Qupe, Bien Nacido Hillside Syrah, Santa Maria Valley

This is great, super smooth and completely integrated. There is nice red fruit on the nose after an hour of air with other complexity. Tannins are still present on the pallet which makes me think this still has some years ahead of it. Really good value wine here.

2013 vintage

Beautiful and classic Santa Barbara Syrah. Dark, brambly blackberry jam, overripe plum, fig, potting soil, charcuterie, rocky minerality. Silky structure with medium+ acid, medium- tannin, medium body. Palate has dates and figs, espresso, bacon, and a purple floral component. Outstanding value.

2013 vintage

PnP. Wow, still: Stunning wine; dark ripe fruits, silky texture, rich and concentrated. Drinking excellently at the moment. Sad to observe, this was the last in my stock!

2013 vintage

19-year-old California syrah produced by a master who traded Parker ratings for balance and elegance. Sadly, this is the last of a six pack and should go on for another 15 years. Zero, I mean zero secondary flavors. Top qupe syrahs get more Burgundian as they age. Red berry, olive, raw meat. Delicious

2005 vintage

Choose the right food! Give lots of air. Luscious, vibrant, gorgeous.

2013 vintage

Beautiful fruit, so rounded and yet still elegant. Good length.

2013 vintage

Decanted for about two hours. Served with entrecôte. Stunning wine; dark ripe fruits, silky texture, rich and concentrated. Drinking excellently at the moment.

2013 vintage

Similar to last btl. On the nose: cola/root beer, olive brine, soft dried black fruit. On the palate: a touch flabby with acidity that is a bit soft at first; more olive brine and better acidity as this moves to the back of the palate. Attenuated tannin and a bit of heat on the finish. Leaning a touch disjointed, esp. for this producer, but still pretty good.

2005 vintage

Bottle variation here... my previous bottle was nearly done, this one OTOH is full of life... floral notes up front, black fruit, earthy / savory notes in the middle, decent acidity... YUM.

2005 vintage

Medium+ ruby. Medium intensity aroma of hay, barn, residual alcohol, blackberry. Dry, medium acidity, medium- tannin, high alcohol. Medium intensity flavor of manure, leather, blackberry. Long finish. A bit past its prime. Basically all tertiary.

2005 vintage

I would have guessed this was 6 years old, not 16! Big fruit, flowers, plenty of tannin, lots of acid, and overall just a great wine. Tons of time left on it, and will likely improve for several more years as the tannins smooth out.

2005 vintage

Delicious. At peak. Lots of fresh fruit. firm but smooth tannins. Lovely

2013 vintage

My last bottle. Every good as usual

2005 vintage

Mildly disappointing tonight. Not recognizably Syrah out of the gate, just a slightly hot, slightly overoaked red that we'd maybe have called for either warm-region Spanish Grenache or overoaked Californian GSM.

2013 vintage

Black currant, blackberries, liquorice, cinnamon, pepper and vanilla. Dark fruity and spicy profile. Medium acidity, tannins and alcohol. Med+ body. Long finish with abovementioned. Nice cold climate Syrah. Had with burger. Perfect.

2013 vintage

Slight red fruit moving directly into a meaty, thinner core... thinning out further on the finish, lots of tertiary... this one might be done.

2005 vintage

nose -olive, inky, unyielding mouth- powerful and fresh but young. Hold.

2005 vintage

Got a little bit of menthol on the finish. Still nice acidity and balance.

2005 vintage

100% Syrah from Santa Maria Valley. Aged for 22 months in French oak barrels (60% new oak). Medium ruby color. Very earthy...barnyard and potting soil. Green peppercorn and spice, plums and raspberry. Dark fruit and earth on the palate. Plush tannins, silky texture, full-bodied. Balanced and developed...wonderful.

