Color: dark purple to black Nose: medium to full intensity. Spicy, complex aromas of dried dark stone fruits with black pepper Body: full body. Dark stone fruit; spicy; some minerality. Wonderful balanced warm mouthfeel, but not alcoholic. Still good acid structure Finish: lingering
A collaboration between Jon Rimmerman and folks at Substance. Walla Walla syrah
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Much better than bottle 1, a mature, classsic Syrah with smoke, horse sweat and animal dung in the nose. Very peppery with light, fine tannins, plum, leather and drying acidity.
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Now at nearly 10 years, this Sean Boyd craft punches way above its weight. Tannins are soft. Soft light non pruney black fruit with olive, black olive, concrete, and faint hide. Delicious. Will last another 2-4 years at this peak.
I don’t often buy a case of any single wine anymore but I did for this. It’s been a fun journey seeing this little $20 gelding mature over the past 8 years. Happy to Have three more to see it through.
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Raspberry, red cherry, blackberry, brine, herbs, deli, pepper, and smoke on the nose. Red cherry, tart cherry, earth, brine, blackberry, a little meat, herbs, and blood on the palate. Tart acidity, integrated tannins, medium-long finish. Quite savory. Very nice.
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I liked this when I first enjoyed this back in early 2013, but I'm really liking it now. Drinking extremely well at seven years. Still big, dark, and full bodied. Very aromatic upfront with smokey black berries, black licorice, seared meat, and some black pepper notes. Complex palate with concentrated smokey berries, spicy black licorice, and grilled pepper steak, along with savory dried herbs, burnt cedar, and rich black mulch. Balanced in the mouth with plenty of acid, integrated tannins and deep black fruit, culminating in a long, long finish. Great mix of New World and Old World styles.
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Really seems to have bounced back after the letdown bottle I had six months ago. Followed over 4 hours open and again, the nose dropped off drastically with air but the wine improved overall in balance and texture. It still has a roughness and some awkward moves but it's also regained most of the allure of earlier bottle notes. 4+10+16+7 = 87
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Continues to drink very well. Nice acidity, tannins, savory fruit. I think its delicious. Needed some air for flavors, but the aromatics were best on the pop'n'pour. Enjoyed at Sauvage.
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PnP. I think this bottle had a bit of VA and was a bit fritzy. Nonetheless, it had a nice smoky nose and a savory palate. However, once the wine crossed the middle of my tongue it went completely flat. If not for the finish, would have rated 89-90 despite the minor flaws.
Not sure if these notes mean the bottles need to be drank soon before completely fading or if just an off bottle. I have one left and will try in the second half of 2014.
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Tasted over two nights. Not much change other than ratcheting down of the aroma. Very dark purple color and huge legs, good dose of heavy sediment. Big and bold mesquite, smoke, grilled meat, black pepper, and decaying bramble in the bouquet. The palate seems completely shut down compared to my last bottle, 5 months ago. Thin and light bodied. Not bad or wrong, but remarkably different and really drinking more like a village Rhone, including rocky minerality, firm tannins, and less alcohol. Finish also has less persistence. Not sure what to think on this bottle. The nose leads me to expect the big succulent monster I had before, but the mouthfeel and profile have totally changed. Dumb phase? I 'll hold off another 6 months before trying again.
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A complete 180 from my last bottle. Much more new world with well integrated black fruits on the nose and palate, some lead pencil, pepper and earth on the finish. Ditto some other recent reviews, very well integrated and drinking like a first class wine. Seems like some serious bottle variation based on reviews.
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Spontaneous Blind Tuesday night Rhone Varietals (Portland, Oregon): old world aromatics with peppery nose of a washington syrah. Flavors were savory spicy, white pepper, restrained fruit, and great mouthfeel. Finished lengthy without intrusive alcohol. Seemed a marriage between well made wash syrah and northern rhone. Fantastic
Half guessed northern rhone, the other a well-made washington syrah. This was one of the favorites of the night.
