SLONYC ONE (11 US Syrahs)-- lite notes and impressions.

WINE TALK
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The first SLONYC dinner went off swimmingly last evening. We tried to broadcast live, but the bandwidth was a killer. We managed to get some streamed, but I am sure watching paint dry was a better choice, as I knew it would.

It’s always great to see new faces amongst the regulars. I had the good fortune of meeting Mark, Julius, Eric, Jonathan and finally Dan H. Dan P was his true self, and I always enjoy Brent’s take on the wines. Not to leave out my good buds, Steve and Kevin, it was great seeing everyone and thanks for bringing such a great array of Syrahs. Steve and Brent, thanks for the extra bottles.

The wines were really almost all top notch. A great variance of styles was present. These are truly foodies wines, and the sliders were the perfect foil to the 2nd flight. Timing of all wines were perfect. The food at North Square was good, and the ambiance of the private room really adds to the concise group feel. Conversation was lively and friendly as usual.

My flight of the night was the first, and my wine of the night was the Skull.

In answer to Dans question, no there will not be a BLONYC when we do Brunellos……
FLIGHT ONE
2001 Dellille Cellars Syrah Doyenne -Pretty fowers on the nose, some red fruits, a Pinot type of acidity and balance. Elegant anf feminine. Very nice start
2002 Cayuse Cailloux Vineyard Walla Walla - A bit subdued nose. Big purple fruits with some nice balance and grace. Black peppers and crushed pebbles. A very great wine.
2004 Jaffurs Upslope This was similar in style to the Cayuse with more giving on the nose. Very structured and pure. Some blackberries, strawberries. Soy, and a touch or earth. Another winner
FLIGHT TWO
2004 Scholium Scheria – Full bodied and really showing well, this had some white pepper and anise. If I had a complaint, it was only evident after tasting the Skull below, and maybe, just maybe slightly hallow, but very nice still.
2004 DuMOL RRV Exotic nose with great black and blue fruits. Clean and precise finish. Great with the lamb slider!
2005 Charles Smith The Skull This was my WOTN. It had everything I ever wanted in a US Syrah: Black and red medly of fruits with full mid-palate with woven pure tannins. I really appreciate the hint of bacon, with the crushed river pebbles. It had it all and all was in balance. A
FLIGHT THREE
2005 Alban Reva – A bit akward and edge with jammy black and red fruits spilling over the side. I initially liked it, but in the company, it paled.
2005 Ambullneo Syrah Howling- Wow, this was hitting on all cylinders. Full black fruit profile with soy, leather, and white pepper. Very very nice.
2005 PAX Lauterbach Hill Typical in the PAX way. Black pepper and earth tones. Never elegant, but usually pleasing. Great mouthfeel and slightly angular in the finsish. Very good.
FLIGHT FOUR
2005 Samasara Don’t remember much, other than it being pretty in-line with this line-up.
2007 Carlisle Papa’s Block Not a fan of this typical four square, but surely Syrah type. Not much character beyond the lines.

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I will post my notes later on, Mike and I were a little off on some (he liked more of them than I did)

My tops
Pax
Ambullneo
Scholium
DeLille

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Mike,

Thanks for organizing a great night once again with a fine tasting book!

It was really nice to see some old friends and have some new blood in the mix as well.

