Donelan, Obsidian Syrah, Knights Valley
Donelan · California › Knights Valley › United States of America
Critics Average score from professional wine critics and publications.
89
/100
Reviews
12
professional
Vintages
No vintages
NV
Community Reviews
1515
Reviews
89.0
Avg Score
98
Highest
Taster #1852
· Jun 2, 2024
Drinking well here with some time in the glass. Decanting would certainly help get the red fruit to express itself more on the mid palate. Nice archetypical obsidian schist.
2016 vintage
Taster #2904
· Feb 7, 2024
90/100
Scrumptious, extracted Syrah, but in no way over done. Nice to sip and contemplate.
2016 vintage
Taster #6433
· Apr 19, 2023
89/100
Hits all the notes you’d expect in a new world Syrah but also was more tannic than I would expect for the varietal. None of the violet floral quality you find in the best Syrahs.
2016 vintage
Taster #3695
· Feb 14, 2023
Loved it.
2016 vintage
Taster #9890
· Jul 9, 2021
92/100
I think it is at it’s prime drinking window right now, was hoping for some more complexity 3hrs in but still delicious with dark fruit and light meatiness.
2010 vintage
Taster #0781
· May 1, 2021
93/100
Decanted for an hour plus. Lovely wine. Nice structure, silky tannins. Still has lots of life left.
2010 vintage
Taster #8952
· Jan 1, 2021
69/100
Last bottle of Donelan and this was a poetic ending. Plain and simply these wines do not age well at all. All were purchased directly from Donelan and cellared appropriately. This particular bottle was by far the worst. While the color of the wine was normal it was entirely void of flavor and taste; literally none except the slightest hint of alcohol. One sip and dumped the entire bottle. Donelan wax dips these bottles so this was not an oxidation …
2010 vintage
Taster #0728
· Feb 14, 2018
85/100
Served at a wine tasting because I'm trying to get rid of my bottles. Let breathe for over two hours. Still marginally palatable with not very interesting black fruit and a very green bitter finish. Did seem to be slightly better than a year ago.
2010 vintage
Taster #9625
· May 7, 2017
94/100
Decanted for an hour. Nose of wet earth, purple and black berries, fresh picked herbs on the back end. Smooth, round, and polished on the entry. Medium to full-bodied with notes of asphalt, violets, pastise, purple flowers, purple fruit, and fresh cracked pepper. Nice acidity on the back end. This started to shut down after another hour. Closed up and became tannic.
2010 vintage
Taster #1905
· Feb 4, 2017
95/100
Just a normal Sat night staying in. Was in the mood for a nice Syrah so decided to pop this one open. Of course I wasn't expecting much since I bought this at $50 in auction. As soon as I uncorked it, I could smell beautiful blue fruit, leather, spice, and truffies or in other words... elegance. I could almost smell it from across my room. Color is nice and dark, but wow, what a nose. On the palate, this …
2010 vintage
Taster #0728
· Dec 26, 2016
80/100
Nasty, almost undrinkable. Decanted about two hours. Not even unidimensional. Harsh and ascidic. Not corked. Perhaps cooked when shipped years back? Have 9 more to try....
2010 vintage
Taster #9528
· Jan 1, 2016
90/100
Faint nose, even after 4 hours. Dark fruit and leather. Tannins soft but still present. Well balanced. Long, smooth finish.
2010 vintage
Taster #1518
· Feb 24, 2015
Still needs time but shows great potential.
2010 vintage
Taster #1018
· Jan 3, 2014
98/100
Decanted for 4 hours. Beautiful nose, balanced flavor as good as any Rhone wine I've had from California.
2010 vintage
Taster #1978
· Dec 13, 2013
93/100
A tasting of Donelan Wines (My home) : This is really good, but it is very tight right now. It is not inexpensive, so how well it will develop is a great question. I would have liked to taste it on release. My guess is it improves a few more points, but time will tell. Purple in color. Crushed rocks, black pepper, black raspberries and some gamey qualities on the nose. Tightly layered on the palate. Needs 5 years minimum.
2010 vintage