Jade Mountain

Paras Vineyard Mt. Veeder Syrah

9.38 ratings
9.36 pro ratings
Mt. Veeder, Napa Valley, California, USA
Syrah
Lamb
Top Notes For
Severn Goodwin

2003 | Syrah
Jade Mountain Winery; Paras Vineyard
Napa Valley; Mount Veeder, CA, USA
(92-94; Drink 2018-28)

4H decant.
This vineyard burned to ground during the 2017 California wildfire season. CA Syrah perfection tonight...

2003 | Syrah
Jade Mountain Winery; Paras Vineyard
Napa Valley; Mount Veeder, CA, USA
(92-94; Drink 2018-28)

4H decant.
This vineyard burned to ground during the 2017 California wildfire season. CA Syrah perfection tonight...

Nov 12th, 2023
Severn Goodwin

2003 | Syrah
Jade Mountain Winery; Paras Vineyard
Napa Valley; Mount Veeder, CA, USA
6H decant.

I can't believe how much ass this wine is still kicking at 19-20Y. Another perfect cork pull, storage is everything.

2003 | Syrah
Jade Mountain Winery; Paras Vineyard
Napa Valley; Mount Veeder, CA, USA
6H decant.

I can't believe how much ass this wine is still kicking at 19-20Y. Another perfect cork pull, storage is everything.

Feb 26th, 2023
David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

A producer bottling I’ve not had. This came to be in my procession via a wine exchange with @Severn Goodwin.

This 03 Jade is In fine shape due to its quality production and Severn’s excellent storage of it.

Nose reveals ripe, slightly stewed & baked; dark cherries, blackberries, mixture fresh of our fruits as well as blue fruits with hints of faint poached strawberries. Sweet tarriness, black licorice, black pepper, dark steeped fruit tea, expresso roast, bay leaf, dry crushed rocks, barrel shavings, dark, rich earthiness with dry leaves, mid dark spice, limestone minerals, dry top soil, underbrush with fresh & withering; dark, red, purple, blue florals framed in heavy lavender and soft violets.

The palate is, ripe, rich, elegant, round and lush. After roughly 15 years in bottle, she shows, rounded, dusty, chewy/meaty, dry tannins. The structure, tension, balance & length are just the other side of its peak. The fruits like the nose are slightly stewed & baked; dark cherries, blackberries, mixture fresh of our fruits as well as blue fruits with hints of faint poached strawberries. Sweet tarriness, anise to black licorice, cinnamon, vanilla, black pepper, smoked meats, dark steeped fruit tea, expresso roast, bay leaf, dry crushed rocks, old tobacco, barrel shavings, dark, rich earthiness with dry leaves, mid dark spice, limestone minerals, dry top soil, very dry underbrush, some tree bark/sap with brilliant, fresh & withering; dark, red, purple, blue florals framed in heavy lavender and soft violets. The acidity is really nice...like a cool mountain stream. The long finish is delicious and persist endlessly into dry, dark spice on the long set.

Still has another 3-5 years of good drinking ahead of it depending on your storage and the age you like your wine to show.

Photos of; Previous Owner-Jim Paras (left) with Winemaker Douglas Danielak, Paras Vineyard Syrah clusters ready for harvest and their Paras Vineyard.

Producer notes, San Francisco Lawyer Jim Paras started the winery in 1984. At the time, he produced about 8,000 cases a year of Syrah, Merlot, Mourvhdre and Viognier. In 1994, Chalone began distributing his wines and eventually bought the winery in 2000.

A producer bottling I’ve not had. This came to be in my procession via a wine exchange with @Severn Goodwin.

This 03 Jade is In fine shape due to its quality production and Severn’s excellent storage of it.

Nose reveals ripe, slightly stewed & baked; dark cherries, blackberries, mixture fresh of our fruits as well as blue fruits with hints of faint poached strawberries. Sweet tarriness, black licorice, black pepper, dark steeped fruit tea, expresso roast, bay leaf, dry crushed rocks, barrel shavings, dark, rich earthiness with dry leaves, mid dark spice, limestone minerals, dry top soil, underbrush with fresh & withering; dark, red, purple, blue florals framed in heavy lavender and soft violets.

