Critics Average score from professional wine critics and publications.
87
/100
Reviews
42
professional
Vintages
1
2007
Other
87/100
Merlot,
Syrah
NV
Community Reviews
4545
Reviews
87.3
Avg Score
95
Highest
Taster #4870
· May 27, 2017
89/100
A very nice merlot and an exceptional value for twelve dollars. Wonderful nose, smooth dark fruit on the palate with a decent finish.
2007 vintage
Taster #6056
· Sep 18, 2016
The wine improves after half an hour and then continues to be pleasant (red and black fruit forward) for another 45 minutes. Decant if used before food.
2007 vintage
Taster #4809
· Apr 30, 2016
89/100
Delicious. Pure dark fruit, touch of wood to it that isn't obtrusive, great texture & length. Still has lots of life.
2007 vintage
Taster #2458
· Sep 9, 2014
90/100
Great nose and drinking fantastic right now. Layers of red fruits, integrated oak and acid creating a smooth and balanced overall profile. Well done.
2007 vintage
Taster #2040
· Jan 25, 2014
88/100
Very nice pour, good upfront dark fruit and smooth tannins. I would not keep this for more that another year though (drinking well now). Went well with chicken and walnut sauce.
2007 vintage
Taster #1783
· Nov 24, 2013
89/100
Drinking well. Need to drink my last one soon.
2007 vintage
Taster #0983
· Jul 15, 2013
slightly better than last bottle, but will drink my last one this year
2007 vintage
Taster #1788
· Jul 8, 2013
89/100
Solid 89. Plenty of blackberry and dark fruit. Medium bodied with integrated tannins and light to medium acidity. Very good for the price and it actually got better with a decant. 88-89.
2007 vintage
Taster #0983
· Jul 5, 2013
85/100
on the decline... drink up...
2007 vintage
Taster #3183
· Jun 10, 2013
Brought home lamb kebabs, had to have a nice syrah to drink with them.
2007 vintage
Taster #0983
· Apr 8, 2013
89/100
coming around nicely but with plenty of life left... nice earthy nose with nice black current, spice and a good tannic grip on the finish
2007 vintage
Taster #0113
· Jan 15, 2013
88/100
Paired well with a big fat steak....30 mins to open...less tanninc that last bottle...the wine is in a good place
2007 vintage
Taster #2359
· Nov 14, 2012
89/100
Drink now! PnV. This has improved quite bit since my last bottle 21 months ago. The oak has integrated very nicely and is a much more balanced. Dried cherries, fig and touch of tobacco on the nose. Initially fruit forward with gobs of blue and black fruit. Nice acidity to balance. Over time the fruit subsided a bit and revealed a little of the toasted oak. Enjoyed sipping on this all by itself.
2007 vintage
Taster #8037
· Aug 22, 2012
87/100
87-88. Slightly disappointing Day 1, but meaningfully better day 2 with some mint and cocoa bean showing along with some dark fruit.
2007 vintage
Taster #7530
· Jul 17, 2012
89/100
Deep purple color and nose of pepper, menthol and spice. 20 second finish with a nice taste of pepper, cassis and dark cherry. Good QPR. I poured this into a 375ml and vacuum sealed, refrigerated and then did not touch for 20 days. The pepper notes were gone and the finish was a good ten seconds shorter, but it stayed in good shape.
2007 vintage
Taster #0113
· Jun 24, 2012
88/100
May I talk mumbo to the banana patch....dark merlot...a bit tannic and dry but opens up after 45 mins. Hey 2007 Napa merlot at like 10 bucks a bottle....no bottle shock here...
2007 vintage
Taster #0113
· May 7, 2012
88/100
you had me at Merlot.....Very nice Havens Merlot...don't know if gets much better with age, but same can be said for me =) Enjoy drinking very well
2007 vintage
Taster #1240
· Apr 27, 2012
95/100
One of the best merlot's I have ever had.
2007 vintage
Taster #3003
· Apr 11, 2012
85/100
Dry with bold fruit. Loved it for the price!
