Saturday, February 21st, 2009
97 / B-
Tasted by Mike Supple - 30 Jan 2009
Dark amber color in the core with a lighter brick red rim. Complex aromas pour out of the glass: brown sugar, bacon, black cherry, earth, black truffles, sweet tea and tobacco. The palate entry is incredibly smooth and the tannins are fully integrated into the wine. Flavors of coffee and toffee surround black cherry, brown sugar, bacon, smoky earth and wet stone with a lingering cherry and soy sauce note. The acid is relatively high, keeping the wine impressively fresh. The flavors linger on for quite a while.
The aromas and flavors seem to be fully developed at this point, and the earthy and spicy characteristics fully dominate the remaining fruit. While an impressive wine, it is likely on its down swing, so I would recommend drinking it rather than holding on to it for too much longer.
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Tags: 1985, amber, bacon, black, brick, brown sugar, Burgundy, cherry, coffee, conti, cote du nuits, drc, earth, france, grand cru, la tache, pinot noir, red wine, romanee, smoke, soy sauce, stone, tea, tobacco, toffee, truffle
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Sunday, February 1st, 2009
91 / B+
Tasted by Mike Supple - 05 Dec 2008
Inky core with a bright purple rim. Thick blueberry jam aromas are surrounded by smoky game, earth and a lighter hint of cut violets. Rich fruit on the front palate with nice balancing acidity. Brown sugar baked ham and a touch of bacon lurk under blueberry syrup. A touch of earth joins the fruit on the finish. A very clean, fresh and well balanced Shiraz.
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Tags: 2006, Australia, bacon, baked, blueberry, Boarding, brown, class, earth, first, game, hame, jam, Pass, purple, r wines, red, red wine, Shiraz, smoke, South, sugar, Syrah, syrup, violet, wine
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Monday, January 26th, 2009
92 / B+
Tasted by Mike Supple - 03 Oct 2008
Intense inky purple core with just a glimmer of a fuchsia rim. Massive aromas of bacon, roast coffee, toffee, blackberry, white licorice, violets and a hint of truffle. Soft and full on the front palate. Sweet dark fruits: raspberry, blackberry, cassis. Round and full on the mid-palate without getting weighty. Good fresh anise flavors spice up the finish with roasted earth and dark chocolate notes.
This is a big, young wine, so I had it sit around open for about 12 hours before tasting it, giving it time to breathe. While it weighed in at 14.25% alcohol (according to the label - and given the legal margin of error here putting .25% is ridiculous) it managed to stay very impressively balanced. This is a great example of what Syrah can be when not made in a heavy, jammy, Australian manner.
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Tags: 2005, Alesia, anise, bacon, barbara, blackberry, california, cassis, chocolate, coffee, County, dark, earth, Fairview, fruit, fuchsia, Highlands, licorice, Lucia, purple, Ranch, raspberry, red wine, roast, santa, sweet, Syrah, toffee, truffle, USA, violet
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