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Big, bold, new world power and succulence. I was able to appreciate it much more on the second day open and this could really stand some more sleep in the cellar. But if you fully decant, it stretches into a voluptuous, umami-packed siren. Not going to keep up with serious money wines, especially on persistence and finish, but it's plump fruit transitions into the dark, smoky oak notes without a seam that would commonly be found around this price point. I'd be very surprised if there wasn't some Mourvedre in here.
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This is really very good, a great find on Garagiste for $20; it drinks like a much more expensive wine with some clear similarities to a Northern Rhone Syrah. Tons of fruit, but not jammy, with a fair amount of complexity. I'm a bit surprised the CT scores don't reflect how good this really is, but I guess personal tastes vary widely. It's a great balance of both Old World complexity and New World fruit.
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Great wine! I corked half the the bottle on the counter and it morphed into awesome the next day. Seriously delicious with aeration. Very complex. Nice mouthfeel and textures.
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Medium body. Fresh, young, easy drinking, but initially not very much to it. Better on its own than with food. Better with some air; give this at least an hour to breathe. Restrained damp compote on the nose. Good concentration on the midpalate, with flavors of kirsch. Medium finish. Overall: understated. Perhaps too young? 88-89
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I have to say, this is a great, great wine for twenty dollars. I recently went to a tasting of higher-end Washington Syrah and other red wines and I like this just as much and better than many of the wines in that tasting, and this is less than half of the price! This bottle is drinking better than my last bottle, a bit more complex, the earthy flavors are more prominent and the structure of the wine is really well balanced. Very smoothly textured. Killer wine at this price, I wish I had a few more. 90+
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color: dark purple; nose: oak, cherry, and mushroom -- nice!; taste: medium- to full-bodied mouth feel, fruity-puckery cherry taste, smooth and slightly earthy medium-length finish with notes of black pepper and anise; overall: nuanced and modern-tasting fruit-forward pour with plenty of stuffing and gravitas which would pair well with grilled flank steak or burgers, offers decent QPR ($20/bottle)
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Popped and followed as it opened up over 5 hours. Dark ruby, 90% saturated and clear, extremely slow legs. Funky and very youthful with some forest burn and green pepper at first. Around the 2-hour mark, the nose seemed to temper down a notch and come together, bringing forth dark fruit, cigar, hot slurry, and roses. The body is smooth and graceful, medium weight, but beefed up by ample acidity and prominent minerality. Clean and mildly complex. Long finish. Hold/drink with long decant. 5+11+17+7 = 90
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On first opening the nose is showing smoke, camp fire, pepper and dark black fruit. The palate is loaded with dark fruit, smoke and cracked pepper. The finish is surprisingly sweet with notes of cherry bark.
One hour later the nose is showing smoky sandal wood, cracked pepper and dark fruit. The palate has bulked up with more dark fruit and notes of roasted meats and cracked pepper that lingers to the finish .
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A great qpr, funky sheep ass nose with some initial berry fruit on the nose, lighter in body than most Syrah, good acid, bracing mouth feel of tight cherries.
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Roast herbed lamb and berry on the nose. Ripe berry on the palate, with lavender bath salts. Good balance, creamy texture. Simple in a good way. I enjoyed it a lot.
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And even better than the previous bottle. The funkiness and harshness of the first bottle were not present. This will be interesting to sample over the coming few years - I think could age for 5 years easily and should only get better!
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Rare example of domestic syrah that isn't an extract reliant fruit bomb. Bright red/purple fruit. Tasty and fun. Wonderfully balanced, if not particularly complex.
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I found this to be drinking really nice. The nose has some black and blue fruit as well as grilled beef and some stems. Smells really nice though. The fruit on the palate is brighter and more tart than the nose would let on to believe. This does carry strong acidity but is well checked, I found this best with just a slight chill which gave more balance and allowed the fruit to show more. Nice earthy tones here too, and combined with the fruit character and the feel on the palate, this is a really nice wine. Tannins are back a bit from the fruit but still very present, this still has some years ahead of it. Tasty juice, I normally don't enjoy Syrah that much but this was quite nice, probably due the lighter nature.
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light to medium body, cold red berries, more raspberry, mild glycerin, and eucalyptus, clean finish with soft tannins if any. need to decant for one hour.