2007 vintage
Taster #3041
· Feb 20, 2012
90/100
PnP. Last bottle. Consistent with previous nte. Nice plummy fruit with an elegant balance. Yes you can get reasonably priced quality merlot from California (but it is still really hard work). More elegant and less oaky vanilla than some examples from Washington at the same price point.
2007 vintage
Taster #3041
· Jan 6, 2012
90/100
PnV. Consistent with previous notes. Nicely mellowed out. Drinking very nicely and don't think it has much more to give. Will drink up last two bottles this year.
2007 vintage
Taster #8037
· Jan 4, 2012
87/100
Starts out a bit lean. Needs air. But after some air and swirling, it gets going somewhat. Good fruit, solid bitter chocolate overtones and some earthiness with some bitter tannins. This should be better day 2. Not getting the complexities i had hoped it would develop, but very solid after air, less so before.
2007 vintage
Taster #4426
· Jan 3, 2012
70/100
Cooking wine for sure. Luckily, I am cooking. Starts off ok on the palette, but with a sour nasty finish. Slightly better the next day - but not much.
2007 vintage
Taster #7208
· Dec 21, 2011
87/100
Medium ruby, restrained nose. Dry red currants, stoney red fruits with some residual bitter, very light dry tannins. Night 2, the wine is opening up and showing more fruit. Nose has developed dusty ripe cherry, dry with stoney cherry tannins. Bitter has been replaced with earthy tannins. Immensely improved. Need to give it some open time, decant or more cellar time.
2007 vintage
Taster #1981
· Sep 15, 2011
88/100
Wow. Nice bouquet, great legs, full bodied, rich flavor. Wish we had purchased more that 4 bottles!
2007 vintage
Taster #6732
· Aug 17, 2011
80/100
Agree with the last author. First taste out of the bottle was encouraging but it quickly degenerates to an unbalanced experience with a bitter aftertaste.
2007 vintage
Taster #4753
· Aug 5, 2011
82/100
Completely opaque purple-red with a fair amount of thinning at the rim, this wine smells of plums and black cherries, but with a fair amount of graphite and earth. It is surprisingly right-bankish. On the palate it is much more obviously California, with a lot of plum right up front, and then a surprisingly large dose of sharp tannin. Right after the tannin, there is a really big shot of alcohol. This wine just doesn't hold its 14.8% well at …
2007 vintage
Taster #4361
· Jul 29, 2011
85/100
Tart cherry and cranberry. Lots of oak. Just ok.
2007 vintage
Taster #8037
· Jun 30, 2011
90/100
This is starting to go from a wine with potential to a wine that is showing well now. This has gorgeous silky acidity and the oak is more integrated and the ripe fruit is really showing off. Its almost like a super ripe(think 03 or 09) right bank. This has ripe dark fruit, perfumed notes, clay, and a hint of earth and pencil. This is compelling if you like acidic reds.
2007 vintage
Taster #5775
· Jun 18, 2011
87/100
Poured through Nuance, left glass on counter an hour, medium density ruby color, dark cherry nose with oak, medium mouthfeel, spice/pepper on front of tongue, medium finish with light tannins, not sure about this one, 85 pts. Day 2: Definitely smoooothed out, still some oak on nose, lighter mouthfeel but longer finish than day 1, light tannins, upgraded to 87 pts, will decant at least 4 hrs next time.
2007 vintage
Taster #1116
· Feb 11, 2011
88/100
Tons of leather and some dark fruit on the nose. Spicy start, but thin in the middle with a medium finish. Red fruits and some meatiness.
2007 vintage
Taster #2359
· Feb 5, 2011
88/100
Agree with previous notes I've seen that this definitely has strong oak notes. It is very distinctive though and we enjoyed it. The oak did subside a little but was still present the second night. Have another bottle and will probably serve it with a smoked/grilled dish.
