Syrah

This is a blend of 79% Syrah and 21% Mataro (Mourvedre) from Paso Robles.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright. The nose is great with black raspberries, plums, black pepper, roasted meats, earthy and char.  Full bodied.  Lush texture.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this has lively acidity.  Loads of black raspberry fruit with earthiness, black pepper and char.  Long finish.  This drinks great on its own and will work with big roasted meat, fowl or veggie dishes.  Drink over the next fifteen to twenty years. 

Great showing for this wine.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, roasted earth, black pepper, and roasted meats.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Great plush texture.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Black raspberries, black pepper, spice and char.  Long finish.  This is young but obviously deep and with time with show complexity.  Very nice on its own, this will need big good for now.  BBQ Brisket should work very well.  Drink over the next ten to fifteen years.

This was very good but maybe just a bit below other bottles previously consumed.  It seemed a bit closed down which is unusual for a Syrah like this, but does happen.  That said, it was still very good.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose seems a bit roasted with black raspberries, black olives and slight brown sugar.  medium to full bodied.  On the palate, roasted black raspberry fruit with some char and black pepper.  Good finish.  This drinks nicely on its own and would be a nice match for a beef stew or chili.  The roasted fruit makes me question how pristine the storage

This is a blend of 67% Syrah and 33% Mourvedre from Paso Robles.  Of course, Booker makes its own wines but they also sell some fruit to Saxum.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is nice but there is some volatile acidity.  Whether it is too much is a matter of personal taste.  Very earthy with black raspberries, roasted meats and char.  Full bodied.  Great, rich texture.  On the palate, black raspberries, black pepper, some earthiness and char.  Long finish.  This is drinking well right now.  Well stored bottles should have another decade or so.  It drinks great on its own

This winery is no longer in business and the vineyard has been sold (Pax Wines).  Purple in color with ruby swirls, opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, black olives, char and spice.  Full bodied.  Good acidity.  On the palate, this is a big wine.  It is cooler climate Syrah in style.  Flavors of black raspberries, black pepper and char.  Long finish.  This is still on the younger side but drinking well.  It should go another ten to fifteen years. Great on its own, this would be nice with roasted root veggies.  

Nice showing for this bottle.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim, opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with black raspberries, black olives, and just a hint to bacon fat.  Medium to full bodied.  Good balance.  On the palate, black raspberry fruit with slight char.  Nice finish.  Good energy.  This drinks well now but should go another seven to ten years.  Nice on its own, this will work well with grilled meats or fowl and also roasted vegetables.  

Purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with tons of black olives.  Also some black raspberries and spice.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, black raspberries, some black olives and a bit of black pepper.  Good finish.  Blind, I would have guessed this was a Crozes Hermitage in large part from all the black olive notes.  Drink over the next five years.  A nice wine with food off the grill (except for seafood).  

This is 84% Syrah and 16% Viognier from Sonoma.  There are three version of this wine which Robert Parker compared to the three Guigal Lala wines from the northern Rhone.  Luckily, they were not that expensive back on release.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, roasted meats, bacon fat, slight dried flowers, spice and char.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this seems mature and close to peak.  Flavors of black raspberries, slight blueberries, spice, and a hint of earthiness.  Long finish.  This wine is complex and deep.  This is great on

Whoa.  This is a big wine.  It is also Fantastic!  It is 93% Syrah, 3% Roussanne, 2% Grenache and 2% Mourvedre.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, blueberries, roasted meats, spices and herbs.  Full  bodied.  Medium to firm tannins.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Deep with loads of black raspberries, blueberries, some black cherries, spice and char.  Long, long finish.  This is great now, but if you can wait five years, it will be even better.  That said, drink over the next ten to fifteen years.  Great on its own, this would work well with Chili

Summertime is always a great time for rosé, but of course, all year long is even better. Rosé should always be low alcohol with light, bright fruit, and a wine that works with a variety of foods, and should be a wine that is not overly complicated. Côte Mas, which I have reviewed for several vintages, is a consistently good, inexpensive rosé that works well pretty much whenever. This iteration is comprised of mainly Grenache with Cinsault and Syrah. It offers bright strawberry, cranberry and pomegranate, light rhubarb and fresh cherry.