Wow. This was an absolutely stunning btl of Syrah. On the nose: violets, olive brine, bacon, soft vanilla cream, blackberry, dried blackberry, soft leather...amazing complexity. On the palate: fantastic acidity and density, pure syrah fruit, and very soft tannin on the finish. — 2 years ago
As someone who hasn’t had a lot of California syrahs, this struck me as well balanced and built for long life. At 13% abv not at all opulent. That said, a lot bigger more aggressive dark and brooding than I would have expected, especially 8 years in. Black olive tapenade, dark chocolate, espresso, black tea, black plum, dark fruits, black pepper. Underlying hints of smoke and maybe even a floral note. Has an attractive spicyness and pepper flavor to it and finishes with both pepper spice and chewy tannins that still feel quite young. Acidity really nice, but still overwhelmed by that chewy tannin mouthfeel. Not sure if this has yet to uncoil or maybe never will. It’s delicious as is, it is there more? Hope to find out! — 5 years ago
Had a glass on open. Restrained but still excellent. — 3 months ago
Wow. Pop. Pour. Enjoy. — 8 months ago
Earthier than expected. Cool. — 2 years ago
Day 2 so damn good. Silky. Rich. Velvet. Long finish. Damn — 5 years ago
Exquisite. — 7 months ago
Easy drinker with nice structure for $20. A guy could do worse on Wed night. — 2 years ago
Color still very youthful. Nose is somewhat sultry, even with significant air. Lots of smoky gravel, juniper berry, tart dark berry, sweat, dark liquid minerals, dried irises. Focused and more berry-centric in the mouth, concentrated, with a long fragrant finish. A small note of alcoholic pepperiness accompanies some some remains tannin. Lots of unique character. — 3 years ago
Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego
2020 vintage. First wine I’ve had from Qupé since founder Bob Lindquist no longer with this winery. This effort is a little sweeter and less earthy than 5-6 CC-designated syrahs I tasted under his Rhône Ranger hand over the last three decades. For the price, it’s pretty delicious tho. The single vineyard Qupé syrahs really set the benchmark for what was possible in the Central Coast area for syrah…and grenache…and marsanne…and viognier…and…Part of Bob’s legacy is raising the overall quality of (esp Rhône) varietals in the various CC areas, even with an entry-level effort such as this. For that, we should all be eternally grateful. Thank you, Bob Lindquist. 11.24.23 — 13 days ago