Qupe, Syrah, Santa Barbara County

I knew this bottle was a couple of years past its drinking window but bought it anyway during a big sale. I was pleasantly surprised. It had a nose and was easy on the palate too. For $10, I definitely not sorry that I bought it.

2016 vintage

Solid stuff. Loving the bacon fat and roasted red pepper tones here. For the money, this is one of the most "real" tasting California Syrahs out there.

2016 vintage

So fun and good for the price with some foraged shrooms and Cornish hens. Simple in the best way, delicious, nice complexities, and cheap.

2016 vintage

Man, this bottle delivered. Ripe plums and blackberries on the nose, some campfire, smoked meats, bacon fat, violets. On the palate this is smooth and fresh with juicy black cherries and saucy blackberries. Notes of mocha, earth, tobacco, black pepper and grilled steak add complexity, and the cola and coffee tones are nuanced. Warm, inviting, fresh, this brings a lot of realness for $15.

2016 vintage

We had the 2006 tonight with dinner. Excellent up front fruit with medium body. Pepper and dried cherry. Reading other reviews I was expecting a poor showing, but this wine was great. Perhaps it just needed to sit in the bottle for 15 years. Highly recommend.

2006 vintage

Tasted again 5 days after opening. Softer, less harsh, smooth. Screwcap so not much oxygen, and seems to benefit greatly from air. Suggest a generous time of decanting if drinking now.

2016 vintage

Have now had 3 bottles of this over the last few weeks - and it is a bit inconsistent (across all tasters). First bottle was fantastic - perhaps we were just too excited that we thought we had found a bargain. Tons of black fruit on the nose and palate, with smoked meats, bacon, tomato leaf and baking spice aromas as well. Was less enticing on the palate after the expectations on the nose - but still a 91/92. Second …

2016 vintage

Great QPR and paired fantastically with leg of lamb. What I would consider a benchmark Californian Syrah.

2016 vintage

Fruit, medium body, a little jammy, some clean eucalyptus flavor, a little flabby.

2016 vintage

Really enjoyed this one. Good spice, but not too overpowering.

2016 vintage

By the glass at Uncorked at SFO. Pop and pour. Its been a while since I've had this wine and I'm enjoying this vintage. Simple and fruity but not boring. Perhaps stretching the imagination, I get a hint of cracked pepper.

2016 vintage

A very well rounded Syrah with great depth and character. Decant for 30 minutes minimum before drinking. Drink now-2023

2009 vintage

Dark fruit and some noticeable heat. Slightly volatile, not quite right.

2009 vintage

Still primary with dark berry fruits and a hint of pencil lead, this wine haz plenty of acidity to match well with boldly seasoned foods. This will proably improve with a.nother 5 years' time.

2009 vintage

Pour through Vinturi. Similar to July note.

2009 vintage

In a very nice place...very smooth and integrated.

2009 vintage

Good fruit, smooth, full mouthfeel.

2009 vintage

This is a rich full wine with aromas of black fruit in summer with a deep full entry but light biting body.

2009 vintage

From a 375 ml. Unscrew and pour. First sip was awkward and harsh. With some air, dark fruit (mainly cherry) started to come through. OK at best.

2009 vintage

Nose of dark fruit and slightly alcoholic. Relatively smooth hints of blackberry, tobacco and coffee. Round with a nice finish.

2009 vintage

Reasonably full without being overpowering. Ok acidity and tannins, but truly in a supporting role to the enjoyably dark fruit. I think it does serve the Central Coast well as an emblematic domestic CdR style wine. Good QPR for a CA Syrah, though still struggles against the (subsidized?) wines from S France.

2009 vintage

Dark ruby red with a purple center. It has aromas of dark cherries and spices. It was balanced, dense, very smooth with medium tannins and dryness. 2009 is ready to drink. I think the 2010 needs to wait until the end of 2013 to drink...it was still a little "hot".

2009 vintage

I concur 100% with the last two reviews. Mmorrissette and gnrclarke

2009 vintage

Very nice wine and good value for the money. Very good coming straight out of the bottle, but did not develop further beyond there.

2009 vintage

Ruby red, clear, clean. Medium-bodied. Definite syrah on the nose. Spice. Classic California scents. On the palate is has medium weight, spice and pepper. Red fruits. Not overly complex, but pleasant and well-made. Excellent value for money.

2009 vintage

Really enjoyed this. Not tight like the IWC review mentions - seems to have loosened up after some time in the bottle. Great balance, nice acidity without seeming out of place. Spice, dark fruit, cocoa, hint of wet leaves. Medium body, medium-long finish. I will seek more of this. Excellent QPR.

