2006 Copain Syrah James Berry Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles (4/27/2009)
Had next to the Thompson over 3 days.
Aromatically this was a bit more Aussie like. Enjoyable. Mixture of mint, white pepper and a dusty element. Didn’t change much over the 3 days. This wine showed more fruit and less tannin, or at least the fruit was hiding the tannin. I really went back and forth on this wine. At times I found it uninteresting … and then later I found it very intriguing. In the end this was more up and down than the Thompson but equally as pleasurable. (91 pts.)
2006 Copain Syrah Thompson Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County (4/27/2009)
Had next to the James Berry over 3 days.
On the first night I found the aromas to be very rustic. Earthy, dusty and a bit weird. The weirdness sorted out later in the evening. As expected the wine did not show much on the palate early in the evening. Plush mouth feel and a strong tannic finish. Totally unresolved. Big tannin. On the third day the aromatics were balanced and expressive. And the palate was awake and alive. Flashy and medium bodied. Lots of berry fruit. Nice tannins on the finish. (91 pts.)
Cheers,
Jason