Shay A

9.4

I’ve been on the lookout for Mayer wines here in the US and happened to find a bottle in a retail shop while out of state visiting some family. I’m shocked much makes it to the states with roughly 160 cases of this wine produced.

100% whole cluster; 13.5%ABV

My immediate thought after popping and pouring was that if Cayuse made a Pinot, it would smell like this. So much stemmy/herbal/savory aromatics with peppered rhubarb and red berries. Translucent ruby in the glass (closer to darker-style rosé’s in color). The funk continues on the palate (in a delicious way) with more stemmy and savory spice, cranberries, and black tea. The stems give this nice tannin structure while the acidity here is vibrant…keeps you going back for another sip. I followed over two days and it stayed pretty consistent.

This is 100% up my alley and a wine I’d love to acquire more of. Very curious how these age (because it seems like they would hold wonderfully). — 13 hours ago

Shay A

9.3

Love FBalthazar’s Chaillot Cornas but never had his SS offering. I’d rather catch most SS wines in their youth to not roll the dice and get them super fresh.

Splash decanted; followed over two days.

Deep purple in the glass with hallmark Cornas aromatics…smoked meat, charcoal, dark potpourri/florals, cassis, blackberries. On the palate, the typical Cornas rusticity is more elegant, with peppered black fruits, sweet smoke, mocha, savory spices. It undoubtedly has a very “pure” profile, showing Syrah without any sort of mask. Good acid and tannin. Day two showed the mid-palate lose steam a bit, which isn’t a big surprise. Lovely bottle. If I could guarantee its evolution, this seemed like it would cruise another 7-10yrs, but who knows with SS! — 13 hours ago

Shay A

9.3

92-93

This was one of the wines I served for my annual WWC hosting. All wines served blind.

Zero experience with this cuvee from Chapoutier. Not sure if this was in a dumb phase but I was expecting a little bit more. Score reflects potential (at almost 12yrs, I'm sure this is still on the upswing) but it didn't present many syrah characteristics. It did, however, present very Hermitage-like (more leather, aged Bordeaux, slightly bretty). Deep purple in the glass with saddle leather, kiss of brett, black currant, charcoal and dark florals aromatically. It has a nice mid-weight on the palate and gives a nod to old world syrah with some savory and herbal notes without oak poking out, but it seemed more like a wine that was just "there" as opposed to showing a lot of character. By the time the last glass was finished, it had close to four hours of air (and 2014s don't need a lot of air to strut) so maybe it was simply in a slightly shut down phase. — 14 hours ago

Shay A

9.4

Last bottles from a 6-pack. I had two bottles that were sadly riddled with EA, but the other four were sound.

This was one of the wines I served for my annual WWC hosting. All wines served blind.

65 semillon/ 34 Sauvignon Blanc/ 1 Muscadelle

Always love these, more so than most domestic Bordeaux Blanc style white wines, mostly because of the texture. Straw color in the glass. Quite the tropical aromatics (white peach, mango) but it’s not overpowering. The barrel ferment is apparent with the rounded profile on the palate…the vein of acidity that was there a few years ago is fading, so this showed even more opulent than normal. Honeyed lemon, guava, orange blossom but a backbone of sea salt and herbs snap the structure in place to show nice balance and a nod to Bordeaux. I’d recommend popping now and over the next couple years to enjoy the freshness. — 14 hours ago

Shay A

9.3

@Delectable Wine : This is the Kobayashi Sans Soufre Syrah. I didn’t see it in the database.

Two and a half years since my last bottle. As I posted about Balthazar’s Sans Soufre recently, I really aim to catch these in their youthful-uber fresh stage before the roll of the dice goes the wrong way. Love Travis and Mario, and their Kobayashi wines!

Pop and poured straight to decanter and followed over the course of three hours.

My first bottle was one of the most aromatic Syrahs I’ve ever had (nearly filled the room with purple florals, potpourri, blackberries) but was not very giving on the palate (not shut down, just a powerhouse of deep Syrah)…this experience was opposite. Aromatics here were nice and tame with a little leather and herbs (maybe the SS evolution), fresh blackberries, but undeniably a Syrah in its purest form. Beautifully integrated on the palate (but still young) with charcoal, peppered red fruits, grilled blackberries, mocha…interplay of savory notes and fruits. The mid-palate is the current star with great depth and the finish is structured with tannin to support gamey meats (love this with Bonnell’s elk skillet dish).

I’ve always said I think Kobayashi Syrahs are the new world equivalent of Cornas (rustic, sometimes feral, need time but ultimately awarded with purity). Always fun to enjoy a proper SS bottle. — 13 hours ago

Shay A

9.5

94-95

This was one of the wines I served for my annual WWC hosting. All wines served blind.

