2007 HOSPICE DU RHÔNE - PASO ROBLES, CA -

Notes and brief impressions from the Syrah Shootout Rhône tasting held at the 15th annual Hospice du Rhône on Friday & Saturday, May 4 & 5, 2007, in Paso Robles, CA. This annual event draws Rhône wine producers and wine enthusiasts from around the world to see, hear and taste what's new in Syrah, Grenache, and twenty other Rhône varietals.

.A 'Syrah Shootout' was held on Thursday. This was a head-to-head competition between winemakers, with winemakers/producers participating in a blind tasting to select the best three Syrahs in the lineup. The prize - bragging rights until next year's even...oh, and a plaid (some might say gauche) sportcoat, as well as a pseudo-trophy in the form of a small wooden barrel with a plaque. As a bonus, winners are apparently allowed to decorate the coat as they see fit, resulting in various "unique" additions over the years.

Meanwhile, on with the show. The tasting included forty-something bottles of 2004 Syrahs, all bagged, numbered and set out at 6-7 different tasting stations in Villa Creek restaurant (closed for this special event). Winemaker and producers were asked to taste through the wines, pick their top three and turn in their scoring to HdR personnel. Scoring amounted to 5 points for our 1st choice, 3 points for our 2nd choice, and 1 point for our 3rd choice. Points were tallied and the first place winner took all. A delicious lunch (courtesy of Villa Creek) followed, along with disclosure of the final winners.

Overall impressions: this was an illuminating tasting (blind tastings can be quite...uh, sobering). I liked the vast majority of the wines, and only found a few to be either odd or just not to my liking. There were also a number of wines here I really liked. My notes below are followed by the name of the wine (this is where it gets sobering), and I must say there were some major surprises for me. The disclosure of what wines were in which bags was furnished to me, so I don't have any vintage information. However, some of the wines I liked, I'd never heard of before; and some of the wines I wasn't too fond of, I had previously considered some of the best examples of Syrah. Ah well, so it goes with the subjectivity of wine tasting.

Wine #1. Smooth, very nice complexity and balance, very good flavors and delicious finish.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A-
Wine: Halter Ranch, Paso Robles.

Wine #2. Bright, with slightly higher acids in both nose and mouth. Nice flavors, just a little high-toned for me.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+
Wine: Fess Parker, The Big Easy

Wine #3 . Dark fruit, but didn't seem to have too much going on. Seemed a bit underfilled on the palate.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B
Wine: JC Cellars, Fess Parker

Wine #4. Kind of Euro-styled in the nose, with just a bit of herbaceousness. Tasty flavors and nice balance.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+
Wine: Ampelos Cellars, Sta. Rita Hills

Wine #5. Very wild and feral in the nose, with a touch of stink. Tar and asphalt accents to the dark fruit flavors, and good finish. Different - in a good way.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+
Wine: Hug Cellars, Bassetti, SLO County

Wine #6. Very nice, big and rich in nose and mouth, with nice complex notes of toast, spice and dark fruit. Smooth on the palate, long seamless finish.
Aroma score: A Taste score: A
Wine: Herman Story, Larner Vineyard, Santa Ynez

Wine #7. Bit of meat and tar on the nose, nice mouthfeel and flavors, slightly acid-balanced.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+
Wine: Calcareous Vineyard, Paso Robles

Wine #8. Nice combo of tar and meat, but slightly weak mouthfeel and oddly balanced.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B
Wine: Ortman Family, Paso Robles

Wine #9. Decent typical nose of dark fruit. Kind of sexy and sweet in taste, but the palate coverage seems a little uneven.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B+
Wine: Malloy O'Neil, Hillside, Paso Robles

Wine #10. Lots of chocolate in both nose and mouth, good balance, good Syrah nuances - if you look for them.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+
Wine: Bridlewood, Reserve, Central Coast

Wine #11. Huge hit of floral qualities on this wine (some viognier?). Tasty, very nice balance and long finish
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A-
Wine: Austin Hope, Estate, Paso Robles

Wine #12. Bit of funk/stink in the nose, withsome nice herbed notes. Good flavors and balance, nice if a slightly short finish.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+
Wine: Philip Shaw #89, Orange, Australia

Wine #13. Interesting/odd charred meat scent in the nose. Decent mouthfeel, flavors and balance.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B
Wine: Vie, Las Madres Vineyard, Carneros, Sonoma County

Wine #14. Very reticent to give anything in the nose. Good flavors, mouthfeel, balance and finish - but where's the nose?
Aroma score: B Taste score: B+
Wine: Anglim, Paso Robles

Wine #15. Nice, ripe - if somewhat candied nose. Ripe flavors, very good balance and finish.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A-
Wine: Tolosa Winery 1772, Edna Ranch, Edna Valley

Wine #16. Funky - almost slightly corked smelling nose. Odd flavor profile, with some off flavors and tartness.
Aroma score: B- Taste score: B-
Wine: Maloy O'Neil, Private Reserve, Paso Robles

Wine #17. Seems Euro-styled, with a bit of roasted quality in the nose, and acid-balanced mouthfeel.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B
Wine: Robert Hall Reserve, Hall Ranch, Paso Robles

Wine #18. Smoky oak accents the ripe fruit, tar and asphalt. Ripe flavors initially, gets just a bit bitter on back end.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+
Wine: McCrea Cellars, Cuvee Orleans, Yakima Valley

Wine #19. Fresh and aromatic nose, with a hint of floral aromas. Interesting flavors of gardenia seem to intermingle with dark fruit.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+
Wine: JC Cellars, Rockpile Vnyd

Wine #20. Major blueberry in nose, nice ripeness to aroma. Full and rich, but also seems a bit bitter on back end.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B
Wine: Denner Vineyards, Paso Robles

Wine #21. Nose seems fleshy, but a bit lacking in complexity. Almost a quaffer in mouthfeel, but seems to improve and finishes nicely.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B+
Wine: Kunin Wines, Santa Barbara Co.

