Christopher Tynan Wines
Judge Family Vineyard Syrah
Bennett Valley, Sonoma County, California, USA
Popped and poured. At this stage the 2015 Judge Family Syrah pours an opaque, ruby color with some obvious staining of the tears. On the nose, clean and youthful with developing vinosity. Stewed red and blue fruits, dark brambles, purple flowers, bacon fat, dry caked earth, stale potpourri, rotondun, and cigar box. On the palate, the wine is dry and all of the notes from the nose are confirmed and accompanied by dark bramble fruit with some chocolate and smoked meat. Tannins are medium+, acid is medium+…and so is alcohol. The finish is long and tart…but more like a SweetTart. This is a very sexy wine with everything in the right places and the moves to match.
Popped and poured. At this stage the 2015 Judge Family Syrah pours an opaque, ruby color with some obvious staining of the tears. On the nose, clean and youthful with developing vinosity. Stewed red and blue fruits, dark brambles, purple flowers, bacon fat, dry caked earth, stale potpourri, rotondun, and cigar box. On the palate, the wine is dry and all of the notes from the nose are confirmed and accompanied by dark bramble fruit with some chocolate and smoked meat. Tannins are medium+, acid is medium+…and so is alcohol. The finish is long and tart…but more like a SweetTart. This is a very sexy wine with everything in the right places and the moves to match.
Decanted for three hours and then transferred back to the bottle so we could more easily transport to a friend’s place. Consumed over the next several hours. I gotta say, this was magnificent and really blurs the lines between northern Rhône and California Syrah. Glass-staining purple with a powerful bouquet of blue fruits, bacon fat, lavender, smoke and some baking spice. On the palate, it was beautifully ripened blue and red fruits with olive loaf mortadella. One of the most distinctive characteristics however was the unique texture...like the softest corduroy imaginable: tactile yet velvety. Hard to explain but it is awesome. Tannins are very present but not overly obtrusive; a bit like State Troopers at a large sporting event; stern but fair. There’s good acid and the finish is long and makes me want to smack my tongue on the roof of my mouth. What a delicious new world Syrah with a very bright future ahead. Drink now with an extended decant or hold. I expect this will drink very well for decades to come.
Decanted for three hours and then transferred back to the bottle so we could more easily transport to a friend’s place. Consumed over the next several hours. I gotta say, this was magnificent and really blurs the lines between northern Rhône and California Syrah. Glass-staining purple with a powerful bouquet of blue fruits, bacon fat, lavender, smoke and some baking spice. On the palate, it was beautifully ripened blue and red fruits with olive loaf mortadella. One of the most distinctive characteristics however was the unique texture...like the softest corduroy imaginable: tactile yet velvety. Hard to explain but it is awesome. Tannins are very present but not overly obtrusive; a bit like State Troopers at a large sporting event; stern but fair. There’s good acid and the finish is long and makes me want to smack my tongue on the roof of my mouth. What a delicious new world Syrah with a very bright future ahead. Drink now with an extended decant or hold. I expect this will drink very well for decades to come.
Nov 4th, 2019