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Better than the previous bottle. Funky barnyard aroma, very Old World. The taste still seems a bit odd for a Syrah to me, perhaps I'm just not used to this style. Tasted stewed and closer to Pinot Noir than Syrah. I like PN, but something about this wine just tastes off to me...
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Decanted 30 min. Savory nose, with earth, pepper and just a touch of fruit. A lighter style of Syrah, with bright acidity, cherry fruit, and black pepper. Almost too acidic for me, giving me some reflux. I love the savoriness of the wine, just a bit on the thin/acidic side for my preference.
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"You should only buy wine like this" said my wife'. 'nuff said. Classic example of a restrained New World syrah with terroir & restraint reminiscent of Old World. Too bad we finished both bottles.
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Personally, I love this style of syrah. Blackberry, sandlewood, some perfume, bacon fat, and a little core of black cherry. Nice lean fruit. Great acidity dances with black cherry skins and incense on the palate. Sweet tannins and good length.
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Deep purple Very aromatic with dark, jammy notes and damp earth Nice medium weight with good acidity and freshness Dark fruit, fig and bark/oaky balanced nicely Some complexity coming through, maybe it will open up over some time even more Lingering sharp finish
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deep purple, very primary, good at what it delivers, and slightly cooler than I might have expected. Fpr the price, one of my favorite in this class of domestic punchy syrah.
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Really enjoyed this. Could improve with some age. Green notes (stem? -- probably not, but that's what comes to mind) stick out a little on this one on the finish. A great representation of the syrah grape. Still not getting the bacon fat or meaty notes others have noted.
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The nose showed strawberry, fig, espresso beans and cinnamon. On the palate, it had a medium body with juicy acidity as flavors of blackberry, orange and clove flowed seamlessly across the senses. The finish was long with blackberry fruit and hints of spice.
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This is superb. The fruit is quintessentially balanced and shows the best of Northwest Syrah. And as it opened up on day two, it filled out beautifully.
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For once Jon has actually downplayed the quality of a wine. This is *terrific* and remarkably close to much more expensive N. Rhone syrahs. The nose alone would be worth $20 a bottle. (Maybe I'm just hitting it at a lucky time but right now the nose is *screaming* and leaps from the glass.) Truly modeled on Cote Roties (with the acidity you get there and don't usually get out of WA), this won't please folks looking for a quick, thick hedonistic fix, but anybody with the slightest interest in the peppery, baconfat goodness that usually only comes out of a particularly expensive part of France should check it out.
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This wine has definitely opened up since the first bottle. Popped and poured last night and I'm sipping on the leftovers this afternoon. This is certainly not a ripe or super dark style by any means, but pretty full bodied. Its hard for me to pick out specific fruit flavors but black current and some plum are the obvious ones. The wine has green edge to it, but not unpleasant. Just a tad vegetal. A nice wine whose flavors are different and less meaty, sweet and dark than most syrahs. One to watch and enjoy over the coming years.
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Nice dark, well balanced syrah. Not sappy or oaky. That being said, it's terribly closed right now. On day one it was totally unyielding both on the nose and in the mouth. Day two more dark fruit and rasberry comes through with solid acidity but there's not much going on. Hint of wood on the nose. Short finish. I hope this is just temporary, otherwise it's a bad deal for $20.
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8/31/2022 - OldwineinVT Likes this wine: 90 Points
Garagiste selection 13.8% ABV
Color: dark purple to black
Nose: medium to full intensity. Spicy, complex aromas of dried dark stone fruits with black pepper
Body: full body. Dark stone fruit; spicy; some minerality. Wonderful balanced warm mouthfeel, but not alcoholic. Still good acid structure
Finish: lingering
A collaboration between Jon Rimmerman and folks at Substance. Walla Walla syrah
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11/28/2018 - guitarguy wrote: 87 Points
Cloudy and Bretty on opening, this changed over two nights to show a bit of saddle and berry.
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4/5/2018 - guitarguy wrote: 88 Points
Much better than bottle 1, a mature, classsic Syrah with smoke, horse sweat and animal dung in the nose. Very peppery with light, fine tannins, plum, leather and drying acidity.
