Lillian, Blue Label Syrah, Santa Barbara County

Another broken cork...decanted through cheesecloth...still plenty of dark fruit...drink up.

2006 vintage

Both cuvées side-by-side. Also wonderfully fresh for its age. Bigger black fruits here with very good density. Robust structure is still very present while not obtrusive. I think there is still further upside here! The best this wine has ever shown to me. Second 1/2 of the bottle was finished the next day, when it was more expressive, balanced, and complete vs Day One.

2006 vintage

Cork broke...poured into decanter...more earthy than fruit...paired well with steak, though perhaps on the decline.

2006 vintage

Phenomenal wine which should improve with age. This was juicy and fruit forward - almost like a California Cabernet - but spice and earth notes added provided a backbone and let you know this was a Syrah. While it was singing after 90 min in the decanter I suggest giving it some lore air. In short: if you want bloody, meaty Syrah this isn’t it, though I wonder if age will introduce these flavors.

2006 vintage

Corked

2006 vintage

1st night aired for one hour plus and it was still too much, lush gigantic black fruit with plums and berries but a wild ride of iron and typical Syrah fat.vvWe let it sit in the fridge for an extra night and it came out singing . Complete integration, berries were calm and a forward wine that maintained the fruit and now had a hint of white pepper to go with the lovely silk of the smooth wine. This wine …

2006 vintage

Rich black plum and berry aromas and flavors with an modern, New World character but made me think this would be too fat, but this is so clearly well balanced throughout. Very good length with a persistent charm through finish. Better tonight vs a magnum opened a few years ago.

2006 vintage

first time checking in on this in 18 months. continues to be a phenomenal wine. still very youthful at 11 years of age, this shows ripe blackberry, black plum, licorice, tar, smoke, black pepper, spicebox, and dark flowers. really great intensity of flavor. shines on a deep and long finish. such a great wine, and i can't believe that there isn't more attention paid here.

2006 vintage

BYO Blind Tasting and Dinner (House of Nanda - Chicago IL) : Magnum. Decanted 3 hours, served blind to the tasting group. Super concentration and technically very good and well balanced. I like the power here, but find it slightly one dimensional, so simpler than it should be as a "reserve" wine.

2006 vintage

PnP- Bad idea. Much better on day 2. These still need a healthy decant. 94 points, but likely better if I gave it more time in decanter.

2006 vintage

Very rich, interesting flamboyance of creamy red fruits and blackberry cheesecake. At ten years old it's still almost over the top, but has become somewhat more tamed. The white hawk flavor profile shines through on this one, a very full midpalate and some nice acids show themselves after a few hours of air. Great finish of tar and olive tapenade. This one should really be interesting in another five-seven years.

2006 vintage

Pop & pour. Amazingly rich, impenetrable black-purple color. Nose of spicy blackberry, oak and a slight burn of alcohol. Flavors of oak, sweet black fruit, espresso and a touch of vanilla on the finish. Perhaps a touch too much oak still apparent. It sort of overshadows the rest of the experience. I like the wine very much, but as it sat open, the oak took on more and more of a presence. Started out as a 95-96 level wine, and …

2006 vintage

4yrs from my last bottle. Needed a couple hours to really show well. Exposing wine of pepper and spice and a bit of coffee. Early in the evening the oak notes were mixed up with the fruit, but with some time this receded and the fruit seemed much more pure. Plenty of purple fruit, with oak spice. Lengthy finish with pepper, spice, and mocha. Smooth and integrated, with a nuanced polished style.

2006 vintage

Gorgeous. Very ripe dark fruited syrah flavor. Served blind next to the Texier Cote Rotie, this was obviously the California wine. But avoids much of the over ripe jamminess of some similarly big New World syrahs. Beautiful and in a lovely place right now.

2006 vintage

Big smooth and full of dark fruits. I need to learn to let these rest to develop that slim Jim, BBQ thing I like so much. As it is, very balanced and satisfying. Good wine.

2006 vintage

Gave this a quick decant when we arrived at the table and let it sit for perhaps 15 minutes before pouring…deep purple color with an elegant floral nose mixed with blue fruit and pepper…just glorious with the first sip…will let remaining bottles age as I think this will improve.

2006 vintage

- Purple color with medium forming legs and aromas of blackberry, black pepper and coffee. It's somewhat balanced and has flavours of blackberry and cherry with a medium/full body. Polished texture - Popped and poured which was a mistake. It needed about an hour which we discovered on the last few sips. By that time a terrific, well balanced and flavorful wine emerged

2006 vintage

nice load of fruit with some hint of meat, blood and earth. little spicy. but overall not as lush and dense as i recall. missing some complexity and wow factor. little astringent on finish.

2006 vintage

a little disjointed from the get go. less expressive than my last experience. it started to kick in after a few hours in the decanter. see previous note for descriptors. hold for now.

2006 vintage

Didn't give this much of a chance to breath. Poured right into glass and tasted. A slight bitterness followed the powerful fruit. About 2 hours later the bitterness was gone and the massive flavors showed themselves to be extremely enjoyable. I have a little more than half a bottle left so I hope to see it showing itself to be as good or better tonight. Will update otherwise.

2006 vintage

Love. Powerful and intense even after 2 hours in the decanter

2006 vintage

my first blue label and I was pretty underwhelmed compared to how much I've loved the regular label. it was tasty, and everyone else loved it, but it didn't do much for me. maybe in an awkward phase? decanted 4 hours and it just never came around for me to meet my lofty expectations. if scoring, 88-90.

2006 vintage

Absolutely delicious. I continue to love each bottle I open. Dark nose, with meat, black fruit, and spice. Similar on palate with a long finish. Extremely young, even with a 2 hr decant and watching the bottle open up over 3 hours. Slight heat on late midpalate.

2006 vintage

I opened this when friends came over for leg of lamb on 5/19/12. Wow, what a treat! The bouquet was dense, ripe and alluring with smoked meat, blackberry, plum, mocha, coffee, licorice, black olive and spice aromas. The palate was rich, hedonistic and simply incredible with flavors of blackberry, plum, mocha, coffee, licorice and spice. It was the unanimous WOTN.

2006 vintage

Killer juice. Intense, complex and sophisticated tasted with an array of hot and spicy southwestern dishes. Amazing.

2006 vintage

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Lillian, Blue Label Syrah, Santa Barbara County

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