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. — 5 hours ago

Brandon Boesch

9.4

First Andremily. Pretty great. Decanted for 3 hours. Still evolving. It’s definitely California. There’s a lot of spice, oak, game/meat, big fruit of raspberries, chocolate cherries, baking spice, cedar. It’s pretty well balanced but I wanted more. If I tasted this blind I’m pretty sure I’d never guess Syrah. This is kind of like Herman story Syrah meets merlot from Bordeaux for me rather than rhone. I guess pax Syrah is more my style. — 4 months ago

Shay A

9.3

One of my bottles from my annual WWC hosting. Part of a Grenache flight (including ‘19 Rotie Cellars “Big G”, ‘19 Saint-Damien Souteyrades Gigondas, ‘18 Andremily Grenache).

80% Grenache/ 20% Mourvèdre

I’m a fan of this Gigondas producer and think the wines exhibit an excellent value. After the first two Grenache wines, we take a dark (profile) turn here. Classical garrigue, dark potpurri, and spiced blackberries aromatically, with some leather and tobacco as well. Dark black fruits dominate the palate surrounded by bitter dark chocolate, black pepper, hint of charcoal and mineral. Concentrated but not sweet. In a delicious window now but benefitted from the air it got…no rush. — a year 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. — 5 hours ago

Shay A

9.5

A broken record at this point, but for this style I absolutely love these wines. Followed from bottle over the course of 2-3hrs.

91 Syrah/ 6 Mourvèdre/ 3 Viognier

At 10yrs, it was time to check in on how this is evolving…absolutely rockin’ from pop. Massive aromatics of mixed berry medley, espresso, pepper and herbs (hint of stems). Great depth on the mid-palate but not heavy. Very polished and svelte. Rich, dark fruit (blueberries, blackberries, black currant) cascade to the finish with dark cocoa, smoked meat, baking spice and green pepper spice from the stem inclusion rounding it out. Extremely delicious, almost dangerously so. Early in the drinking window but so good right now. — 3 months ago

Shay A

9.2

One of my bottles from my annual WWC hosting. Part of a Grenache flight (including ‘19 Rotie Cellars “Big G”, ‘19 Saint-Damien Souteyrades Gigondas, ‘18 Andremily Grenache).

Picked this bottle up during a Seattle trip a few years ago at Rotie’s SoDo warehouse tasting room.

Similar in color to the Comando G La Bruja before it (light ruby red) but the aromatics couldn’t be more opposite. This is classical Rocks District with umami, savory, and distinct profile. Not sure how much whole cluster is here, but assuming some. Olive, spiced rhubarb, smoked meat on the nose. Light on the palate but the typical briny/iron/savory notes of the region come out. The Rocks funk fades the longer it’s open allowing a core of red fruit to become more prominent, but this is a savory wine through and through. Not as much depth or complexity as Cayuse’s GOK, but a nice wine if you enjoy the style. Drinking fine now. — a year ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.5

2022 vintage. Medium-heavy body. Drank more like a Syrah. Smooth overall with spice markers every few seconds across the palate road. Outstanding for “California” and not vineyard/AVA specific juice. 3.20.26. — 2 months ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.3

2022 vintage. 3.20.26. — 2 months ago

John Van Trijp

9.8

Upswing potential — 7 months ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.4

2022 vintage. Again…heavy body. Arguably better than the same vintage Mourvèdre but it’s a matter of taste as they both rocked equally. A winery to watch if you love Rhône varietals from the Central Coast. 9.16 25. — 8 months ago