Somehow, this wine has managed to elude having its own thread. Still trying to figure out how that happened … anyways, this has long been my all-time favorite CA Syrah. A bottle from earlier this month showed quite nicely, and that TN will kick things off here; after that, I’ll post my other TNs to have them all in this one spot. If you’re sitting on a few of these, it’s time to pull a cork.
2006 Arcadian Syrah Hommage à Max - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley (7/5/2021)
– decanted approx. 45 min. before initial taste –
– tasted non-blind on Day 1; revisited on Day 3 –
NOSE: medium+ expressiveness; raspberry; earthy; black cherry hard candy.
BODY: dark garnet color of medium-deep to deep depth; slight bricking throughout; medium to medium-full bodied.
TASTE: good acidity; alc. is a touch spiky; pretty smooth at this point — pretty elegant for a Syrah, and this elegance is largely thanks to letting this age up to this point; moderately aged at this point; ballpoint pen ink; dark red fruits; acidity is high — again, in the manner that aged wines often display their acidity more than they do in their youth. on Day 3, this paired nicely with Moroccan-spiced pork chop, oyster mushrooms, and risotto. Probably best to Drink Now and over the next 5 to 10 years.
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2006 Arcadian Syrah Hommage à Max - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley (12/25/2018)
– Popped and poured –
– tasted non-blind over 2 hours –
Still ticking along quite nicely. Was a bit oakier than I prefer over the first hour, but then it settled in nicely and then the bottle was gone. Recommend a 1 hour decant if drinking now. This continues to be excellent with a long life ahead.
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2006 Arcadian Syrah Hommage à Max - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley (7/18/2015)
Arcadian Retrospective in the O.C. (Casa del Dietz): – bottle opened approx. 6 hours before tasting –
– tasted a single pour non-blind over 10 – 15 minutes –
Incredibly delicious; seems a bit stemmy; black/purple fruits; excellent acid; alcohol not noticeable; a bit “flashy”; drinks well now, but is nowhere near its peak.
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2006 Arcadian Syrah Hommage à Max - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley (12/4/2010)
– popped and poured –
– tasted non-blind on Day 2 over 20 minutes, and again on Day 3 –
NOSE: Day 2: expressive Nose shows lots of perfuminess, raspberry, and dark cigar wrapper. Day 3: spicy; perfumy; cigarbox; expressive; fruits are in the background – darker fruits.
BODY: garnet-purple color of medium-deep depth; superfine particulate matter; medium to medium-full bodied.
TASTE: Day 2: This ‘06 is showing much flashier and more open than the ‘05; it has great juicy acidity, and avoids the gloppy/overoaked personality that plagues so many CA Syrahs; there is some oak in the background, but it’s the spice, slight earthiness, and flashy plum/boysenberry fruit flavors that take center stage here; the tannins are fine-grained, and provide nice mid-palate grip on the finish; this wine is very well-balanced, and is a pure pleasure to drink now. Day 3: spicy oak; cigar wrapper; fruit is tight, not sweet, not over extracted, and not overripe; plum; light blackberry; 14.5% alc. is not noticeable; tannins are soft/grippy/slightly drying. This kind of reminds me of a 100% Syrah from Cote Rotie; the acidity is exceptional (not overbearing or shrill); finish is medium-long and of moderate to moderate-great intensity; this is holding on just fine on Day 3, but may have closed-up a bit since Day 1. Do I think it would benefit from cellaring? Absolutely, but, if you’re in the mood for a younger Max Syrah, I would undoubtedly pop an ‘06 before an ‘05 for the time being. Beautiful Syrah. I love this wine, and believe it’s possibly the best CA Syrah I’ve ever had.
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