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2/23/2018 - arthrovine wrote: 92 Points
Now at nearly 10 years, this Sean Boyd craft punches way above its weight. Tannins are soft. Soft light non pruney black fruit with olive, black olive, concrete, and faint hide. Delicious. Will last another 2-4 years at this peak.
I don’t often buy a case of any single wine anymore but I did for this. It’s been a fun journey seeing this little $20 gelding mature over the past 8 years. Happy to Have three more to see it through.
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2/20/2018 - guitarguy Does not like this wine: 85 Points
A little oxidized, with blueberry, animal fir and pepper notes.
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7/9/2017 - rmh66 wrote: 89 Points
Raspberry, red cherry, blackberry, brine, herbs, deli, pepper, and smoke on the nose. Red cherry, tart cherry, earth, brine, blackberry, a little meat, herbs, and blood on the palate. Tart acidity, integrated tannins, medium-long finish. Quite savory. Very nice.
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6/9/2017 - ccrida wrote: 91 Points
Lots of punchy fruit and balance, no better notes as next day write-up, but holding strong age wise and very enjoyable.
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11/20/2015 - wmccone54 Likes this wine: 92 Points
I liked this when I first enjoyed this back in early 2013, but I'm really liking it now. Drinking extremely well at seven years. Still big, dark, and full bodied. Very aromatic upfront with smokey black berries, black licorice, seared meat, and some black pepper notes. Complex palate with concentrated smokey berries, spicy black licorice, and grilled pepper steak, along with savory dried herbs, burnt cedar, and rich black mulch. Balanced in the mouth with plenty of acid, integrated tannins and deep black fruit, culminating in a long, long finish. Great mix of New World and Old World styles.
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10/10/2014 - Ron Felthoven wrote:
Tasting richer and more modern than it did upon release. Decent wine but not very complex
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4/18/2014 - fingers Likes this wine: 87 Points
Really seems to have bounced back after the letdown bottle I had six months ago. Followed over 4 hours open and again, the nose dropped off drastically with air but the wine improved overall in balance and texture. It still has a roughness and some awkward moves but it's also regained most of the allure of earlier bottle notes. 4+10+16+7 = 87
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3/6/2014 - arthrovine wrote: 91 Points
Continues to drink very well. Nice acidity, tannins, savory fruit. I think its delicious. Needed some air for flavors, but the aromatics were best on the pop'n'pour. Enjoyed at Sauvage.
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12/30/2013 - WestbyGod wrote: 87 Points
PnP. I think this bottle had a bit of VA and was a bit fritzy. Nonetheless, it had a nice smoky nose and a savory palate. However, once the wine crossed the middle of my tongue it went completely flat. If not for the finish, would have rated 89-90 despite the minor flaws.
Not sure if these notes mean the bottles need to be drank soon before completely fading or if just an off bottle. I have one left and will try in the second half of 2014.
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11/27/2013 - RDHudak wrote: 90 Points
A bit more subdued in style than most WA Syrah, this was quite smooth with dark fruit and balanced tannins and acidity. 89-90.
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11/20/2013 - mcggpm wrote: 88 Points
- Medium forming legs. It's somewhat balanced with a medium finish.
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10/28/2013 - pwillen1 wrote:
Dark color, no signs of age. Some bramble on the nose, then clean dark blueberries on the palate. medium finish.
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10/18/2013 - fingers wrote:
Tasted over two nights. Not much change other than ratcheting down of the aroma. Very dark purple color and huge legs, good dose of heavy sediment.
Big and bold mesquite, smoke, grilled meat, black pepper, and decaying bramble in the bouquet.
The palate seems completely shut down compared to my last bottle, 5 months ago. Thin and light bodied. Not bad or wrong, but remarkably different and really drinking more like a village Rhone, including rocky minerality, firm tannins, and less alcohol. Finish also has less persistence. Not sure what to think on this bottle. The nose leads me to expect the big succulent monster I had before, but the mouthfeel and profile have totally changed. Dumb phase? I 'll hold off another 6 months before trying again.