The palate is, ripe, rich, elegant, round and lush. After roughly 15 years in bottle, she shows, rounded, dusty, chewy/meaty, dry tannins. The structure, tension, balance & length are just the other side of its peak. The fruits like the nose are slightly stewed & baked; dark cherries, blackberries, mixture fresh of our fruits as well as blue fruits with hints of faint poached strawberries. Sweet tarriness, anise to black licorice, cinnamon, vanilla, black pepper, smoked meats, dark steeped fruit tea, expresso roast, bay leaf, dry crushed rocks, old tobacco, barrel shavings, dark, rich earthiness with dry leaves, mid dark spice, limestone minerals, dry top soil, very dry underbrush, some tree bark/sap with brilliant, fresh & withering; dark, red, purple, blue florals framed in heavy lavender and soft violets. The acidity is really nice...like a cool mountain stream. The long finish is delicious and persist endlessly into dry, dark spice on the long set.

Still has another 3-5 years of good drinking ahead of it depending on your storage and the age you like your wine to show.

Photos of; Previous Owner-Jim Paras (left) with Winemaker Douglas Danielak, Paras Vineyard Syrah clusters ready for harvest and their Paras Vineyard.

Producer notes, San Francisco Lawyer Jim Paras started the winery in 1984. At the time, he produced about 8,000 cases a year of Syrah, Merlot, Mourvhdre and Viognier. In 1994, Chalone began distributing his wines and eventually bought the winery in 2000.

Sep 7th, 2020
Severn Goodwin

The vineyard is (was) on Mount Veeder, until 2017's very unfortunate wildfires, studiously documented by @David T

Decanting now, notes forthcoming... Smelling like a positive outcome.

Bottle variation on this drives me a little crazy...

Nose is heavily plum with milk chocolate, but that tinge of alcohol today is annoying. Damn you finicky Syrah.

Palate has cedar plum, cassis jam, dark chocolate and moist leather. High cacao notes are really pushing forward the longer the bottle sits in the decanter, so very nice!

Very good, but not at it's absolute best, based on prior bottles.

The vineyard is (was) on Mount Veeder, until 2017's very unfortunate wildfires, studiously documented by @David T

Decanting now, notes forthcoming... Smelling like a positive outcome.

Bottle variation on this drives me a little crazy...

Nose is heavily plum with milk chocolate, but that tinge of alcohol today is annoying. Damn you finicky Syrah.

Palate has cedar plum, cassis jam, dark chocolate and moist leather. High cacao notes are really pushing forward the longer the bottle sits in the decanter, so very nice!

Very good, but not at it's absolute best, based on prior bottles.

Feb 11th, 2019
Severn Goodwin

I'm always impatient for this bottle to open, some do, some don't. Tonight we do indeed have a winner!

Nose is very close to my take on the '02, ripe plum sprinkled with dark chocolate, and violets passing by the glass, but today we're picking up a cigar box aroma as well...always developing this wine, so interesting.

On the palate, plum flesh (not skin), blackcurrant/blackberry jam, dark chocolate and tanned leather. The finish just runs and runs.

We still have several bottles and it has been quite fun to watch this bottle go up and down over the years. Aside from fresh release, this might be the best it's been drinking in years. Tonight I'm very happy.

We paired this with a beautifully grilled, local flank steak from a farmer just over the State line from us in upstate NY, and freshly dug new red potatoes...oh how I love your newness early summer every year! Yum yum yum!

The vineyard is (was) on Mount Veeder, until last year's very unfortunate wildfires, studiously documented by
@David T

I'm always impatient for this bottle to open, some do, some don't. Tonight we do indeed have a winner!

Nose is very close to my take on the '02, ripe plum sprinkled with dark chocolate, and violets passing by the glass, but today we're picking up a cigar box aroma as well...always developing this wine, so interesting.

On the palate, plum flesh (not skin), blackcurrant/blackberry jam, dark chocolate and tanned leather. The finish just runs and runs.

We still have several bottles and it has been quite fun to watch this bottle go up and down over the years. Aside from fresh release, this might be the best it's been drinking in years. Tonight I'm very happy.

We paired this with a beautifully grilled, local flank steak from a farmer just over the State line from us in upstate NY, and freshly dug new red potatoes...oh how I love your newness early summer every year! Yum yum yum!

The vineyard is (was) on Mount Veeder, until last year's very unfortunate wildfires, studiously documented by
@David T

Jul 24th, 2018
Pascal Ezaki

Incredibly unique. Rich dark fruits with some licorice. Incredibly long complex finish. Ink black.

Incredibly unique. Rich dark fruits with some licorice. Incredibly long complex finish. Ink black.

May 8th, 2014
Jay Kline

Jay had this 10 years ago

Jay had this 10 years ago

Dec 25th, 2014
Chris VanHoose

Chris had this 10 years ago

Chris had this 10 years ago

Aug 3rd, 2014
Nancy Chen

Nancy had this 12 years ago

Nancy had this 12 years ago

Dec 11th, 2012