Was it because the wines were in a different place in the line-up or the bottles came from different stores and had been treated differently?  Hard to say, but tasted in a group, we had different reactions.  There is an inherent bias that blind tasting removes prejudices and it probably does, but it also introduces its own set of biases that can not be discounted.  Bottle #1 was the first glass tasted while bottle #2 was the 9th.  

2015 Substance Sauvignon Blanc, USA, Washington, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2015
Score: 
90
Grade: 
A-

Light yellow in color.  The nose has vanilla, clay, lemons and minerals.  Nice.  On the palate, this is full bodied.  Slightly oily.  Has a nice tart lemony quality.  Seems like it has a nice food friendliness.  Fruit forward but not tropical.  Unique for a SB profile.  Has some level of maturity but still a nice verve to it.  Drink in the next few years.  

2016 Maggio Family Vineyards Old Vine Zinfandel, USA, California, Lodi, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2016
Score: 
84
Grade: 
B

This is a $10 bottle of Zinfandel.  It is just about exactly what one would expect (in a good way).  Purple/ruby in color.  The nose has cherries with some alcohol.  Slightly candied.  On the palate, cherries with some heat.  A bit dusty.  No complexity but nothing really off either.  This would make a nice choice at a large party.  

2013 Benovia Zinfandel, USA, California, Sonoma, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2013
Score: 
90
Grade: 
A-

Deep ruby in color.  The nose has cherries, slight bramble, and a bit of pepper.  On the palate, this is lighter in style.  Cherry fruit.  Some warmth.  It doesn't seem like this will improve but it makes for enjoyable drinking.  Works better especially well with spicy Indian food.  Probably should be drink in the next few years.  

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