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9/3/2013 - fitchbuck Likes this wine: 90 Points
One of the better blind buys presented by Rimmerman & Co. Rockin' QPR to boot.
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6/18/2013 - Ron Felthoven Likes this wine:
This bottle showed very well
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6/11/2013 - T.E.D. wrote: 91 Points
A complete 180 from my last bottle. Much more new world with well integrated black fruits on the nose and palate, some lead pencil, pepper and earth on the finish. Ditto some other recent reviews, very well integrated and drinking like a first class wine. Seems like some serious bottle variation based on reviews.
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5/28/2013 - arthrovine wrote: 93 Points
Spontaneous Blind Tuesday night Rhone Varietals (Portland, Oregon): old world aromatics with peppery nose of a washington syrah. Flavors were savory spicy, white pepper, restrained fruit, and great mouthfeel. Finished lengthy without intrusive alcohol. Seemed a marriage between well made wash syrah and northern rhone. Fantastic
Half guessed northern rhone, the other a well-made washington syrah. This was one of the favorites of the night.
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5/16/2013 - fingers Likes this wine:
Big, bold, new world power and succulence. I was able to appreciate it much more on the second day open and this could really stand some more sleep in the cellar. But if you fully decant, it stretches into a voluptuous, umami-packed siren. Not going to keep up with serious money wines, especially on persistence and finish, but it's plump fruit transitions into the dark, smoky oak notes without a seam that would commonly be found around this price point. I'd be very surprised if there wasn't some Mourvedre in here.
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4/10/2013 - wmccone54 Likes this wine: 91 Points
This is really very good, a great find on Garagiste for $20; it drinks like a much more expensive wine with some clear similarities to a Northern Rhone Syrah. Tons of fruit, but not jammy, with a fair amount of complexity. I'm a bit surprised the CT scores don't reflect how good this really is, but I guess personal tastes vary widely. It's a great balance of both Old World complexity and New World fruit.
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2/13/2013 - arthrovine wrote: 91 Points
Great wine! I corked half the the bottle on the counter and it morphed into awesome the next day. Seriously delicious with aeration. Very complex. Nice mouthfeel and textures.
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2/12/2013 - Poliosis Likes this wine: 89 Points
great QPR
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1/31/2013 - joraesque wrote: 88 Points
Medium body. Fresh, young, easy drinking, but initially not very much to it. Better on its own than with food. Better with some air; give this at least an hour to breathe. Restrained damp compote on the nose. Good concentration on the midpalate, with flavors of kirsch. Medium finish. Overall: understated. Perhaps too young? 88-89
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1/24/2013 - gripNsip Likes this wine: 90 Points
I have to say, this is a great, great wine for twenty dollars. I recently went to a tasting of higher-end Washington Syrah and other red wines and I like this just as much and better than many of the wines in that tasting, and this is less than half of the price! This bottle is drinking better than my last bottle, a bit more complex, the earthy flavors are more prominent and the structure of the wine is really well balanced. Very smoothly textured. Killer wine at this price, I wish I had a few more. 90+
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1/4/2013 - Epic Tale Likes this wine: 89 Points
color: dark purple; nose: oak, cherry, and mushroom -- nice!; taste: medium- to full-bodied mouth feel, fruity-puckery cherry taste, smooth and slightly earthy medium-length finish with notes of black pepper and anise; overall: nuanced and modern-tasting fruit-forward pour with plenty of stuffing and gravitas which would pair well with grilled flank steak or burgers, offers decent QPR ($20/bottle)
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12/9/2012 - fingers wrote: 90 Points
Popped and followed as it opened up over 5 hours. Dark ruby, 90% saturated and clear, extremely slow legs. Funky and very youthful with some forest burn and green pepper at first. Around the 2-hour mark, the nose seemed to temper down a notch and come together, bringing forth dark fruit, cigar, hot slurry, and roses. The body is smooth and graceful, medium weight, but beefed up by ample acidity and prominent minerality. Clean and mildly complex. Long finish. Hold/drink with long decant. 5+11+17+7 = 90
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12/4/2012 - luchavino Likes this wine: 87 Points
On first opening the nose is showing smoke, camp fire, pepper and dark black fruit. The palate is loaded with dark fruit, smoke and cracked pepper. The finish is surprisingly sweet with notes of cherry bark.
