Kongsgaard, Hudson Vineyards Syrah, Napa Valley

PnP still predominantly fruity with wild strawberry, kirsch as well as liquorice, leather and cinnamon. Very smooth and somehow suave like Grenache, the tannins are completely melted within the balanced fruit. Not too complex yet there is no sign of any VA or tertiary flavors. Calm, harmonious and perennial. 94+

2001 vintage

Somewhat volatile, and lacking in freshness, with the fruit more subdued than needed. Failed to soar to the levels of recent bottles, and this was my last of the ‘01s, but still highly enjoyable, especially with food. Dark fruit, yeasty, along with a balsamic streak.

2001 vintage

similar to my 2023 tasting note - dark purple - blackberry fruit nose - some complex flavors of red flowers and vanilla - mouth is less balanced than before, with acid predominating over fruit - tannins mostly resolved but still present - long 15-20 sec finish - drinking beautifully now, but I had hoped for more tertiary development after 12 yrs

2012 vintage

Corked, bummer!

2012 vintage

No notes taken. Confirming prior experiences with this wine and vintage, this is a full-bodied, intense, highly layered and well-delinated Syrah which has the flavor profile reminiscent of a Northern Rhone Syrah with tons of olive tapenade wrapped around a dark fruit core taking the center stage, but of course with a new world feel. While ripe and intense, this is not overbearing and thanks to a superb balance and light feel, this is a clear winner. Decanting: No extensive …

2012 vintage

dark purple - blackberry fruit nose - some complex flavors of red flowers and vanilla - very nicely balanced mouth with good fruit/acid/tannin balance - long 20 sec finish - when I first tried this 6-7 years ago, I thought it was an over-extracted fruit bomb and did not have the structure to develop into a well balanced wine, but I was wrong - it's developed into a beautifully drinking wine over time - my appreciation to my beloved friend …

2012 vintage

Similar to prior note after double decanting for 2 hrs; outstanding, drink or hold

2012 vintage

Very course and lacking grace. I had a similar experience with this wine 10 years ago and it hasn’t gotten any better since then!

2001 vintage

Similar to prior note after double decanting for 2 hrs; outstanding, drink or hold

2012 vintage

A great Syrah but not as good as 2007.

2012 vintage

Big, rich, sweet Syrah. This is a tad spoofilated. Good fruit and a bitter finish. Drink up. (89)

2001 vintage

Double decanted for 2 hrs, deep ruby, bacon on the nose, blue & blackberries on the palate, med. tannins, long finish; outstanding & has now entered prime drinking where it will remain for many yrs.

2012 vintage

深石榴红酒体，闻香有Brett带来的动物皮毛味，陈年的肉鲜，泥土气息，红黑果香，入口酸度中高，单宁紧致，颗粒非常细腻，风格甜美，有一点酒精味，应该是老酒，口中的香气非常新鲜，果香混合着花香，收尾是细腻红果，余味鲜甜。非常精致的一款酒，感觉新旧世界结合的风格，有旧世界的气质又有新世界的甜美。

2001 vintage

Starting to show some initial age but still with a solid young fruit core. After 3 hours of decanting the acidity start to really show up which really balances out the fruit nicely. The palate show that this is certainly in the style of Northern Rhone, lots of aged meats and blood coming through. There is some lovely minerality and still some tannins and I would easily keep this wine for 4-6 years before it peaks. But, it does drink …

2012 vintage

A Casual Back Porch Get-Together (Los Olivos, CA) : A somewhat controversial wine amongst the four of us. I really liked it. Polished black fruit, high-toned, violets, with a touch of VA providing lift. Additional floral and herbal notes, some spice and bitter chocolate. After a few hours, an appealing meatiness emerged. I think the style threw the others as they brought their own expectations to the table. While the wine was extracted, it was also quite restrained IMO.

2001 vintage

Muddy color, not the best representation of Syrah. Past it’s drinking time.

2001 vintage

Color is deep purple, hint of burnt orange on the rim with medium tearing; nose is clean and strong, cooked meats, deep fruit and jammy, mushrooms (?), minerality is there....on the palate, consistent black/red fruit, peppery spice, not a ton of oak, medium tannin and smooth across the palate. Greek Easter with Lamb, Christos Anesti!!

2012 vintage

Drank over two days. Just a delicious Napa Syrah with fine tannins and lovely balance of round dark fruit and light acid. So well made. Drinking beautifully.

2012 vintage

Pop and pour. Refined and silky on the palate with enough minerality to balance the sweet dark fruit. If you like the sweet Napa fruit in your Syrah this is a great choice.

2012 vintage

Drank over two days. Quite intense and tannic on day one and the flavors were wound up. On day two, much better, supple, with dark fruit and licorice. These are delicious.

2012 vintage

A favorite!

2012 vintage

0.5-1h decant, but then kept in the decanter for another 2h. Super linear, gamey, green olives. Intriguing fruit as it comes across surprisingly red but the overall imprint in my senses is dark. The animal character extends in all kinds of dimensions ranging from wet dog to raw meat smoked bacon. Incredible, razer-sharp precision. A laser-thin layer of mint right through the middle. Lots of fresh acidity. Over time in the glass a hint of oxidative notes with salty roasted …

2012 vintage

This was an amazing experience and for clearly the best wine of the evening. I just love this expressive, high-precision and dark US Syrahs which seem to combine the new world opulence and the terroir-drivenness and cool expression of the old world. While I haven’t found such a wine in Central California, this hillside wine from Napa plays almost in the same league as the Bionic Frog from Cayuse (which tasting this wine blind was my guess). 98 points! Worth …

2012 vintage

Double decanted for 2 hrs for Thanksgiving turkey here at home with my family, deep ruby, blue & blackberry, med/firm tannins, long finish; delicious, but still young. Needs another couple of yrs & will last for many more, great juice (excellent with the bird)!

