2005 Copain Les Copains James Berry Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles (1/26/2008)
Eldon shared this at our recent Copain tasting and I really enjoyed it so I wanted to try one in the comfort of my own home. Had over 2 nights. Pretty grenache aromatics. Far from shy but not overly aggressive. Enticing. On the palate there is sweet fruit but very un-evolved. A bit of a heavy weight texturally but not jammy or flabby. Still needs to settle down a bit and integrate. Very nice stuff that should have broad appeal in 1 or 2 years. (92 pts.)
2005 Big Basin Vineyards Syrah Mandala - USA, California (1/26/2008)
This is a blend of Fairview Ranch (SLH) and Rattlesnake Rock (Santa Crus Mtn). Out of the bottle slight reduction…but not bothersome. Sweet boysenberries. Ripe and appealing aromatics. Shows a lot of sweet fruit, sweet acid and light tannins. I really liked this. Found it interesting and complex. A very ripe wine but not too heavy. Shows a nice amount of oak. The fruit shows a bit of cherry pie. Great now because of the tasty primary fruit but it seems to have all the elements to develop. (91 pts.)
Peace,
Jason