Leslie

9.2

This wine with a grilled steak topped with a rich mushroom Demi glaze….off the charts. And it was still delicious on its own after that. Great structure with well integrated tannins and nice acid to cut thru the fat. — 4 months ago

Stephen Redenbaugh

9.3

OK…been quite a while since my last Carlisle…Idiot…simply nothing better on a warm summer evening than Smash-Burgers and kick-ass Zin. Smooth, silken blackfuited glory. 15 ABV? Shit yeah when the fruit is so gloriously presented. Pure juicy goodness… still too young, but oh so deeply satisfying. Note to self: open more Carlisle… young, old, who cares? — 4 years ago

Shay A

9.2

I’m finding more and more appreciation for Martinelli’s Syrahs. This is obviously young, and it only spent about 30mins in the decanter before I poured my first glass. Royal purple in the glass. Wonderful aromatics of savory and herbal spices...charcoal embers with bacon fat, accompanied by currant and underripe blackberries. Lifted acidity on the palate giving the profile of this wine the ability to wear its almost 15% ABV well. Dusty dark fruits alongside bayleaf, and pepper dusted cedar. Hold. — 7 years ago

Boxer Briefs

10

Monster. This is one of the single blocks that make up the Monte Bello bottling. 12.5% alcohol. Cool vintage, it’s perfect for this beast, Blackberry juice, structure, wish we would have waited. Has another 20 years, incredible acid, shows some classic Ridge wood characteristics. Decant it a day before you’re going to drink it, pair with a bone-in Rib-eye, duck fat fries, bitter greens. Fatty, fatty, fatty. — 8 years ago

Matt

9.0

Fun bottle that has shed its baby fat, moving towards a more focused, savory stage of its life. I bet the fruit on this was just gorgeous and deep 8-10 years in. Plenty of acid and the maturity of the tannin brought life to the wine. Abv is a bit intrusive on the nose, but that nice richness it brings on the palate offers a compromise. Stewed blackberry, plum and cherry notes, smoke, and iron edge, potpourri, warm spice, leather. I curious were it’s going and where’s its been. — 8 years ago

Joseph LaPanna

9.0

Inky dark purple. I concentrated aromas of cola, blackberries and sage. Intense flavors of ripe fig, leather and raspberry rounded out with licorice, roasted plum and white pepper. Texture is fat, round and soft on the finish, almost floating along the tongue. — 9 years ago

Henrik Poulsen

9.4

Bottle no. 04760 (of 22512).

You need to enjoy this with an open mind.
Most would probably say this is over the hill but personally I enjoy the "skeleton" of aged CA Chardonnays.
At age 22 there's naturally no baby fat, oak or alcohol to distract your palate but just the framework of a super solid and balanced wine. — 9 years ago

with Kathleen, Laura and 2 others

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.3

2018 vintage. Banging Napa vintage and it translated well here. Heavy/full body. Gobs of smoke, baby fat and meatiness. Small mineral components on the finish but hard to discern when you're dodging all the fireworks. Super smooth and without scary tannins currently. A good entry Syrah for those scurred by those nasty, dirty Syrah playthings. 14.8% and 260 cases made. *Full disclosure-have had approx 100 Laird wines over the last 20 years and this is only the third one I've actually liked for the price. 4.3.24. — 2 years ago

Steve Haro

9.6

2016 is a more refined version of its 2015 sibling. Still lots of blueberry and bacon fat on and Indian spice notes, but in a presentation that is more settle than previous but still sticks out and is profound. Softer tannins, silkier texture. Fantastic. — 6 years ago

Jonathan McCarthy

9.6

So this is what Malbec tastes like. Get your shit together, Argentina, et al. She’s super inky, ultra extracted, velvety weight on the tongue. Blackest blackberry, mulberry, boysenberry. A desk drawer of fresh pencil shavings and a little hardwood dust. Boozy perfumes of dark petaled flowers. It glides along on wheels of the lightest hickory smoke and bacon fat. Pepper, pepper, pepper, and perhaps, a faint but determined whiff of curry. Holy shit, this stuff is otherworldly. Get yours before word really gets out. — 7 years ago

Kim Stanbro

9.2

Finally an evening on the deck not wearing a sweatshirt! Let’s begin Chardonnay week. Bright straw color, wish I could give a nose description but too many of my lovely city neighbors are grilling and all I smell is charred steak fat. Coating mouth- this is excellent. — 8 years ago

with Dave

.:;2):’kicndnebxhjd

8.9

I've been blinded a few times on zin lately and they've thrown me off because I'm expecting high alcohol zin versus all this sub 13.5 zin. This is old school, juicy light peppery a lot of red cherried fruit and red florals. 12.9%. It's hard for me to say whether I like the big fat zin or the primitivo-esque style more. Believe these are from his own clones as well. — 8 years ago

Billy L.

9.3

Pop N Pour
First sip I need a knife & fork, chewy, then I get smoky bacon fat; deep concentration, fine integrated tannins. Damn, Paul Hobbs makes good wines! I don't remember this being this good early on, now with some bottle age it rocks!

I'll miss this Sonoma Kick Ranch Vineyard Syrah, as he is only making wines from his Paul Hobbs Estate Owned Vineyards. Enjoy the 2012 Kick Ranch Syrah soon, in a great place right now! Cheers, 🍇🍷👍 — 9 years ago

Benjamin Keator

9.6

Eric brigger can kiss my ass. This is good wine — 9 years ago

with Weston

Brian Hearty

9.4

2008. The 2007 Keefer Ranch was one of my highest rated wines ever. The 2008 has similar flavors, but less intense, and a little more savory aromas. Glad I opened it first while we were waiting for the duck to finish roasting because the Walt I opened after had a little more acidity and tannins to cut through the duck fat. — 4 years ago

Stephen Redenbaugh

9.3

Found another straggler and it was delicious...vivid, dark black cherry color.. smoke, goose fat, rich forest floor mushrooms. The 14.99 ABV largely resolved with little heat left. Every time I’m tempted to cut back I open one at 10-12 years... not gonna do it. Glorious new world Syrah! — 6 years ago

Mark Flesher

9.3

Has been almost five years since I have revisited one of these. Still have one more left. The nose on this wine has a lot of dried wildflower, kirsche. Entry is cherry liqueur, mint, wildflowers. Middle gets a cherry cola note, hint of bacon fat and mushroom. Finishes with quite a bit of acidity and went insanely well with Rosemary asiago cheese. Still drinking very well! Has a few more years left I believe! — 7 years ago

Shay A

9.3

January Wednesday Wine Committees are always a great as the red wines are required to be 11yrs old, making all of the reds 2008 vintage. 1 sparkler, 2 whites, 4 reds and 1 dessert wine were served today, all blind.

Have to give it to Hall...they know how to churn out consistent wines. I called this Bordeaux, actually. Never had a Hall this old. It’s shed the baby fat of red, blue and black fruit and showing more plum and cassis. Little bit of leather to it, with some dark cocoa dusted dates. Drinking nice, but I think I enjoy Hall’s winemaking style in its youth a touch more than 10yrs of age on them. — 7 years ago

with Weston

Chris Chiapparelli

9.3

Lyle said it. This thing is fat in the ass, in the best way. — 9 years ago

Josh Claxton

9.4

So good. So much depth to this wine; every time you come back to it there's something new that you notice. To dumb it down in words I am capable of using, I got some candied red fruit with a smoked bacon fat/graphite thing going on. Also a touch of nebbiolo-esque rose petals. Kick. Ass. — 9 years ago