2009 vintage

I wanted to see what $20 at Whole Foods got you for a a few domestic Syrah's from better producers, so grabbed this as one, being a fan of Qupe, overall. Not sure the production size of this, but in short, its a decent Syrah for $20 for those looking for more restrained Syrah styles. Nothing overly complex on the nose or mouth, less so 2nd day. Buy, drink, enjoy. This is ready now.

2009 vintage

Not much happening here. Fruit almost non-existant on nose and palette. Really disappointing considering how much I've loved other Qupe wines.

2009 vintage

not as peppery as many syrahs i've had before. almost like a spicier pinot noir. quite tasty with goat cheese, salami and chocolate

2009 vintage

Belle surprise pour un vin americain. Nous n'avons pas ici le surboise et surconfiture que les vins californiens nous presentent habituellement. On a un vin tres digeste, tres belle acidite et un boise discret. Belle decouverte pour reapprivoiser les vins americains. Par contre, a un prix de 25$ a la SAQ, c'est assez dispendieux.....on peu avoir un croze-hermitage de bien meilleur qualite a prix moindre.....genre les Vins de Vienne.

2009 vintage

Ample bodied. Medium finish. Cola and light amount of tar. Dry. A hint of smokiness. Not very complex.

2009 vintage

Mild aroma of blackberries. Pleasant flavors of boysenberry laced with black pepper. Black pepper and oregano notes dominate the medium finish. Very good everyday Syrah. With the price ascent of the Edmunds St. John portfolio, Qupe has become the go to value wine for California syrah.

2009 vintage

This wine is right on the mark with it's price point, it's a great week day wine. Pop and pour, and it's ready to go. Lots of red fruit and some pepper. The color is a medium dark ruby, the taste is bright fruit with a nice acid finish to pair well with pizza. The wine did soften with a little air but I don't recommend decanting. PnP and enjoy now.

2009 vintage

Decent, but not up to the $20 price point and not nearly as enjoyable as other low-alcohol N. California syrahs. There was some spice on the nose and the flavor was primarily of licorice and a bit tart. (Maybe I should try one of Qupé's vineyard designate syrahs next time.)

2009 vintage

Deep garnet. Black and blue fruit, licorice, meat, spices, and smoke aromas. Fleshy, juicy, and balanced, with an underlying note of mocha, and a graphite finish that lingers. Well put together.

2009 vintage

Dark cherry red color; light brett, roasted plum nose; light-medium bodied, tart plum, roasted plum palate; medium-plus finish 88+ points

2009 vintage

Donut wine, with nothing in the middle. Didn't do well in our tasting. Different (lower) tier than the Bien Nacido Syrah.

2006 vintage

Dark core but bright at the rim, not inky. Smoky, dark berry fruit nose. Palate is smooth, not too hot (OK a little) but a nice hint bacon fat to back up the blackberry. Grippy medium length finish. Good entry level California Syrah and nice value at £8/btl.

2006 vintage

Consistent with last bottle. Clear ruby in colour. Clean, med intensity. Black fruit and spice on nose and palate.

2006 vintage

fair wine.

2006 vintage

Appearance:Medium Intensity, heavy sediment, touch tawny Nose: Medium+ intesity, white pepper, red fruit Palate: Medium+ intesity, medium tannin, medium+ alc, spicy, white pepper, red cherries

2006 vintage

Nothing special, especially first day

2006 vintage

With tapas, so the score might be on the low side. did not do battle with cheese as well as I thought it might.

2006 vintage

I have beeen hearing good things about the quality and consistancy of this enty level Syrah for some time and decided to try one. I agree, the nose was attractive, the fruit was dense and delicious, and the finish was very good. One thing I would highly recommend is that you pop and pour it. I went back to it on day two and it was not the same wine. Not even close.

2006 vintage

Popped and poured. Jammy, blueberry and prominent oak. The rest ended up down the drain.

2006 vintage

Better than the last bottle/ light red, medium body/ spice and cherry nose/ good texture, red berry fruits, spice, ripe/ nice acidity and tannins/ shortish/ 13.5%/

2006 vintage

Nice nose of blueberries but I really didn't like this wine at all. It tasted quite harsh and disjointed and really didn't resemble syrah in taste. I bought directly from the retailer and cellared in an active cellar but it almost tastes like the wine was heat damaged. On that basis, I will not officially score the wine but I would have put it around the 74 pt mark. I have only scored two other wines at a similar level. …

2006 vintage

Very impressed - easy drinker. Hints of pepper along with some spice. Loved it.

2006 vintage

This is my fourth bottle over the past year of this juice, and this one showed the best. Medium bodied, fresh and fruity, decent acid. Like others have said, not at all jammy. This is a decent mid-week quaffer.

2006 vintage

Good quaffer, though a little one-dimensional with a red berry-driven palate and not much else going on. Fairly light, and not at all a giant jammy alcohol bomb.

2006 vintage

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Qupe, Syrah, Santa Barbara County

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