Halcon, Alturas Syrah, Yorkville Highlands

Opened the 2016 Alturas alongside an Elevacion of the same vintage, to do a little side by side comparison. First off, both of these wines are just amazing and I wish I had more. The Alturas: Generous nose with slight florals showing, blue and black fruit, licorice candy and hints of old wood. On the palate, this is still quite lively with light-medium tannins carrying the fruit and acid nicely. Fruit again leans darker, and the finish is long. The …

2016 vintage

Fruit was overpowered by the black pepper flavors. Acids were more pronounced than I remembered To be in this bottling. Hold for another few years and see if that helps wine's development

2016 vintage

Not as smoky as other Syrahs I've had. Deep purple fruit, succulent, rich tannins that complement well. Better on Day Two, seemed to have a bit of CO2 on Day One which I have picked up on other Halcon wines. That said, I love the Halcon profile and have found them to be a great value for what they offer up.

2019 vintage

Full of smoky, savory bacon fat, with a nice core of purple fruit and fine tannins. Excellent, one of the better CA Syrahs I've had.

2019 vintage

I can see the point to some saying this wine is taking on a more California profile versus the N Rhone character it had in it's youth. There is a stronger tarred raspberry character and the weight is noticeable in the midpalate. The tannin still has a green astringency. That said, leaving this open three nights saw it relax, allowing more complexing to come to the fore. It could be a bit shutdown, too. Leaving my other bottles alone a …

2019 vintage

Delicious bottle. Pretty dark, still quite youthful. Great concentration and acidity, schist mineral effect and archetypal syrah notes from this high altitude site. I’m very pleased with how it’s going, and could certainly confuse it for a Gonon. No residual sweetness or roasted fruits that others have expressed concern over.

2019 vintage

Still really tight. Great guts. Nose of brine, plum,

2019 vintage

Really nice and definitely in a sweet spot for drinking. Dark maroon/purple with very lightly faded rim. Earthy and savory on the nose. A little bacon and black olive. Dried herbs and a bit of mustiness or brett way in the background. Not enough to be a problem at all. Blue fruits are there on the nose but also take a back seat to the cured meat and olive notes. Tannins are not yet fully integrated and provide a lost …

2016 vintage

Not the best vintage of Alturas, but drinking well at this stage. Plum and other tangy dark fruits with a bit of a savory element.

2016 vintage

Okay stuff. Nothing worth writing home about. IMHO, not worth price.

2016 vintage

PnP. Complex aromas of grilled meat, spices, black pepper, earth and minerals. Shows its high elevation characteristics well. Excellent mid-palate with fruit, pepper and minerals balanced well with medium tannins. Could be mistaken for a nice northern Rhone (St. Jo, Crozes). Structured for continued improvement over 3-5 years. 91+

2016 vintage

As distinctive as it's always been. Still primary, but the tannins have softened significantly since my last visit. As perfumed as it was before with lovely purple florals, olives, and purple and blue fruits. Wonderful aromas. Can't wait to see how this develops further. So much potential here.

2019 vintage

-- decanted for about one hour before initial taste -- -- tasted non-blind over a few hours -- Coming along quite nicely since my bottle two years ago. Juicy, N.Rhone style --- savory, medium weight, purple-red fruits. Alc. not noticeable. Still with some gentle tannins. No longer a must Hold situation, but it's still entirely primary. Excellent wine. Drink or Hold.

2019 vintage

From 75cl, opened but not decanted 9 hours. Still presenting with some CO2 spritz, this feels quite primary, the fine dark bramble fruit still a bit sweet and hefty for its—otherwise—apparently delicate frame. Others at the table enjoyed this wine more than I did, so I'll withhold judgement, gladly confirm that it has plenty of substance for 5-10 years, and hope to meet it again sometime after 2029. I note that John Gilman recommends leaving this until 2031, and think …

2019 vintage

Primary but showing its wares. Terrific nose of fresh cracked black pepper, black cherries and a soupçon of garrigue, a bouquet that harkens to both the earthiness of the Old World and the richness of the New. The palate is less ready, showing a little spritz on the pop and pour, but it pulls together quickly with some air. Aside from some tongue tightening tannin and grip, this is drinking well, with layers of sappy lavender, iodine, cloves and some …

2019 vintage

2yrs from my last bottle and I don't think this has moved much. Big violet florals and white pepper nose. Fresh purple fruit attack—but remains narrow on the palate and turns rather austere on the complex but dry finish. Could use some more time to soften.

