Eric Texier, Cote Rotie, Cotes Du Saint Julien Saint Alban

Deep colour; tarry, packed with briary fruit, Dundee fruit cake; palate reflects nose, some tannin remains, med/full bodied; punchy but svelte finish. Will age well.

Very deep colour out to rim; dark berried fruits, mulled; rich, bold, balanced, fulsome, meaty yet softening tannins; packed finish. More to come.

Another brilliant bottle from Eric Texier, Classy Syrah all the way. Beautifully integrated aromas, flavours and texture. A superbly crafted bit of work.

Blue fruits and some anise on the nose. The wine is drinking perfectly right now. Medium bodied, just a bit of tannins that give the wine some chew. Bringing the wine in my mouth sets free floral notes: lavender and violet. The fruit is predominantly cherry with some minerals present. Respectable finish.

From the southernmost village in Northern Rhône, on the western side of the Rhône river. Organically farmed 30-40 yo Syrah vines in St. Julien-en-St. Alban. Fermented spontaneously with indigenous yeasts in concrete vats, whole clusters, one week of maceration. Aged for 15 months in concrete, bottled without filtration and with 10 mg/l of sulfites. 13% alcohol. Tasted half-blind. Dense, fully opaque and intensively colored black cherry. Wild, vibrant and somewhat funky nose with aromas of ripe blackberries, some sweet, lifted …

These vines are located in the southernmost edge of the northern Rhône valley on granite soil. Aged in concrete, Texier wines have a reputation for being on the wild side but this was just brilliant purity of fruit. Earthy, savoury olives with an acid lift that I love. An incredibly fresh and distinctive wine for $50. Back up the lorry for this.

Droit, vif, fruité. Belle finale. Bon potentiel.

Louis/Dressner Tasting (Sstudio 125, Mpls, MN) : Tasting pour. Granite soils as contrast to the limestone of the Brezeme VV. Also very good. Earthy, raspberry, deep, fresh.

Delicious, earthy, great acidity and tannins - great wine for the price - from Putnam and vine

Dark, opaque, nicely rich darker fruit, good acidity, medium fine tannins, a bit of good complexity and interest, quite tasty. Nice Syrah, and a great QPR.

100% old vine syrah. Meaty, almost has a fruity pebbles or Frankenberry milk aroma, a little funky, palate is quick, structured, fine tannins, fruit with damp earth. Good wine.

Cranberry apple fruit. Shockingly clean for Texier.

great nose, savory, earthy, dark fruits, a bit perfumy and funky at once. Seriously built and balanced but there's also this purity and lightness that charmed me completely. 90-91

First day this is tightly knit and somewhat unyielding. Mix of dark and red fruit, anise, an herbal/savory side to it, adequate acidity, and seems to have a lot of stem character (does Texier vinify with stems? I think so). Next day the stem character is more pronounced, but this is such a deeply structured and dark wine that I have to think this just needs a few years to coalesce.

Wine Tasting Group - Theme: Northern Rhone - May 6, 2018 (Michael's home) : Syrah from the southern edge of the N. Rhone. Notable volatile acids and a little brett upon first sniff. Some noted that this was a natural wine right away. Nice red and black fruit and floral aromas. Some also noted blue cheese aromas as well. Palate showed ripe red fruits, with flowers and minerals. Excellent acids with prominent tannins on mid-palate. Hint of VA on the …

Wine Tasting Group - Mr. Wok (Mr. Wok, Plano, TX) : Been a while since I've had this wine. Aromas of pure syrah fruit - dense, concentrated blackberry, tart cherry, earthy aromas - not sure how else to describe it. Palate showed concentrated blackberries, minerals, herbs, some olives, and formidable ripe tannins. Really nice concentration of flavors with excellent acids. Finish is nice and long. So young but so good.