2012 vintage

A nearly opaque dark cherry color, medium body, and moderate to moderately heavy sediment. Suggest careful pour or decanting. Consumed over two nights. The aroma straight away is pungent, tire rubber accented with cherry and raspberry. The second night less pungent and more fruit, especially toward the bottom of the glass. Flavor is slightly sweet mixed berry flavor, finishing with a mild acidity. Kongsgaard wines are not easy to come by, most going to restaurants and members of the winery’s …

2012 vintage

Best Bottle & Poker Vol. I : Tasted double-blind (I guessed young Napa Cab due to the opulence and ripeness but in hindsight the spiciness screamed Syrah). Double-decanted for two hours, drunk over the next five hours. The best part about this wine was its ever changing aroma profile and new hints of this and that appearing after hours in the glass. Not at all ready but a lot of good components with a good structure, smooth tannins, powerful aromatics …

2012 vintage

Misc US Rhone wines (Palaegade) : Cool and refreshing black fruits but with a wild side and very intense. Has a touch of aged meats but overall there is just a huge balance.

2012 vintage

Decanted a good 2 hours or more. Inky dark with big purple fruit and powerful nose, almost too much fruit and tannin. Very forward and unrestrained. Would hold another 3-5 years.

2001 vintage

Decanted for a good 30 minutes and served blind. We went for Napa Syrah with age 10+ from not a very ripe vintage, probably an Alban. Big but not huge wine, good ripe fruit, very spicy, lots of energy but also with a softer gentler side. Herbal, dark fruited. Lots of length and good to see it age well. As always with these wines the strength does take away a bit of the elegance but still a very solid wine. …

2001 vintage

Color was a dark ruby with a garnet rim. Nose of stewed cranberry, nutmeg Palette was thin with bright red cherry an little else. Medium plus acid which might have been pronounced by lack of fruit and tannin. Very interesting wine to taste but perhaps beyond its lifespan.

2001 vintage

Rusty brown, nutty port like vinegar...very expensive nutty port like vinegar...dumped down the drain, suspect flawed or way past due

2001 vintage

Similar to prior note (suspect it will show better later)

2001 vintage

Double decanted, deep ruby, blueberries & black raspberries, mod. tannins, long finish; delicious, drink or hold as I suspect there is no rush

2001 vintage

2016 Athens Wine Event (Paleo Reastaurant, Piraeus) : Muted to begin but developed on the nose over time. But the palate remained, oxidized, a bit of acetone feel and just wrong. Shame.

2001 vintage

Better with food. Mineral driven with most of the fruit and tannin faded. Medium bodied with and still enjoyable (especially if you like more old world). Time to drink.

2001 vintage

Raisny, pruney, tastes like a tomato wrapped in beef and broiled and served with a prune sauce.

2001 vintage

Nice combination of new world feel and Rhone. Holding up nicely providing a complexity from this wine that I haven't seen before.

2001 vintage

A lot of wines (Raj's Birthday); 9/25/2015-9/26/2015 (Cleveland Heights) : Drinking very well, I would say about at peak but no hurry. Purple in color. The nose is meaty with black raspberries. Great balance. Lovely black fruit. Slight tannins. Layers of earth intertwined. Nice texture. Not a profound wine as some Kongsgard wines can be, but still outstanding. And delicious!

2001 vintage

Rich and voluptuous with exquisite mouthfeel and finish that goes on and on. Still very young and likely to improve over time, but who could resist now?

2012 vintage

Surprisingly tightly knit to start with and still a bit firm with a good backbone. After some time in the glass peppery notes and more Rhone like. Nice but don't be afraid to give it a good decant.

2001 vintage

After showing off a multifaceted and very pretty bouquet, this bottle fell short on the palate. Not corked, but somewhat disjointed with a distinctively tart and acidic bordering on sour finish. Whether this was just a single bottle issue will have to await the opening of another one.

2001 vintage

Friday Afternoon at Domaine (Domaine Wine Storage - Chicago, IL) : Another oaky mess for me that was fueled by intense alcohol and candied black fruit. Not my thing at all.

2001 vintage

Syrah from around the world dinner (2nd Empire) : The nose was beguiling of unsweetened raisins, the palate showed similar fruit, more of an elegant style rather than jammy - although could be that the fruit was fading. Mid palate slightly lacking depth of fruit. Very enjoyable, good food wine. 95

2001 vintage

Fine Syrah/Shiraz wutg Michael Schuster (Bordeaux Index, London) : This is more of a fine Ermitage than a new world wine. Requires a lot of decanting and really this is on the young side and can easily need another 5yrs to hit its peak. Light spicy nose, dark, smoky feel, roast meat. Very balanced, elegant wine on the palate, nothing over done here. Good weight and depth, vibrant yet fine tannins and with a bit more time in bottle this …

2001 vintage

Score from initial impression -- quite a backbone on this one compared to the '00 and '02, but seemed to get better with more time. Maybe still young at this point.

2001 vintage

Amazingly smooth wine. Cherries, blackberries and plums just flow out of the glass. Nicely balanced sweetness and earthiness.

2001 vintage

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Kongsgaard, Hudson Vineyards Syrah, Napa Valley

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