I decided to Coravin another sample over the past few months and I gotta say this is a compelling bottle of wine, especially once some slow O2 gets ahold of it and methodically injects a lovely sense…
Salty charcuterie, olive, red and purple plum, river rock, and red and black cherry notes make for a cooler presentation of flavor. Meaty in style, but not overt or loud in its production and…
This needs a decade minimum to unwind. There are some higher register cherry notes, with salami, violets, and gravely soil barely peeking out, but it's mostly just primary red-purple "fruit" that is…
This needs more time, but I'll say it is certainly compelling juice. Linear in presentation, but with enough beautiful fruit to offer a savory and mouth-filling experience. Clamps up a bit on the…
A solid showing from a pristine bottle, this outshined a 2003 Chave and 2015 La Turque, especially given the focus and directional energy carried by the Ex Voto. Smokey and meaty, but with…
A beautiful expression, with meaty jerky and salami flavors intermingling wonderfully with black-red fruit. Leather, garrigue, mushroom, muddled strawberry, black cherry, red and black currant, and…
Plush fruit, but harnessed and slightly muted overall. A cool feeling to it, with purple-black fruit and not much perception of heat. Round on the back end, but with a finish that maintains focus and…
A pummeling purple palate eater with blackberries, blueberries, and booze hucked at your face with Xerxes force, the Mighty Z is still at war with itself. There are a bunch of separate elements here…
A very well preserved bottle here. Purple berries, blackberry, pine resin, and hints of leather. Still a decent chunk of primary fruit present, but I appreciate the restraint and control on the…
This bottle was a shy guy and completely muted on the nose throughout consumption. Boysenberry, blackberry, and some meaty olive notes lurk within an otherwise texturally superior Syrah.
Both the White Hawk and the mighty Z Syrahs from Aberro (Kinsman) are stellar performers. Whereas the Bien Nacido Z was most defined by a sheeny and silky bubble encompassing the core berry fruit,…
The citrus rind element is strong on the front end with this one, with mature notes of stewed plum, earth, salami, and leather picking up the rear. Medium bodied, but a bit lighter than…
Poised and balanced for such a young wine, the Chave St. Joseph offers black raspberry, soil, and brush elements that are indeed primary and linear, but steer clear of overly juvenile angularity.…
This is drinking absolutely gorgeous right now. Totally in the zone. Black and super dark red berry fruit and dark fresh soil elements swim in a pool of camphor, chewy bitter chocolate, black…
Sprinkles of old school earth and meat elements make for a more rustic delivery, but with an overall profile that is super charming and inviting. Macerated plum, bruised strawberry, leather, and…
Meaty and layered, this is a great La Turque performance, and in a really nice spot right now. Redder fruit, with a depth and expansion of flavor that allows the charcuterie platter to come to the…
Ooh Lordy this bottle was hot and angry on first pull. AIR!!! When we woke it up, it didn't wanna get up, it didn't wanna come down for breakfast, it didn't wanna do its chores, it didn't wanna do…
Boy has this clamped down on itself since I last had it in 2018. Back then, it was gushing 100 points all day long. This bottle was sleepy and strict. Even with air, it was still kinda angry and in a…
Decanted for approximately three hours, which seemed to yield good results considering how impatient I was to crack the cap on this bottle and see what all the fuss was about.
Super duper uber primary, with some discernible floral, smoke, bacon, unripe blackberry, and berry seed notes. The viognier component is overly strong at the moment. Don't touch these for at least…
Same as before, with perhaps a more saline purple people eater sea monster from from the shores of St Joseph (that is, if St. Joseph had shores). Super spicy, with black and white pepper, bark, and…
I thought this was good, but a tad forgettable. Dark red fruit intermingles with grainy earth and cedar elements. There is a muddled black cherry note that permeates throughout the profile, adding…
Strict and linear upon opening, with a superficial and lighter bodied entry that keeps the fruit in the higher register red spectrum. Skirts the mid palate and finishes in a blocky and angular drop…
I've written quite a bit on this wine. It was a little misplaced in the spattering of wines at the table; so for that, it suffered a bit. That said, it did pair extraordinarily well with pork in wine…
Huge blackberry cobbler, camphor, brush, and booze. It has the hallmarks of the SQN Syrah flavor profile that I love, but like all things SQN, I recommend at least another 7+ years (more like 10)…
