Category Archives: Syrah

Clarendon Hills Piggot Range Syrah 2005

Clarendon Hills, Clarendon, Piggot Range, Syrah 2005 The nose shows smoky oak and sweet black fruit. In the mouth the fruit is quite expressive and ripe, with an extremely silky texture and great length.  It’s a treat to taste a … Continue reading

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California Syrah

JC Cellars, Santa Barbara County, Fess Parker’s Vineyard, Syrah 2007 Give this wine a bit of air, 10 minutes or so to blow off a bit of reductive character. Then the black fruit will emerge, wrapped in a jacket of … Continue reading

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Mordoree Cotes-Du-Rhone 2008

Domaine de la Mordorée Côtes-Du-Rhône “La Dame Rousse” 2008 Give this some air to blow off the stink. Then with 15 minutes the black pepper and red fruits will emerge. In the mouth it is overtly fruity and quite structured, … Continue reading

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Thorn-Clarke Shotfire Shiraz 2008

Thorn-Clarke, Barossa, Shotfire, Shiraz 2008 This is oak city, smelling of freshly split logs and coconut. On the palate the theme continues, quite rich, with ripe tannins and a nice sense of acidity. The grapes are sourced from the family’s … Continue reading

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Mollydooker Goose Bumps 2006

Mollydooker, South Australia, Goose Bumps, Sparkling Shiraz 2006 In the nose the oak makes a statement with sweet black fruit. The texture in the mouth is masterful, actually velvety displaying the flavors of blackberry, coffee and freshly-split oak. Proprietors Sarah … Continue reading

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Alain Graillot Crozes Hermitage 2008

Alain Graillot, Crozes Hermitage 2008 This vintage features lots of black pepper and a structured palate, with long acidity and a commensurate amount of tannin. For some there will be too much of a memory of Band-Aids and the dentist … Continue reading

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Scala Dei Cartoixa 2003

Scala Dei, Priorat, Cartoixa 2003 I found this bottle rattling around in the cellar and was delighted to have the opportunity to taste it again. A few years ago it was still rather tannic and while good, I knew that … Continue reading

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Penfolds Club Reserve Aged Tawny

Penfolds, South Australia, Club Reserve, Aged Tawny nv In the nose you’ll find raisins and butterscotch with a sense of the spirit in the background. This all carries on in the mouth with nuttiness, sweetness and well-integrated alcohol. Like the value-oriented … Continue reading

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Domaine Hauvette Rouge

Domaine Hauvette, Les Baux de Provence 2004 The nose of the ’04 features fresh and dried fruits, floral notes and the herbs of the Provencal landscape. In the mouth you’ll find structure to marry with dinner and a bit of … Continue reading

Posted in Cabernet Sauvignon, France, Grenache, Les Baux de Provence, Provence, Syrah | 2 Comments

Domaine de Trevallon 2006

Domaine de Trevallon, Vin de Pays des Bouches du Rhone 2006 As in the previous vintage, there is a New World ripeness to the fruit expressed in the nose, sweet and intense. In the mouth it is a tannic, mouth-gripping … Continue reading

Posted in Cabernet Sauvignon, Provence, Syrah, Vin de Pays des Bouches du Rhone | 1 Comment

Rose 2009 from Mordoree and Ojai

This flight is a great comparison of two different approaches to rose, one with rapier-like acidity and the other with a broad and weighty mouthfeel. The Ojai Vineyard, California, Rose 2009 This rose shows an expression of citrus and cherries … Continue reading

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Rhone blends from California and Chateauneuf-du-Pape

Tablas Creek Vineyard, Paso Robles, Cotes de Tablas 2008 The fruit is fresh and lively in the nose, with floral notes and sweet spice. In the mouth it is medium-bodied, very fruity and structured, making it a winner with grilled … Continue reading

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Syrah from California and Cote-Rotie

This flight of Syrah takes us from the freshness of new fruit in California, to the development of bottle bouquet in wines from 2003 – excellent all around, featuring different expressions of the same grape over time and over both … Continue reading

Posted in California, Cote-Rotie, Russian River Valley, Santa Barbara County, Santa Ynez Valley, Sonoma County, Syrah | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Domaine de la Mordoree Rose 2009

Domaine de la Mordoree, Cotes-du-Rhone, La Dame Rousse, Rose 2009 In the nose you’ll find red fruits, like cherries and a bit of strawberry that carries through on a broad, lowish acid palate. The grapes behind this pink wine are … Continue reading

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Storrs Rhone Red 2006

Storrs, Santa Clara County, Two Creek Vineyard, Red Wine 2006 The nose features a big heft of vanilla and freshly split oak. The oaky flavors carry through on the palate, with ripe black fruit and warmth. I can’t believe as … Continue reading