2019 vintage

Gifted this one by the DQ 2.5 years ago......pnp, then enjoyed over 4 hours during and after dinner with the kids. Doesn't really need any decant time but does improve a point or two over a few hours. Savory is the word here.....dark fruited, and very savory without the obtrusiveness of the Wash St Syrahs. No barnyard here, just a smooth fruited, spicy, meaty wine that probably gets 1-2 pts better over the next few years. Very well balanced. Thanks, …

2019 vintage

It's been 2 years since I opened one of these and I was having some Italian food last night and thought man I could use a glass of Syrah so I went and grabbed one of my bottles of inventory and what a beauty this thing is. This version continues to just be a wonderful glass of syrah. It's full of white pepper and purple flower, with dark fruit although there's plenty of red fruit in here too, and a …

2019 vintage

Night 1 is all pepper and cherry/plum. Stemmy and moderately tannic. Excellent stuff. Just as delicious on night 2. Alternating impressions between peppery and purely crisp and ripe fruit. Great stuff.

2016 vintage

Just singing right now with dark fruit, smoke, violets, minerals... One of the best Halcons, one of the best California wines... One of the best wines, period, I have ever had.

2016 vintage

Consistent with previous bottle. Drank alongside a 2015 Jaboulet Hermitage and paired with grilled lamb chops. The Halcon fruit was a touch riper and there was a bit of smokiness to the wine as well.

2016 vintage

Intense blueberry. White pepper. Violets. Slightly closed compared to a year ago. I bought four of these and have now drunk three. I will try and save the last bottle until the 2030s, but I don't know if I have the discipline.

2019 vintage

This bottle is consistently a solid performer, and this vintage is no different. Still very young, but shows nice depth of fruit, smoked meat and olives.

2019 vintage

Great bouquet. Little bit of spice. Olive detected. Drank for Thanksgiving. Probably a bit young.

2019 vintage

4.5 hour decant. Pure Syrah, in such a No. Rhone style. Pepper, dark fruit, fat, drinks so incredibly well, such an amazing value.

2019 vintage

Absolutely love the beautiful nose of bacon, violets, olives, pepper, crushed berries, and lavender. However, it was muted and overtly stern on the palate this time. Didn't give anywhere close to as much as it did on release. Gonna hold off on the rest.

2019 vintage

No formal note. Consistent with previous bottle. Lovely stuff, but should be much better in 5-10 years.

2019 vintage

Delicious, expressively aromatic of basalt and black pepper. Nice balance but still quite dry. I like now but better in 5 years.

2016 vintage

Wonderfully restrained medium bodied California Syrah. Elegant, still with some grippy tannin but not overly assertive, starting to take on a bit of a savory / salinity character. Strong backbone of acid - lovely now but may improve and certainly will last for a while. One of my favorite CA syrahs to date.

2016 vintage

Good wine. Nice low alcohol at 12%+/-. I would say ready to drink. Tannins are soft. Maybe a decant may have improved its showing. I will reserve a score for my next bottle!

2016 vintage

-- decanted approx. 1.25 hrs. before initial taste -- -- tasted non-blind over approx. 2 - 3 hrs. -- NOSE: raspberry jam and that exotic green pepper/briney/savoriness that I love in cool climate Syrah; seems open and expressive; with a couple hours open, the pepper turned to black pepper and the fruit tones moved towards the darker end of the spectrum. BODY: medium-light to medium bodied. TASTE: high acidity; spiky tannins; very savory, with purple fruits (plum and light blackberry); …

2019 vintage

Big crunchy vibrant Syrah. Has huge white pepper notes on the nose and palate. Crunchy palate, grapefruit notes highlight the freshness. Highly structured with some slightly bitter tannins on the back end. Very youthful and vibrant. Great stuff. Best to hold a few years.

2019 vintage

A fair bit of dissolved CO2 right on opening. A good shake in the decanter and a couple hours later, this was ready to go but continued to improve throughout the evening. Quite generously fruited at this stage but with plenty of olive, pepper, and earth - the latter with plenty of air. An outstanding wine that will need quite some time to fill out to its full potential.

