Mike Saviage

9.6

Taken to Grasings in Carmel. Decanted and given a few hours of air. Dark tawny. Opaque. Not showing much age. Killer nose. Exotic. Notes of cherry fruit, raspberry, bacon, pepper, blood sausage, some menthol and some wispy herbs. Silky rich in the mouth. Still chewy. With air this explodes. Long finish. Still feels young. Amazing grape juice! — 3 days ago

Mike Saviage

9.0

Canary gold color. Appropriate color for its age. Quiet nose, quiet in the mouth - even with a few hours of air. Something was not quite right with this bottle as it came across as subdued and light on acidity. It got a little better with air and showed some light aged white burg funk, but not as good as recent bottles. Maybe not well-stored at some point in its life. — 5 days ago

Mike Saviage

9.3

Dark purplish color, opaque. Fragrant nose. Notes of red earthy fruit, tea, some oak, a little rose petal, and some menthol. Good core of fruit in the mouth, with tannins nicely resolved. Medium plus finish. Good showing. Gave it 4 hrs of air. Ready for consumption. — 6 days ago

Mike Saviage

9.3

Medium gold. Heavy in the glass. Citrus nose with some leesy notes. White clay and stones. Pineapple and a little ginger. Really big in the mouth. Fruit backed by lots of acidity and structure. Medium intensity in the finish. I think bottles like this are ready for consumption but can easily last for many more years. — 11 days ago

Mike Saviage

9.2

From the Grasings list in Carmel. PnP. Lt gold. Vibrant. Fruit forward nose. Notes of lemon, earthy peach, dirty gravel and white clay. Acidity is delicate but grows with air. More fruit dominated though. This can certainly get better with more time in the btl. — 3 days ago

Mike Saviage

9.2

Taken to Enzo in Carmel. Dark reddish tawny with some amber in the rims. Nice nose that seems slightly sweet for a brunello. Dried cherries, earth, plum, some cigar leaf and wood. Not overly complex in the mouth but fruit and structure are there. Nice round finish. Decent. Don’t see this getting better with more age. — 4 days ago

Mike Saviage

9.1

Dark tawny with reddish rims. Almost opaque. Nice nose. Notes of black cherries, some black licorice, blueberries pepper, and some dark dry earth. Has a heavy presence in the mouth with structure dominating the modest sweet fruit in the background. I would say drink these up as the fruit is dry and fading, leaving a dry and wispy finish. — 9 days ago

Mike Saviage

Dark tawny and opaque. Sadly, had a noticeable flaw from the start in the nose that got worse with air. Fruit and structure in abundance, but it couldn’t sway anyone to like this. Bummer. — 4 days ago

Mike Saviage

9.4

Taken to La Bicylette in Carmel. Deep and bright tawny color. Opaque. With 4 hrs of air this showed off its power and fruit in the mouth. Great notes of dark red fruit, smoked game meat, some menthol, pencil lead and graphite. Silky in the mouth. Well structured. Great expression of Syrah. This has entered a great drinking window. Give it air and enjoy. Can’t wait to see what its La La cousins will show in this vintage. — 5 days ago

Mike Saviage

9.1

From the Passionfish list in PG. Light straw color. Tight nose. Notes of lime blossoms, some honeydew, chalky stones and a little green apple. Nice acidity in the mouth. Young. Needs time but served its purpose tonight. — 8 days ago