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Chateau Vignelaure

I was fortunate to visit Chateau Vignelaure back in the 80s – was it ’84 or ’85?  Some of my memories are fuzzy. The memory that isn’t fuzzy however, is that Vignelaure was a trend setter, planting Cabernet Sauvignon in … Continue reading

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d’Arenberg Footbolt Shiraz 2005

d’Arenberg, McLaren Vale, The Footbolt, Shiraz 2005 The nose features liquer-like character, a concentration of candied black fruit, a hint of eucalyptus and some subtle volatility. In the mouth the fruit is in force, the feel is silky and a … Continue reading

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Perrin & Fils Cotes du Rhone Villages 2007

Perrin & Fils, Cotes du Rhone Villages 2007 The nose features sweet berries and black pepper. In the mouth it quite structured with medium weight; it’s crying out for red meat – nice value from the Rhone. This wine is … Continue reading

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Kathryn Kennedy Reserve Syarh 2002

Kathryn Kenndy, Santa Cruz Mountains, Maridon Vineyard, Reserve, Syrah 2002 This was a delicious wine and I can’t tell you why for the notes are in a journal that I’ve misplaced. Yet I feel compelled to share the story – … Continue reading

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Innocent Bystander Shiraz-Viognier 2006

Innocent Bystander, Victoria, Shiraz-Viognier 2006 It’s very neat how you get the ripeness of Shiraz, the black fruits that we love, with the cooler climate marker of black pepper, all in one bottle. This is a great walk down the … Continue reading

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Trione new releases

Trione, Russian River Valley, River Road Ranch, Pinot Noir 2008 In the nose you’ll find sweet red fruit with pastry notes, think cherry pie, warm and aromatic. In the mouth you’ll find a supple expression of that cherry pie, absolutely … Continue reading

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Pirramimma Shiraz 2005

Pirramimma, McLaren Vale, Shiraz 2005 There’s a heavy heft of oak in this wine, from the beginning to the end with a dark chocolate character as well. Winemaker Geoff Johnston GP&B in McLaren Vale 14% $18.79 at Bottle Barn Pirramimma

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Vignerons de Tavel 2007

Les Vignerons de Tavel, Tavel, Prestige des Lauzeraies 2007 Sweet cherry fruit marks the nose and carries over on the palate. The mouth is broad and weighty, the acidity low, the fruit flavors are compelling and the body is big … Continue reading

Posted in Cinsault, France, Grenache, Rhône, Rosé, Syrah | 1 Comment

JC Cellars Fess Parker Syrah 2006

JC Cellars, Santa Barbara County, Fess Parker’s Vineyard, Syrah 2006 This Syrah features boatloads of oak through and through. The mouthfeel is supple and the oak adds a sweet vanilla appearance, enriching the wine further. Winemaker Jeff Cohn. P&B in … Continue reading

Posted in California, Santa Barbara County, Syrah | 2 Comments

Alain Graillot Crozes Hermitage 2007

Alain Graillot, Crozes Hermitage 2007 In the nose you sense the classic black pepper along with a meatiness and herbal character, perhaps hinting at rosemary and thyme. In the mouth this is a structured Syrah, acidic and tannic, delicious and … Continue reading

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Grey Stack Marie’s Syrah 2007

Grey Stack, Bennett Valley, Dry Stack Vineyard, Marie’s Block, Syrah 2007 This Syrah brings a sense of the northern Rhone to Sonoma County. There’s tar on top of the black fruit in the nose, with meatiness and a floral component … Continue reading

Posted in Bennett Valley, California, Sonoma County, Syrah | 1 Comment

embruix de Vall Llach 2005

Vall Llach, Priorat DOQ, Embruix 2005 The nose features a sweetness, black fruits with blackberry jam. In the mouth the sweet theme continues, with very ripe, jammy fruit, density yet suppleness, warmth, a bit of tannin and lowish acidity, a … Continue reading

Posted in Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Merlot, Priorat, Spain, Syrah | Leave a comment

Clif The Climber Red 2006

Clif Family Winery, California, The Climber, Red Wine 2006 This wine features a boatload of juicy fruit with the berries of Zin and the currants of Cab. The light body and soft texture make it drinkable immediately, perfect to imbibe … Continue reading

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Mordoree Tavel Rose 2008

Domaine de la Mordoree, Tavel, “La Dame Rousse” 2008 The freshness of strawberries are evident in the nose and in the mouth that theme is over a rather big and slightly warm structure. The grapes behind this pink wine are … Continue reading

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Robert Hall Rose 2008

Robert Hall, Paso Robles, Hall Ranch, Rose de Robles 2008 Strawberries and floral notes are the predominant features in the nose – very clean and fresh. In the mouth the fruit shines again in a very dry format with a … Continue reading

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