Doug Powers

9.3

So, Barbara and Jim Richards (RIP) planted 5 acres back in 1991 (1990?) of Syrah on the northeast (downslope) corner of their Paloma vineyard on Spring Mountain in what visually looked like a “low spot” (partially shaded and also maybe an area that maybe occasionally got standing water back in the days when California got enough rain). The rest of the vineyard was of course Merlot and also some Cabernet Sauvignon used mostly for blending with their fantastic mountain Merlot. The vineyard is just east of Pride Mountain and across the road from what used to be (??) Schweiger Vineyards.

Anyway, Bob Foley, who was making the wines for Pride in those early days, was consulting for Barbara and Jim early on, but I have ZERO information as to what involvement he had with the Syrah, if I recall correctly, the first Syrah in 1995 was less than a barrel (12-15 cases), and was aged in a super OLD, neutral barrel. My Chicago friends, who knew the Richards, dragged me along to taste that fateful day. That 1995 Syrah, first wine they ever made from those young Syrah vines, was, frankly, eye-opening and FANTASTIC, as I told Jim Richards that day. After tasting the INCREDIBLE 1995 Syrah, which was so northern Rhône-like and so pure, I begged Jim to sell me a bottle or two, but he politely declined. Later that day, after tasting the rest of their great wines, as we were leaving, Jim GAVE me a 4-pack box of that 1995 Syrah, which he wouldn’t accept any $$$ for, and that 1995 Syrah still in my memory remains the GREATEST CA Syrah I’ve ever tasted!!

As you can probably tell, I adored Jim and Barbara Richards, amazing people and generous to a fault!! Amazing people!!! I don’t think I ever met their son, Sheldon, but from all accounts he is continuing the tradition of great Paloma wines, though that great Syrah vineyard was pulled out in the early 2000s — Sheldon, if you happen to see this post, I welcome any corrections if I got any details wrong!!

Oh, and this Syrah is pretty dang good as well!!! — 3 days ago

with Jim

Gregory Fulchiero

9.2

Beautiful Syrah - zero carbonic - lovely spice and extraction. At 5-6 years this is aging gracefully. Blackberry, bramble, cracked pepper. — 2 years ago

Shay A

9.2

85 merlot/ 10 CabSauv/ 5 CabFranc

Pop and poured. Very pretty and elegant. Not a blockbuster vintage, but not a slacker in StEm. This Clos Fourtet isn’t flamboyant nor lean, but quite balanced. Deep ruby + purple in the glass, it looks as though it will be heavy and powerful, but it sports lots of potpurri, espresso, and inky black fruits aromatically all wrapped a delicate profile. Good weight on the palate. Very clean (zero Brett). This may lean slightly modern, but the tannin and herbal bite at the finish snap you back to France. Not surprisingly, the last glass was best. No rush here, but a quick dash of air opens the gates. — 4 months ago

Jess

9.0

Pale lemon color.
Aromas of lemon.
Dry. Flavors of lemon, floral. Simple, but clean and fresh.

Intensity: 4/5
Complexity: 1/5
Balance: 4/5
Finish: 4/5 — a year ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.5

2018 vintage. Oodles of structure and tight as nails currently. Hopefully, you’ve got plenty of time to wait this one out because it’s in zero rush to dance with you. 4.19.23. — 2 years ago

Paul T HB

9.7

Nice 👍🏼, definitely a 4 hour decant or 5-10 year hold $150. 00 on release but it has the stuffing of a $250.00 bottle, Parker 98 + review This is the second vintage from Seven Apart—a blend coming from Stag's Ridge vineyard, located up on Atlas Peak, and Base Camp vineyard, located seven miles down the mountain (hence the name). The winemaker here is Andy Erickson, formerly at Screaming Eagle and Harlan Estate and currently also consulting winemaker at Dalla Valle (among others). The upper vineyard (Stag's Ridge) is planted to mostly Cabernet Sauvignon, with small amounts of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Seven miles down the road, where Soda Canyon Road meets the Silverado Trail, is the four-acre Base Camp vineyard, planted in the mid-1990s to Cabernet Sauvignon with some Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Base Camp was planted in 1994 and 1998. Opaque purple-black in color, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Expedition erupts from the glass with explosive scents of boysenberry preserves, blueberry pie and Black Forest cake, plus suggestions of molten chocolate, licorice, tar and violets, with a waft of sandalwood. The full-bodied palate is full-on rich and decadent, exuding layer upon layer of opulent black and blue fruit preserves with bags of exotic spice accents and a long, fragrant finish. Pure hedonism. It is tantalizingly delicious right now, but give it 3-4 years in bottle to blow off that puppy fat, and drink it over the next 25 years+. — 3 years ago

GaryWEdwards

9.5

The fruit tumbled more as the decant wore on. Zero sediment upon decanting , this baby has legs for much longer haul. Beautiful balance and a gratifying long finish. I may come back in 5 years with a higher score. That's where this is headed. — a year ago

with Logan

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.3

2011 vintage. Solid aging cork in great shape along with a good fill. Decanted and tasted immediately and over the course of 1.5 hours. Threw zero sed. Light-medium body. Earthy, rhubarb, sous bois nose. Same in flavor profile with an additional, pleasant trace of dirtiness. Well-made and holding up very nicely but clearly on the subtle side of the ledger at this point. Any overt NSG fruitiness in the nursery is gonzo. Pretty but not in a youthful way. Aging very gracefully with another 5-7 years at this stage before changing addresses. 12.2.23. — a year ago

JKT

9.0

First try of an interesting Corsican wine from K. Lynch. 35% Niellucciu, 30% Grenache, 15% Sciaccarellu, 15% Syrah, 5% Mourvèdre, anything else left? Practically screams fun from nose through palate to finish, red fruited and lively at seven years in bottle. Great with Evan’s ribs. — 2 years ago

Jay Kline

9.1

This bottle was provided by a friend at a recent outdoor social gathering. A very unusual blend of 40% Pinot Blanc, 35% Pinot Noir, 5% Pinot Meunier and 10% Chardonnay. In fact, I can’t recall ever having a champagne that was blended with more than three of the seven permissible varieties. I wish I had more time to spend with this wine but the setting wasn’t very conducive to a thorough analysis. That being said, I took some brief notes. Popped and poured; consumed under an hour. A pleasant mix of pear, lemon, citrus blossom with chalky minerals. The finish was round and quite saline…and rather delightful! Almost quaffable. This wine had a texture that sort of played with my ability to accurately judge the acidity but I settled on medium+…but I think the acid is pretty sneaky. The finish was long and satisfying. Probably my favorite bottle from Philipe Fontaine to date. No disgorgment date stated on the label. — 3 years ago