Syrah

Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose is dusty with slight aquarium notes.  Also some cherries and black cherries.  On the palate, there is a lot of heat and it seems disjointed.  Tart cherries but brown sugar.  Alcohol on the finish.  Again, this appears to be a poorly stored bottled, but how to know for sure or where the issue is.  Drinkable for sure, but doesn't work with food at this point.  Hopefully, this bottle was not representative.  

So glad to be able to review this as a bottle last week was not that good.  This one was much better and more what should be expected.  Bad bottles do happen.  Deep salmon pink in color, but not as deep as the prior bottle (heat damage?).  The nose has cherries and light rhubarb.  On the palate, this is clean, dry and no bitterness.  Persistent cherries on the palate.  Good acidity.  Nice finish.  Worked well with food.  Nice bottle.  In retrospect, that first bottle was probably damaged in shipping at some point.  

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.  

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

70% Malbec, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Syrah, 5% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot.  From the family that owns Leoville Poyferre in Bordeaux.  Purple/ruby in color.  The nose is warm and slightly musty (not in an off way).  Also has some cassis and plums.  On the palate, this drinks like a Bordeaux; fruit, tobacco and earth.  Black raspberries and plums.  Slight tannins.  It has a nice depth and seems to be closing in on maturity.  A bit soft but within reason.  Would work with roasted or grilled meats quite well.  No hurry, but won't get better and probably should be drunk in the next five years.  

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

A very nice example of a cooler climate Syrah.  At age 10, this is just sort of chugging along on its way, but not yet, at maturity.  Purple in color.  The nose is black raspberries with some black olives and slight bacon fat.  Very much a Northern Rhone profile.  On the palate, there is a grilled black raspberry fruit quality to this.  Slightly sour fruit.  Some slight heat on the finish.  Overall, very solid and enjoyable.  Food friendly.  Perhaps still some upside to go.  

Sean Thackrey is one of the world's great winemakers who hangs out in Bolinas California.  This is basically a field blend of what doesn't make his top Cuvees.  Although it is non-vintage, each Cuvee carries a Roman Numeral designate.  This is XI, but the current release is XXV.  This wine is approximately 16 years old and was really made to be drunk in the first few years.  Sometime, however, wines hide in the cellar only to provide a pleasant surprise later on.  It was originally claimed to be a blend of Syrah, Petite Syrah, Zinfandel, Sangiovese, Carignan, and Barbera, however, DNA testi

From a different winemaker named Chave (a name known in the Rhone for 600 years).  This is quite good and really shows off the vintage.  2010 was an excellent year but the wines are tight and need time.  This is just starting to open up and needs a good decant at this point.  Deep ruby/purple in color.  The nose is great with black raspberries, slight bacon fat, violets and grilled meats.  On the palate, this is ripe black raspberry fruit but concentrated.  Medium tannins.  An underlying crushed rock minerality.  Good balance.  Long finish.  Needs heartier foods.  Probably some upside here