2019 vintage

This wine was ready to go. Aromatically open with a classical Northern Rhone profile. Ripe fruits that would make you think about 2015/16. The tannins on this bottle were relatively soft and did not distract. I’m glad to have a case of these to put away and forget about for a decade

2019 vintage

95% Syrah with 5% Viognier. 50% whole cluster and just neutral wood. Love this stuff. Dried purple flowers/potpourri and ground black pepper aromatics, even a little bacon fat too. With no aeration this drinks super. Some plushness that is framed by blackberry, cherry and a bunch of tar, creosote and garrigue. Finishes with black licorice and a moderate kick of acidity. In contrast to the 2018, I suspect the 2019 will be attractive to a bigger audience. I like both …

2019 vintage

Day 1: quick note. Moderate aromas/flavors. Medium body, ripe but fresh sappy dark fruits, with hints of pepper and licorice. Clearly showing ripe California fruit, but it was so fresh that it would be hard to peg this. Very drinkable. Saved one glass. Recorked. Day 3: still fresh, lost some depth, and showed a bit jammy

2019 vintage

Super soft and easygoing, like the Esquisto.

2019 vintage

Really enjoyed this. Lots of complexity for a very approachable wine.

2016 vintage

Just gorgeous. Fruit flavors leaning darker and accompanied with lots of savory notes. Lots of violet on the nose as well.

2016 vintage

popped and poured, nicely balanced mid weight wine with ample acidity and tannin to give it cut. Stems seem a bit prominent, and for my tastes, I think this needs a few years to better come together

2016 vintage

Black currant and followed by red cherries. A tad bit of liquorice. Fine tannins is still present with a little grit but faded from a few years ago. Medium body. Pairs very with fried chicken. This wine in a very place right now. I don't see any reason to wait.

2016 vintage

Needed decanting, around 3 hours.

2016 vintage

Popped and slow ox'd for about an hour. Medium purple color, slightly cloudy. Really aromatic on the nose with tons of black olive tapenade, high toned purple florals, some under ripe blackberry and black cherry and a hint of fresh cracked black pepper. Unmistakably syrah. Flavors carry through to the palate with a bit of salty olive brine and tart black fruits with some spice. Medium+ acid and tannin. Tons of complexity now but a long life ahead. Really great …

2016 vintage

a great consistent syrah, that has some amazing complexity. Recommend a good 2-3 hour decant on this.

2016 vintage

Ooops. Meant to leave this a couple more years. Most Cote Rotie like nose on a domestic Syrah I've had. Pepper and violets. It does lean into a more ripe, stewed character but only a little. And it doesn't come at you with copious fruit. Medium intensity with flashes of subtleties. Medium body. Fresh feeling. Medium tannin. Dark berries with a nice skin quality at the finish. Lovely build. Drinking well but I'd bet another year or two will see …

2016 vintage

Opens with nice dark fruit, then, some noticeable salinity. Nice tart acid fills the mouth. Interestinly, I had he full cluster fermented version of this wine (Elevacion), yesterday. This one is a "bigger" wine in every way. Much thicker mouth feel and much more full-bodied. I prefer this one.

2016 vintage

My sister in law put it best when she said that it tastes like it "was grown on skeletons in the Salton sea". Tons of briny salinity, minerality, and dark fruit.

2016 vintage

4th of 4, and I reiterate my TN from 4/19 and what Bretrooks said that he was regretful he had finished his stash. Super fresh, with powerful berries, pepper, garrigue, earthiness and dark flowers, backed with super racy acidity and grippy tannins. Really great not only with burgers but with fish and as a standalone. This, the Ex Post Facto Syrah, the Qupe Sonnies, the Keplinger Lithic and the Gigondas Grand Montmirail are all NoRho qpr superstars. Would certainly buy …

2016 vintage

Deep ruby and opaque. A: rocky, iron, roasted meats, a bit sanguine, loads of white/green pepper. F: going with boysenberry, but however you call it, it’s dark berry fruit with a lot of lift and brightness along with all the gutsy feral stuff on the palate too. Lengthy finish, really pure. This was rocking from PNP onward. Would have decanted but this was a game time decision to open it. Very happy with this already and interested to try more …

2016 vintage

Improved with air. Violets and blue fruit on the nose. The palate has tangy black fruit, plum, meaty, black pepper. I think this will get even better with more time.

2016 vintage

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Halcon, Alturas Syrah, Yorkville Highlands

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