05 TJ syrah

[winophite]

Tried Tobin James silver reserve out of paso robles last night. 14.8 % Something seemed off.

dark violet, nearly opaque, nose was kind of candied blackberry in the forrest. Right up front was just a little dark fruit which was quickly taken over by the forrest floor. Resiny tannins dominated the palate and continued through a lingering finish of several laps. The alc was well contained as there wasn't much heat in the end.

This did improve a little after a couple hours of decanting. Also first impressions were straight from the naturally controlled celler, currently at 54 deg.

Perhaps this needed more time, (or less?).

WP

[Innkeeper]

Two years early by my calculations. It might be in a dumb stage; I certainly hope so. It doesn't sound so great right now.

Here are our notes on the '03 that we popped in February of this year: It hits you with a blast of blackberry and black current fruit on the nose and upfront. In the middle you get gobs of additional fruit, with hints of black pepper, other spices and herbs, and a moderate shot of oak. Chewy tannin completed the complexity. The finish lingered on and on. Alcohol was not a problem.

[winophite]

Good that there's still hope...I still have two left to sit on. This was from a shipping error in the club where I ended up with 3 shipped and negotiated the price of two. I was thinking of trying one of the cabs but if the syrah can wait two more years, I suppose the cab may benefit with a few more as well, ah patience.... I tried a couple of the 05 Zins earlier this year that drank very well, (fat boy and a french camp), perhaps I'll get into one of those again for Christmas.

WP