2013 vintage

Perhaps it is a matter of taste, but this vintage of this wine seems somewhat singular to me: none of the restraint of later vintages. This is good, but leans a little flabby. On the nose: plum, a touch of cola, maybe some game and olive brine, but nothing is really well-delineated. On the palate, good acidity, and more cola and plum, with loads of wild blackberry. Still tannic grip gives this real backbone, but this finishes hot and soupy. …

2005 vintage

Still quite primary and unmistakably Californian, but a high quality Syrah nonetheless. Lots of fruit, a bit of green olive and some pencil lead that blows off. Still plenty of acidity, so it has the structure to go for another 5-10 years, depending on how you like your Syrah. Delicious tonight with NZ venison.

2005 vintage

A real beauty that benefits from some air. Tasted on PnP it was good, if a bit tart and tight. After an hour in the decanter it started to layer up and gain depth and complexity. Deep fruit, olive tapanade, cured meats, plums, exotic spices. Very nice and very drinkable, kind of one foot in France, one foot in California. Tannins fine and fully integrated. This bottle was probably at its peak, but I wish I'd bought another to see …

2005 vintage

Really lovely. Nose of blueberry and herbs. Weighty on the palate, still holding onto some structure. Great with food.

2005 vintage

This was the final of three bottles of this vintage I had on hand, and the best came last! Previous bottles were a bit stale and over the hill, but this one is alive and kicking. Black cherry, prune, stewed and spiced with clove...a burst of fresh cut cedar and dried tobacco on the long finish. The smokey-sweet nose alone is worth it.

2005 vintage

I disagree with the prior not that this is last peak. After being open an hour or so this was fantastic with pork chops and has the bones to go for years still.

2005 vintage

Probably past peak but I feel pretty good about a $30 purchase from Garagiste. I sense faded fruit, showing more bones, tannins and some bitterness. But there’s stuffing left. It’s a huge wine with deep flavors of black fruit, tar, earth, herbs, menthol. Lovely nose, good spice and finish.

2005 vintage

Savory lavender and olive nose. Ripe black fruit, some spice, and plenty of olives and savoriness in the palate. The body feels ripe and plush but was still on the lighter side of the spectrum.

2013 vintage

This is still holding up pretty well; The nose has inviting aromas of cassis, dark fruits and wood spice, while the palate still has great concentration of fruit; The finish falls off a little bit, and I don't think this will improve from here, so I would drink these in the near-term

2005 vintage

Really enjoying this. I biked over from Lompoc to Los Olivos back in 2011 to pick this up and then carried it back on the bike (getting stung by a bee in the process). Even then it was a library wine, but tasted very good. Now, a few years later, it's still very good. Nice acidity and tannins. Good savory fruit, without any off notes that I often see with CA Syrah after a few years.

2005 vintage

Really nice old world meets new world Syrah. From a cellaring stand point i would say it is truly peaking now and over the coming 12 months. Perfect balance of fruit and structure. Definitely a bit more easy going than a traditional Rhone but not as over the top as some California Syrahs. Really enjoyed!

2005 vintage

Granato cupissimo. Il naso è giocato sulle spezie dolci, sciroppo di mora, avvertibile vaniglia, menta, cioccolato al latte, toni smaltati. Bocca rispondente, ricca, piuttosto stancante.

2005 vintage

A rare taste of american syrah for me. Smooth, mellowed tannins , nicely matured. Blueberry, chocolate with smoke and pepper notes. Very nice

2005 vintage

Nice wine, but I admit I do not overly like the Californian Syrah style, as compared to Northern Rhone. Very nice cocoa-mint notes though.

2005 vintage

Just a lovely every day drinking wine. Not spectacular but seriously good

2005 vintage

Three hour decant. Full dark garnet color with lightening ruby edges. Complex aromas- marinating steak, white pepper, black olive, vanilla, blueberry and lavender. Rich, fine and structured on the palate. Bright but still a little inward with its layered flavors of ripe dark fruit and broad savory notes. Firm tannins with a full juicy peppery finish. An exceptional bottle of Syrah just hitting its stride. Could easily be held for a few more years.

2005 vintage

Bouquet: Black cherry, woodsy, mushroom, mild acetic acids, and bell pepper. Palate: Front tartness at first, very wet, a shallow mouthfeel on the mid-palate, corn and mild oak with a swift red pepper finish.

2005 vintage

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Qupe, Bien Nacido Hillside Syrah, Santa Maria Valley

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