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2006 Charles Smith Syrah Royal City Stoneridge Vineyard - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley (12/5/2009)
I opened and decanted for one hour knowing that it probably wouldn’t be ready. Boy was I right, nose was dominated by oak and sweet spices. One of the tightest wines I have ever tried (drank half of a glass). So I poured the wine back in the bottle, sealed it somewhat loosely to try on the 2nd night.
2nd night, the wine was closer to where it should be. Some of the oak influence was still in the aroma, but it was more of a smoky sweet bacon, butterscotch. The wine is very big, and the finish is extremely long (heat still noticeable, though). Aromas and palate match pretty well as I picked up flavors of bacon & smoke, with the addition of black licorice and black pepper.
This wine reminds me a lot of my experiences with Syrah from Paso Robles or Central Coast… big, jammy, smoky, and hot.
For my personal taste, I’d put this somewhere between Linne Calodo (liked) and Alban (loved). (90 pts.)
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