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Ruby/purple in color.  Cloudy.  The nose is sweaty socks.  Perhaps some macerated cherries.  On the palate, this is very soft.  Very sour cherries with some dank earthiness.  It is a style of Pinot that I like but this seems either mishandled or way past prime at this young age.  Not sure if this bottle was representative  It reminds me of some of the unclean Burgundies that were more prevalent 25 years ago.  That is not to say undrinkable or even bad, as this wine is certainly offering some nice and interesting notes, but more to say, what this might have been (or a pristine bottle is).

Light green gold in color.  The nose is nice with minerals and melons.  On the palate, this is tight.  Obviously it's young, but still it took some time to open.  The melons carry thru to the palate along with a slight grass note.  Good finish.  Works well with or without food but needs a bit of air.  Very solid but seems like some patience may be rewarded. Good now, but will greatness develop?  I think so.  

These are my go to wines for later in the night when you just want a bit more wine.  I buy a bunch every vintage and drink through them quickly, not that they won't last, but as they are really great values.  So, I was a bit surprised to see I still had a 2014 left.  Screw capped.  On opening, this was singing.  Purple in color.  The nose has black raspberries. Also some black pepper and a bit of roasted herbs.  On the palate, this is lush but also deep.  Gulpable but at the same time it has some complexity.  Nice finish.  Drinks well on its own but would go well with heartier foods.  

This was done as a one off in order to raise money for victims of the earthquake.  This vineyard is an enclosed small vineyard at about 800 feet of elevation.  This is a wine that is still tight but with just a bit of air, it is drinking beautifully right now.  Purple in color.  The nose has dark cherries, spice and a bit of bramble.  On the palate, slight tannins.  Black cherry fruit.  Some depth.  Good acidity.  Very food friendly for medium or heartier foods.  Nice finish.  I don't think this gets better from here but will undoubtedly change and mature.  

71% Syrah, 28% Mourvedre and 1% Viognier.  This is a gorgeous wine that is drinking great right now but still has some maturation to come.  Purple in color.  On of the cool things about Viognier is it make Syrah more opaque.  Another is that it has lifting aromatics which carry the Syrah and Mourvedre along with it.  In this case, just a gorgeous nose.  Black raspberries, roasted herbs, grilled meats, white pepper, musky earthiness all just explode from the glass.  On the palate, this has a lovely velvety texture.  Good balance.  Lots of black raspberry fruit with underlying earthiness.  It

The fill was low shoulder.  On touching the cork dropped a few millimeters.  A Durand was used and the cork came out in one, if crumbly, piece.  The wine was decanted for sediment and allowed to breathe for a few minutes.  Purple in color, not showing a lot of age.  The nose is initially dominated by volatile acidity, but that partially blows off leaving dust and cassis.  Much better on the palate.  This still has thick tannins.  A pristine bottle of this would likely be just hitting its stride.  This bottle is advanced but still with plenty of cassis fruit.  OK finish.  An impressive wine

This is a wine that many people will like.  It retails for around $15 and is ripe sweet fruit.  Purple in color.  The nose has cassis and fresh cut lumber.  On the palate, this is sweet ripe jammy fruit.  Some oak.  It is all about providing an easy to drink, jammy wine.  If that is what one likes, than this is a nice value.  A cocktail wine.  

Light golden in color.  The nose is nice with lemon cream and some minerals.  A bit buttery and slightly oaky.  On the palate, this is nice acidity.  Lemon with cream.  Decent balance.  Works well with food.  Slight depth and complexity; probably won't get better.  Good drinking right now.  A nice compromise for those who like buttery/oaky and those who don't.  

Nice to revisit this wine.  It is starting to really hit its stride at this point although it did continue to open after popping the cork.  Purple in color.  The nose is deep with leather, iodine, boysenberries and a slight grilled meat component.  On the palate, this has a cooler climate profile.  Boysenberry fruit.  Layers of dry leather.  Good balance.  Medium to full bodied.  Would work well with a wide variety of foods.  It has depth and a nice complexity but also drinks easy.  Good finish.  

This was an experiment Justin Smith did back in 2005.  He let the wine stay in barrels for 44 months before bottling it.  This extended ageing as it is called is interesting.  One might think the wine would be ready earlier but conversely, it seems to take even longer for the wines to be ready to drink.  This one is now in a great place and if you have one, consider popping the cork.  A GSM blend, but mostly Syrah.  Purple in color.  The nose is great with black raspberries, iodine, decayed meats, leather, slight bacon fat and an earthy/musk.  On the palate, this has a wonderful lightness a