One hour later the nose is showing smoky sandal wood, cracked pepper and dark fruit. The palate has bulked up with more dark fruit and notes of roasted meats and cracked pepper that lingers to the finish .
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11/7/2012 - T.E.D. wrote: 89 Points
A great qpr, funky sheep ass nose with some initial berry fruit on the nose, lighter in body than most Syrah, good acid, bracing mouth feel of tight cherries.
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10/14/2012 - jayw wrote:
Roast herbed lamb and berry on the nose. Ripe berry on the palate, with lavender bath salts. Good balance, creamy texture. Simple in a good way. I enjoyed it a lot.
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7/10/2012 - pnwsun wrote:
very nice with ribs. somewhat fruity with smooth finish and medium body. drank well over two nights.
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5/24/2012 - MrSnooty wrote: 89 Points
And even better than the previous bottle. The funkiness and harshness of the first bottle were not present. This will be interesting to sample over the coming few years - I think could age for 5 years easily and should only get better!
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5/23/2012 - danibus Likes this wine: 89 Points
Rare example of domestic syrah that isn't an extract reliant fruit bomb. Bright red/purple fruit. Tasty and fun. Wonderfully balanced, if not particularly complex.
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4/23/2012 - RPerro wrote: 89 Points
Pop & pour. Very interesting wine...notes of grapefruit jump out of this wine. Highly acidic, citrusey, with red fruit and a touch of funk.
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4/23/2012 - Ron Felthoven wrote: 88 Points
Coming together now and showing a bit more. Just a tad of oak on the nose, too. Give this more time, but it's getting there.
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4/21/2012 - gripNsip wrote: 89 Points
I found this to be drinking really nice. The nose has some black and blue fruit as well as grilled beef and some stems. Smells really nice though. The fruit on the palate is brighter and more tart than the nose would let on to believe. This does carry strong acidity but is well checked, I found this best with just a slight chill which gave more balance and allowed the fruit to show more. Nice earthy tones here too, and combined with the fruit character and the feel on the palate, this is a really nice wine. Tannins are back a bit from the fruit but still very present, this still has some years ahead of it. Tasty juice, I normally don't enjoy Syrah that much but this was quite nice, probably due the lighter nature.
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3/16/2012 - arthrovine wrote: 90 Points
delicious tonight - though it needs air. With a pop - n - pour, it still does well.
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2/2/2012 - maxmanx wrote:
Nice syrah. OK value.
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1/26/2012 - fitchbuck wrote: 89 Points
Decent juice. Lots of sour cherry, some soy.
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1/12/2012 - ravbik wrote: 88 Points
light to medium body, cold red berries, more raspberry, mild glycerin, and eucalyptus, clean finish with soft tannins if any. need to decant for one hour.
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1/6/2012 - MrSnooty wrote: 80 Points
Better than the previous bottle. Funky barnyard aroma, very Old World. The taste still seems a bit odd for a Syrah to me, perhaps I'm just not used to this style. Tasted stewed and closer to Pinot Noir than Syrah. I like PN, but something about this wine just tastes off to me...
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1/6/2012 - RPerro wrote: 89 Points
Decanted 30 min. Savory nose, with earth, pepper and just a touch of fruit. A lighter style of Syrah, with bright acidity, cherry fruit, and black pepper. Almost too acidic for me, giving me some reflux. I love the savoriness of the wine, just a bit on the thin/acidic side for my preference.
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12/25/2011 - MrSnooty wrote: 78 Points
Smelt slightly corked. Faded fruit, a bit harsh and thin on the finish.
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10/18/2011 - jmetvoice wrote:
Nice acidity with restrained fruit on the palate and a hint of smokiness. Easy drinking 'weekday wine'.
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9/25/2011 - Mary Crawford wrote: 90 Points
Dark color. Blackberries, plums and chocolate, but with enough acid to be food-friendly. Soft tannins. Approachable and yummy. Wish I had bought more.
