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2006 Terry Hoage Vineyards Syrah The Hedge - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles (1/10/2011)
This bottle was singing. It had been open for a while before I got to it. Big bold nose with black raspberries, pepper, and charcoal. A bit gamey as well. On the palate, pin point black raspberries with mouth watering juiciness. A finish that lasted a long time. This wine is really in a good place right now. Still young and will develop, but delicious right now. (93 pts.) -
2005 Lagier Meredith Syrah - USA, California, Napa Valley, Mt. Veeder (1/10/2011)
Drank over two nights with no degradation. This is more cool climate Syrah and not yet at its peak. Nice black raspberry and some blueberry flavors with a bit of boysenberry. Tight and needed some air to unwind. Layers of flavors. I think a few years will improve this. (91 pts.) -
2008 The Industrial Zinfandel - USA, California, Sonoma County (1/10/2011)
I would expect this one to be polarizing to some extent. Not your typical Zin. Popped and poured. Ruby in color, clear and bright. On opening, this was very smooth. Great nose, kind of sweaty, some tobacco, very “humid” despite being 55F. On the palate, there were some cherries, but this drank like a lighter Bordeaux, yet the texture was velvety and thick. With some time, and as it warmed, black raspberry flavors came out. The texture was still there, but this got more Syrah like. With a little more time, it got almost port like. For the first time, I could taste the 15.2% alc. and there was some heat. I liked all the versions of this wine, but it is not what I was expecting. I think it will age into one of those Zins that border on a Bordeaux blend profile (think Ridge with 15+ years). I will wait a bit on my other bottles, but I really did like this wine and watching it evolve. That said, my favorite profile was about 20 minutes after popping the cork. (91 pts.) -
2009 Jaffurs Syrah - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County (1/10/2011)
My first time trying the 2009. It is still painfully young and needs air or time. That said, it has a bit more oak than I would like to see. Plenty of black raspberries but not as complex as the outstanding 2007. I would still be a buyer of this, and I hope to revisit it over the summer to get a better picture of where it is. (89 pts.)
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