93 syrah/ 7 viognier

The third syrah in my lineup was a wine I've enjoyed a few times over the last five years. Bangin' vintage and in a style I enjoy (syrah and vio). Purple-black in the glass, it offers up killer aromatics of rich, dark fruit, some baking spice, and smoked meat. Even with nearly four hours, this was a monster in structure with tannin that paired beautifully with an herb crusted lamb rack. Powerful on the palate with smoked berries, bacon, espresso, vanilla and a savory finish. Still on the upswing with lots of wonderful Cote-Rotie fireworks in store. Wish I had another! — 13 hours ago

Shay A

9.3

This was one of the wines I served for my annual WWC hosting. All wines served blind.

I won't ramble on here as I've reviewed a few vintages of this wine (spoiler alert, I love it), but I'll reinforce how nice it is to drink rose that is made with intention and not afterthought.

This vintage is around 50% syrah, with the balance a split between grenache and mourvedre (the dominant grape can change across vintages). I chose this vintage as the following three reds were all different expressions of syrah, so I figured a rose of syrah would be a good lead up.

Nearing pinot color with how intense the ruby red is in the glass, big aromatics of herbs (light stem/whole cluster), cranberry, blackberry, rose water, even some dark potpurri. On the palate it is a textural experience with mid-weight but full-on flavor (spiced blackberries, peppered rhubarb, mixed berry compote). Spice and heat linger toward the finish with fresh acidity and tannin. Not a rose for the faint of heart, but a total flavor-bomb for those who love the style. — 14 hours ago

Shay A

A treat to always open a birth year bottle around your birthday! Shared the table with some heavy hitters ( @Bill Bender
and @Joe Lucca ) and also their heavy hitter bottles!

Based on the first two hours, this showed like a 95-96pt wine. We were shocked how youthful, fresh and fruit-forward it presented. Awesome cork. Deep red/black in the glass with a small amount of bricking around the rim. Aromatics of classic old Napa…dried red and black fruits, graphite, leather. The real surprise was the profile on the palate…youthful! Fresh red and black fruits, old pipe tobacco, green herbs, graphite, coffee beans, wrapped in a beautifully elegant, lifted profile (12.5ABV), vibrant acidity and typical Diamond Creek tannin at the finish. After hour two, this started going downhill and lost most its fruit and showed more chewing tobacco.

Compared to the ‘88 Red Rock Terrace I opened 2-3yrs ago, this was in a different league. Darker and more fresh versus more clay and light bodied. — 13 hours ago

Shay A

9.6

95-96

One of the wines I served for my annual WWC hosting. All wines served blind.

95 syrah/ 5 viognier; 30% whole cluster

Opening a young 2020 is not my style for red wines, but as the inaugural release from one of my favorite wineries, I wanted to see how it showed in a blind lineup of syrahs. I've recently started opening some 2016 and 2017 Andremilys and the hallmark of this Slide Hill Estate is the intense high-tone (bordering on EA) aromatics. You could smell the wine from the next placemat over! This wine is all intensity but it is packaged in a sleek and sexy profile...blueberry compote, mocha, smoked meat, herbs/black pepper upfront before it's a tidal wave of blue and black fruits, bacon, sweet smoke, crunchy herbs (thanks to the whole clusters) with polished tannins at the finish which goes on and on. It's a skyscraper of a wine on the mid-palate with its depth but somehow doesn't come across as overly hot or out of balance. Andremily wines, IMO, while share obvious similarities to SQN have found a way to polish the edges and dial the profile in. This is going nowhere in the near future and will be so fun to follow, but it's quite the experience to try one on the young side if you enjoy their style of wine. — 13 hours ago

Shay A

9.5

I think I have two more bottles and I’m desperately hoping that’s the case. Bought during a fabulous visit in ‘24 and a worthy replacement to Aubert (I love Aubert, but pricing is getting tough).

This was one of the wines I served for my annual WWC hosting. All wines served blind.

One of Hudson’s single block offerings from their famous vineyard. Everything you love about Hudson Chardonnays is here (rich, opulent, herb crusted yellow fruits) is here but the complexity is dialed up a touch. Yellow-gold in the glass. Initially a reductive funk aromatic but it dissipated and reversed a toasted marshmallow note I commonly get with Marcassin. Yellow fruits galore on the palate with wave after wave of flavor. Lemon cream, baking spices, salted croissant, all dance with good acidity and a lengthy finish. I’m always of the belief that Hudson fruit is at its prime when fresh, so don’t miss this window over the next few years. So good. — 14 hours ago