2007 vintage
Taster #8689
· Jan 10, 2011
79/100
Tasted over 2 days. Oak bomb alert! The first day, the nose and the palate were completely dominated by toasted oak. I hate this flavor profile -- to me, it homogenizes wine and I just can't get any varietal character at all. Not only do I not like the flavor, it's just boring as these kinds of wines all taste the same to me no matter the varietal(s). On the second day, the oak integrated a bit and I could …
2007 vintage
Taster #5445
· Dec 19, 2010
88/100
Dark purple color. Aromas of black fruit. Tastes of blackberry, mocha, pepper, and leather with a heavy charred oak treatment that follows through and dominates in the finish. Chewy tannins. Full bodied. Good acidity. Benefits greatly with a few hours of air. 14.5% alcohol.
2007 vintage
Taster #9463
· Dec 12, 2010
87/100
It tasted similar but less complex to a Schild of the same year. Dark earthy aromas with hints of dark cherry. The wine initially tasted veyr flat but smoothed out some as I let it breathe. Overall, pretty good.
2007 vintage
Taster #4758
· Nov 12, 2010
89/100
Good syrah typicity and pretty approachable off the bat. This won't win any medals, but wrth the tax.
2007 vintage
Taster #1410
· Oct 26, 2010
88/100
A very nice bottle for the price, just $9 at Costco. Color is dark purple and plenty of plum and dark fruit flavors, but not quite what I would call a big fruit wine. Plenty of the usual CH winery milk chocolaty oak flavors. But still retains plenty of dry, slightly sour red fruit flavors of a traditional Syrah.
2007 vintage
Taster #1788
· Oct 25, 2010
89/100
A little flabby today. Did not have the structure of before. Day 2: Better. This wine needs a bit of air to show properly. 90pts.
2007 vintage
Taster #1788
· Oct 15, 2010
91/100
Color: deep purple. Nose: Somewhat tight and astringent initially, but a 2 hour decant did wonders. Spice, plumb, black raspberry. Taste: Dark fruits, black raspberry, plumb, spice and integrated tannins. Finish: medium + length with elegant fruits and more spice. This is a very good syrah and a definite re-buy. My wife had 3 glasses and she doesn't usually drink red. 91++. Another Cameron Hughes winner!
2007 vintage
Taster #0925
· Sep 24, 2010
86/100
Lot of oak influence on the nose - bubble gum and creamy vanilla. Not you're typical syrah nose. Med-bodies and full of red and black fruit. Pretty one note without a lot of complexity but an easy drinker. Light tannins and a decent finish. Good for the price I guess but could easily be mistaken for an inexpensive California merlot or cab.
2007 vintage
Taster #9120
· Sep 16, 2010
83/100
Deep garnet colored. On the nose picked up dried dark fruit, oak, and bacon fat. Followed on the palate with dark fruit, spice on medium grained tannins, and prominent acidity. Medium long finish. Feels young with tannins to lay down. ABV = 14.5% 5/3/3/2.5/3.5 = 83
2007 vintage
Taster #8920
· Aug 13, 2010
91/100
Its surprisingly sweet 14.5% ripe, red-lipped greeting is immediately enjoyable. The bottom of a brightly stained cork beckons and it's a case of hurrahs from the first to last glass.
2007 vintage
Taster #1765
· Aug 13, 2010
88/100
Dark, lots of fruit, esp blueberries. Little bit of oak and vanilla, but under control.
2007 vintage
Taster #0951
· Aug 2, 2010
88/100
Rather shy nose, but showing some currants, spice, and cedar. Adds some mocha and smoke with time. Fine drying tannins with sharp acidity on the palate. Showing some plum and oak influence on the palate. Short to medium cedar finish. A little thin and simple, with most of the complexity coming from the oak. While simple, well made, and put in the context of price, an excellent value at $10.
2007 vintage
Taster #9413
· Jul 31, 2010
92/100
Deep purple with cherry edges this wine shows sweet summer fruits on the nose - especially blueberry and cherry - with background spice. The palate shows raspberry, well-integrated oak, minerality and a characteristic cool-climate acidic backbone with a long smooth finish. Excellent value. 92 points. What Cameron Hughes says about this wine: "Coming out of the Yorkville Highlands, this fruit was harvested in the cool morning on a beautiful estate winery. Yorkville Highlands' fruit ripens evenly, with acidity, structure, and …
2007 vintage