Syrah

Torrin makes some of the best Rhone styled wines anywhere.  This is 30% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 20% Tannat, so not completely a Rhone styled wine.  Close enough.  There wines are big and generally need at least five years to start to be approachable for my tastes.  This one is just getting there.  Purple in color.  The nose has black raspberries, plums, slight black cherries, blueberries, slight dust and spice.  It's great.  On the palate, this is big and wide.  Great texture.  Loads of black raspberry fruit with some blueberries and a bit of black cherries.  It's d

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

This is the first year that this wine was made.  It is a blend of Syrah and Petite Sirah.  At age 20, this seems to be at peak.  It is drinking great with no signs of being over the hill.  Deep ruby in color, purple at the rim (a nice sign of youth).  The nose is all about boysenberries along with hints of black pepper and some charred wood.  On the palate, this is slightly soft with no tannins left.  It is almost seamless.  Deep and complex.  Boysenberry fruit over a bed of char and dry earth.  Good acidity.  Long finish.  Delicious.  This will go with a wide range of medium and heavier fo

This is a blend of 87% Syrah and 13% Petite Sirah.  At age ten this is just starting to come into its own.  We drank this side by side with a 1999 which was illustrative.  Deep ruby in color with some purple swirls.  The nose is big with black raspberries, char and minerals.  A wonderful, full bodied texture.  Black raspberry fruit over a char/mineral/earthy base.  Tight layering with moderate tannins.  Long finish.  Delicious.  This does have some upside as it mature and comes together.  If opening now, give it a few hours in a decanter.  This drinks great on its own and will work well wit

The first bottle of this I tried had likely been exposed to heat during shipping.  It is great that I was able to try a proper bottle.  Much better.  Purple in color with ruby swirls.  Interesting nose.  It is smoky with a scent that reminded me of a really good corned beef sandwich at a Jewish deli.  That is meaty, slightly salty, a bit of yeast, and slight roasted meats.  Very proper and welcoming.  This is a cool climate Syrah and it drinks very well.  There is some bacon fat too, but that wouldn't go at a Jewish Deli.  ;-)  There also is some boysenberry fruit lurking in the background.

This is a GSM blend of 70/10/20.  Still young, it needs some time, especially for the Syrah and Mourvedre to come out.  Ruby in color, slightly cloudy.  The nose has black cherries and baking spices.  On the palate, this is more raspberries but the baking spice are present.  Smooth and easy drinking but also some depth.  Medium bodied.  Good acidity.  Needs a few years and should have a decade more.  Will work on its own and worked great with a stuffed eggplant dish but roasted foods in general.  

I am a big fan of the Lagier Meredith wines.  For some reason, this is the first review on this site, but that will be corrected.  Steve Lagier is a lifelong winery worker with impressive credits and associations going way back to Robert Mondavi.  Carole Meredith is a retired oenology professor at UC - Davis and one of the preeminent wine grape DNA researchers.  This winery is a two man team on top of a mountain.  Despite PG&E turning off the power, these two didn't even blink.  If there ever is a Zombie apocalypse, this is the place to be.  First, it is way too steep for Zombie's to ge

Biased Review.  This is our wine, so it was made in a style that I love.  Of course, I like it.  Although the critics were quite kind to it, YMMV.  This was consumed over two nights and was better on day 2.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose has black raspberries, slightly earthy with black pepper and slight roasted herbs.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this has black cherries, char, slight plums and spice.  Medium tannins.  Nice acidity.  Good finish.  This still needs about five more years to peak and should stay there for another ten to fifteen after that.  Right now, it drinks

Another gorgeous showing for this Syrah.  It is still youthful although like many 2013's, they have turned the corner and are moving to adulthood.  Inky purple in color.  The nose has black raspberries, roasted meats, roasted herbs and black pepper.  This is deep with about 30 minutes of air.  Tons of fruit; black raspberries over a char finish.  Very concentrated.  Moderate tannins.  Long finish.  Delicious.  Very structured at this point, this may yet get a bit better!  Worth holding another few years though this wine is good for ten to fifteen more.  It will go well with roasted meats an

This is really in a great spot right now.  Drinking superbly.  Will it get better?  Perhaps, but absolutely worth opening a bottle right now.   A blend of 52% Grenache, 26% Mourvèdre and 22% Syrah.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose is great with black raspberries, white pepper, black cherries, and slight roasted coffee beans.  On the palate, this is soft, gulpable but also deep and complex.  Black raspberries and plums intertwined with char, slight earth and roasted meats.  A long finish.  It is delicious and a show stopper.  No rush, this should easily do another ten to fifteen