The Hidden Northridge Vineyard Syrah

Deep Ruby with purple hues, aromas of dark fruits, licorice, spice, floral and herb pepper. On the palate flavors of ripe juicy blackberry and plum with of smoky oak. Well balanced, nice mouthfeel, soft tannins, long finish ending with mineral notes and a spicy smoky oak character. Very nice!

Red fruits, forest floor. Currant. Low to med body, not much acid. Nice!

This was a head scratcher. My plan on opening this was due to a craving for some savory/funky Syrah, but what I got was a nice aged Syrah minus any sort of herbal/savory/meat type characteristics. I’m not really sure why? No technical flaw to the wine, but my experience seems to be an outlier...

I followed this over two days and it stayed mostly the same the entire time. Perfumed aromatics of potpourri, high percentage cherry infused dark chocolate, and grilled, underripe black cherries. It is nicely balanced at this point in its evolution, showing power without much weight. Red currant, tangy grilled rhubarb, plum, cocoa dusted dates, and mocha show up on the palate.

For the glass nerds out there (of which I am one of), I tried this out of the Zalto Universal and the Glasvin Universal (pictured). I found the Zalto to have slightly better aromatics as it showed more complexity, but the balance and bowl of the Glasvin were preferred. Similar drinking experience from both.

Last week’s virtual comparative lineup of 2016 MacDonald vs 2016 Schrader RBS was so much fun, we decided to do another theme. This time, it was WA/OR Syrahs.

The lineup featured: 2014 Force Majuere Estate Syrah, 2014 KVintners The Hidden Syrah, 2014 Cayuse Cailloux and 2012 Cayuse En Cerise. All wines received about 5hrs of air.

The KVintners was my contribution and was poured second (after the Force Majuere and before the 2012 Cayuse En Cerise) and I think it was the perfect order. The profile of this wine was more elegant and floral than I expected, and certainly less funk driven. Aromatically, it was dominated by potpourri, lavender, herbs de Provence, stemmy blackberries and only a hint of smoked meats. Compared to the others, this gained the most heft as it opened. It continued the floral trait on the palate while adding sweet and dark fruit crusted with black peppercorns, charcoal smoked brisket and good mineral nuances. If opening now, give it a good decant and it will be ready, otherwise, I’d hold another few years. Tannins are still prominent. Great wine representing the region well, and a nice bridge between Paso Syrah (charcoal, big fruit) and WA/OR border Syrah (funky, stemmy, slightly green).

A mouth-blasting beast just coming into its own. Fascinating, couldn’t stop going back to the rich dark chocolate nose and the extracted black cherry. Sweet tannins devoured my rib cap before I could.

Robust raspberry and blueberry up front, juicy and saturated. Mid palate yields dried figs, herbs, smoky campfire, softened tannins, touch of new oak but well integrated. Overall this wine is supremely enjoyable, but the price? The points? I decanted this baby for about 5 hours, and yes, it’s quite good. But I don’t think it approaches the elegance or depth I would expect from this price point.

Kept getting better, no doubt this just needs more time. Smooth as silk, haunting shroomy finish. Was sure this was Oz.

Really really good Syrah - love the L man Mr Smith - keep on killing it!!

OH HOT DAMN

Ohhh yeeeaaahhh (ferris buler)