My quick impressions:
FLIGHT ONE
2001 Dellille Cellars Syrah Doyenne -Defintely showed the most “mature” of the bunch, and I also liked the higher acidity and lighter palate presence.
2002 Cayuse Cailloux Vineyard Walla Walla - For me this was the most controversial wine. I just got big black sappy fruit with a lot of plastic/acetone notes. Not at all pleasant. Big disappointment.
2004 Jaffurs Upslope-I am partial to Craig’s wines and this was very refreshing after the Cayuse. High toned, bright nose of violets and blue fruits, but still a little tight and tannic on the palate. A winner in another 3-5 yrs.
FLIGHT TWO
2004 Scholium Scheria–I don’t know why I’m not buying these wines yet, because whenever I have one it is a pleasant surprise. This had a big bold core of blue and black fruits but is balanced by a lively nose and good acidity and had a lot going on. My WOTN.
2004 DuMOL RRV-I thought this was fantastic as well, medium bodied on the palate but coming towards resolution with a nose of exotic spices. It was very similar to the Scholium compared to the Charles Smith, but just got overshadowed in this flight.
2005 Charles Smith The Skull-A big contrast to the other two wines in the flight. Deep dark black fruits and a powerful expressive nose. I got a real nice chocolate note on the finish. Dan P. actually mentioned the aromatics were even more intense when he opened it to decant in the afternoon.
FLIGHT THREE
2005 Alban Reva – This just had a poor showing, but I don’t drink enough Alban to really know if this was a bad bottle or if this is where these wines go. Disjointed red fruits, searing alcohol “Who put vodka in here?” Dan P., flat on the finish.
2005 Ambullneo Syrah Howling-I pulled this off the shelf at work when I realized I didn’t have my Tablas Creek at home. Big surprise! Huge powerful deep black fruits, mocha, spices. Velvety on the palate. Long finish.
2005 PAX Lauterbach Hill-Another big disappointment for me. Hot, lots of licorice and spice in a bad way, tarry red and black fruits, unbalanced.
FLIGHT FOUR
2005 Samasara Verna’s Vyd.-Not much of a track record on these wines yet since they are so small in production. This one is only 140cs. Brooding blue and black fruits, a hint of spice and white pepper. I think this would have been awesome if it had a bit of the loft of the Jaffurs or the Scholium.
2007 Carlisle Papa’s Block-The more Carlisle I drink, the more I ask, “Why?” Monolithic, one dimensional black fruit and alcohol with a 2x4 on the side. Tastes like cough syrup.

We also had a starter of Dageneau Silex, which was minerally and tight as a drum, with just a hint of citrus. Very nice.

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Thanks, Mike, for putting this together. Nice private room (once they closed the curtains). Good group of folks.

Biggest surprises for me were the DeLille and Ambullneo. Biggest disappointments were the DuMol (I love the Eddie’s Patch and this wine resembled it not at all) and the Alban. The Alban was not a surprise as I had the '04 Reva a couple of weeks ago and it was all grape juice and alcohol poorly mixed together.

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Mike,

Thanks for setting this dinner/tasting up. I can say that I was at the very first SLONYC dinner! [thankyou.gif]

Dinner began with the Didier mentioned above. I was anxious to try one of these, after I read so much about the man after he died. This wine was very special. It had a wonderful nose, and a long finish. I’ve tasted the Merry Edwards sauv blanc (which is outstanding), but the Silex was a wine I’ll long remember.

Since everyone is talking about the Alban, I thought it was a bit tannic.

When I originally read what everyone was bringing, I was excited. I never tasted an Alban before last night. I’m disappointed that I was disappointed in a wine that has such a reputation. Goes to show you than even expensive wines can keep company with ‘poor’ showers (or is that pour). [gheyfight.gif]

Speaking of the Carlisle Papa’s Block, let’s just say that this wine would be a crowd pleaser of non-wine geeks. [wink.gif]
Opening and pouring in this company, it showed poorly. Even for me, this was sweet. The wine did have a nice nose, and did get smoother as the evening went on. I did feel some heat, and tasted some tannins. I don’t understand the CT 94 ratings at this time. I’ll save my other bottle for another offline in 2012.

My WOTN was the Ambullneo. Very enjoyable.

#2 was the Scholium.

I liked the DuMol better than the Jaffurs.

The Cayuse had a nice nose, and was really smooth. This is a tasty wine.

Hope to see you at #2.

These notes are posted exclusively on WB.

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Two words:

Boo

Ya