Wine #22. Meaty nose, some obvious oak but nice integration. Rich on palate, nice balance and finish.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: B+
Wine: Fess Parker, Block 2, Camp Four Vineyard

Wine #23. Lovely fruit-driven nose with a nice toastiness and a bit of meat. Very nice balance, flavors and palate coverage.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A-
Wine: IO, Santa Barbara Co.

Wine #24. Lost of chalky minerality here, with touch of herb and tar. Frankly, there seems to be zero fruit in the mouth.
Aroma score: B Taste score: C
Wine: Murray Street Vineyards, Greenock Shiraz, Barossa Valley

Wine #25. Bit of weedy stink and funk in the nose, with an odd mouthfeel and obvious oak leading the way.
Aroma score: B- Taste score: B-
Wine: Zaca Mesa, Black Bear Block, Santa Ynez

Wine #26. Very nice touches of herb accent the dark fruit in the nose. Mouthfeel seems punched up, but also dumbed down a bit (Petite Sirah?).
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B
Wine: Justin Winery, Paso Robles

Wine #27. There's a funny sense that this wine almost seems constructed or somehow manipulated to match some sort of outcome - like it was made by the numbers.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B
Wine: McCrea Cellars, Ciel du Cheval, Red Mountain

Wine #28. Nose of fresh raspberry and blueberry. The mouthfeel, OTOH, seems a bit devoid of fruit or underfilled.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B
Wine: Vina Robles, Paso Robles

Wine #29. Smoky, but also medicinal aroma in the nose. Pretty short on fruit through most of the mouthfeel, with even less on the back end.
Wine: Thorn-Clarke, William Randell Shiraz, Barossa Valley

Wine #30. Meaty and slightly feral aromas add nicely to the dark fruit and herb. Nice mouthfeel, bit rich and chewy, very good balance and even better finish.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+
Wine: Fess Parker, Rodneys Vineyard

Wine #31. Decent Syrah profile in the nose. Fairy weak mouthfeel; seems underfilled.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+
Wine: Graves Winegrowers, Paso Robles

Wine #32. Very nice complex nose of dark fruit, toast, with touches of herb and meat. Excellent balance of flavors, nicely woven on the palate.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A-
Wine: Tallulah Wines, Sonoma Coast

Wine #33. Big throughout, with copious amounts of oak and fruit. Very big wine!
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+
Wine: Malloy O'Neil, Windy Hill, Paso Robles

Wine #34. Nice enough throughout, but nothing seems to standout here.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B
Wine: La Filice, Watch Hill Vineyard, SB County

Wine #35. Nice nose and flavors here, somewhat high-toned nose, tasty mouthfeel.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+
Wine: Opolo Vineyards, Paso Robles

Wine #36. Complex little details of just about everything - fruit, herbs, spice, toast. Lovely balance of flavors, excellent acidity, long finish.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A-
Wine: Fess Parker, F Block, Rodneys Vineyard

Wine #37. Nice, though unremarkable, with good balance and ripe flavors.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B
Wine: Maloy O'Neil, Paso Robles

Wine #38. Ripe and maybe a little cloying, but the balance is nice and the wine finishes off with a nice aftertaste.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B+
Wine: Ecluse, Lock Vineyard, Paso Robles

Wine #39. Very nice nose of dark fruit, toast and spice. Very good balance, flavors and finish.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+
Wine: Kaleidos, Paso Robles

Wine #40. Meaty, feral and herbal notes seem to punch up the dark fruit for an interesting scent. Tasty, ripe, well-balanced, with a nice long finish. This might not be to everyone's taste, but I like this wine a lot.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A-
Wine: Rosenblum Cellars Reserve, Holbrook Mitchell Vineyard, Napa

Wine #41. Kind of a swamp gas sulphur quality to the nose. Good flavors and mouthfeel, with nice balance and finish.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B+
Wine: McCrea Cellars, Boushey Grand Cote, Yakima Valley

Wine #42. Good nose of dark fruit and spice. Good mouthfeel and flavor, but some heat seems apparent through most of the mouthfeel.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B
Wine: Edward Sellars, Paso Robles

Wine #43. Nice clove and spice nose, decent mouthfeel and flavors, but not remarkable.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B
Wine: Savannah-Chanelle, Coast View Monterey County

Wine #44. Interesting nose of herb-scented dark fruit and tar. Good flavors in mouthfeel, but heat apparent through finish.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B
Wine: Four Vines, Amodor County, Bailey Vineyard

Wine #45. Big effusive nose of dark fruit. Balanced to the acid side of the scale, the fruit does seem to come on in the finish and this thing should age for a long time to come.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+
Wine: Maloy O'Neil, Katie O, Paso Robles