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9/10/2011 - linserge wrote:
"You should only buy wine like this" said my wife'. 'nuff said. Classic example of a restrained New World syrah with terroir & restraint reminiscent of Old World. Too bad we finished both bottles.
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8/12/2011 - benny wrote: 88 Points
Just give it lot of time.
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8/6/2011 - Bob Fyke wrote: 90 Points
Personally, I love this style of syrah. Blackberry, sandlewood, some perfume, bacon fat, and a little core of black cherry. Nice lean fruit. Great acidity dances with black cherry skins and incense on the palate. Sweet tannins and good length.
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6/18/2011 - IamNotDrinkingAny#@!%Merlot wrote: 92 Points
Complex, pure, lots of depth - dark berry, pepper, spice.... great finish.
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6/14/2011 - benny wrote: 84 Points
Maybe need some time....or for charity.
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6/14/2011 - arthrovine wrote: 92 Points
Lots of dark berry, fig, and meaty notes. Decant for awhile. Really nice WA syrah
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6/9/2011 - chifred Likes this wine:
Deep purple
Very aromatic with dark, jammy notes and damp earth
Nice medium weight with good acidity and freshness
Dark fruit, fig and bark/oaky balanced nicely
Some complexity coming through, maybe it will open up over some time even more
Lingering sharp finish
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6/6/2011 - aorazio1 Likes this wine: 88 Points
Deep purple. Medium weight. Dark fruit and blackberries with well balanced acidity. Good every day wine.
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6/4/2011 - linserge wrote:
deep purple, very primary, good at what it delivers, and slightly cooler than I might have expected. Fpr the price, one of my favorite in this class of domestic punchy syrah.
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5/9/2011 - Ron Felthoven wrote: 88 Points
Really enjoyed this. Could improve with some age. Green notes (stem? -- probably not, but that's what comes to mind) stick out a little on this one on the finish. A great representation of the syrah grape. Still not getting the bacon fat or meaty notes others have noted.
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5/8/2011 - Eric Guido Likes this wine: 89 Points
The nose showed strawberry, fig, espresso beans and cinnamon. On the palate, it had a medium body with juicy acidity as flavors of blackberry, orange and clove flowed seamlessly across the senses. The finish was long with blackberry fruit and hints of spice.
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4/30/2011 - spidersva Likes this wine: 88 Points
Full of outward fruit, thoroughly enjoyable
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4/19/2011 - RoysterWright Likes this wine: 91 Points
This is superb. The fruit is quintessentially balanced and shows the best of Northwest Syrah. And as it opened up on day two, it filled out beautifully.
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4/15/2011 - jim dixon wrote: 91 Points
For once Jon has actually downplayed the quality of a wine. This is *terrific* and remarkably close to much more expensive N. Rhone syrahs. The nose alone would be worth $20 a bottle. (Maybe I'm just hitting it at a lucky time but right now the nose is *screaming* and leaps from the glass.)
Truly modeled on Cote Roties (with the acidity you get there and don't usually get out of WA), this won't please folks looking for a quick, thick hedonistic fix, but anybody with the slightest interest in the peppery, baconfat goodness that usually only comes out of a particularly expensive part of France should check it out.
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4/1/2011 - Ron Felthoven wrote: 86 Points
This wine has definitely opened up since the first bottle. Popped and poured last night and I'm sipping on the leftovers this afternoon. This is certainly not a ripe or super dark style by any means, but pretty full bodied. Its hard for me to pick out specific fruit flavors but black current and some plum are the obvious ones. The wine has green edge to it, but not unpleasant. Just a tad vegetal. A nice wine whose flavors are different and less meaty, sweet and dark than most syrahs. One to watch and enjoy over the coming years.
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2/18/2011 - Ron Felthoven wrote: 84 Points
Nice dark, well balanced syrah. Not sappy or oaky. That being said, it's terribly closed right now. On day one it was totally unyielding both on the nose and in the mouth. Day two more dark fruit and rasberry comes through with solid acidity but there's not much going on. Hint of wood on the nose. Short finish. I hope this is just temporary, otherwise it's a bad deal for $20.
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