Michael Gill Paso Syrah, The 17.5’er (2)

MN peeps, check out the gatherings tab. :slight_smile:

I’m throwing away great lines here faster than Robert Parker gave 100 point scores right before he sold to the Chinese!

This is funny.

The question is: how much vodka did you add? Are you sure that you didn’t just take the vodka from your Kabinet and drink that by itself?

This wine did show up at the recent DFW Wine Woot dinner and some of us did take advantage of TT’s thoughtful provision of note taking paraphernalia.

The appearance was very dark purple, almost opaque. On the nose I did pick up the heat along with some spice. The fruit coming through was plum. I didn’t pick up a lot of oak.

On the palate the flavor I got was cherry. I was particularly impressed with the rich, almost velvet-like mouthfeel. Tannins were apparent but well integrated. I did not really pick up the heat at this point. It’s just a big, luscious, in your face, bold Paso syrah. If you like that style I think you’ll love this wine.

In for one. May have to stop at Michael’s tasting room on my trip to Paso at the end of October.

Ok, I posted my notes, but now I’m thinking a glass of wine might be nice and quitting time is 8 hours away. Thanks a lot, TT.

This comment is not directed to the wine up today, but to the above comment in general. From a technical standpoint alcohol does not change, and that as a wine ages and the fruit subsides the alcohol becomes more apparent, not less. I do not believe that alcohol per se ever integrates and becomes less pronounced.

Again, not blasting the alcohol in this wine at all, if the wine is balanced and carries the alcohol that is what matters… that and leaving the car keys at home… :wink:

Cheers!

Your screaming monkey will be happy when you’re home.

Idaho is on the list? Sneaking this one in eh? Anything over 16% is treated like liquor here unless it is label as a “dessert wine”, so I’m not sure this is allowed to be imported except by a state controlled dispensary.

Anyway, I don’t care; I just thought it was mildly interesting.

SO and I had the opportunity to try this wine last night. PnP: great dark burgundy color. Smell: hot/alcohol, along with cherry and oak. Checked the bottle: 17.5%. Ok, that explains it. Flavor profile (initially): dark cherry and not sure what else due to the alcohol. We decided that this big boy needed a rest, so we left it for an hour.

Round 2. Alot of the alcohol had blown off, but the finish still had some, so we decided that maybe a little more time would let it open up.

Round 3 (about a half an hour later). Now the flavor profile was really emerging: dark berry and dark cherry with a finish of either licorice or vanilla.

Bottom line: a really big, flavorful syrah, which lives up to the boldness of the grape here. This needs an hour or two decant to allow the alcohol to subside and the rich flavors to emerge. We paired this with blue cheese and then dark, dark chocolate. Both were amazing with it. After seeing today’s price, it seems reasonable. Buy this if you like big wines; wimpy sippers need not waste their time. We recorked it and put it in the fridge. We will re-evaluate it at tonight’s wine get together.

Thanks for the notes on today’s wine. I’m generally avoiding anything over $20 bucks a bottle right now but I love big paso syrahs and you guys have me on the fence. Nice work.

Edit: if this was a three pack at this price or even $5 more I would be all over it.

By all means, post about it publicly instead of quietly taking advantage.

Yeah, it didn’t make any sense to me either.

Can’t find my laptop power cable, so this is from an iPad and will be more concise (you’re welcome.)

I had a single bottle of this delivered in a box. I wasn’t sure if neilloseswine had lost it, or if my friend Michael Gill got my birthday wrong. I’ll state this up front- Michael Gill is a friend of mine, we drink together regularly, and I’m a fan of his wines

Upon opening, you’ll find this is a new world wine, and you’ll know its a Syrah. The nose is very in your face with dark fruits and vanilla, a hint of spice, and alcohol. Stillman is a very good winemaker, but he’s not a magician- you don’t hide 17.5% completely. I originally opened this at room temperature, but recorked it and opened it two days later. I’m drinking it know and between the temperature and time, the alcohol has become much more subdued.

Drinking the wine is an experience as much as any I’ve had. When you open this chilled, you get cool, bone dry fruits with a slight chalkiness. I like this a lot, almost reminds me of Cougar Crest. As the wine opens up and warms up, the fruits come out more, the alcohol comes out more, and the vanilla and spice become present. As in your face as the fruits are, this wine is still a complex wine. Give it another 2-3 hours and you’ll get more subdued fruits, stronger spices, and more relaxed alcohol. No, you won’t forget this wine is 17.5%, but you probably won’t mind either.

I really like this wine, especially after being open a few days. Highly recommend opening it chilled. Because of the alcohol and overall dryness, I highly recommend drinking this with same fatty meat like a steak or lamb. This wine could hold its own with a curry, but I wouldn’t recommend it. If you can handle the alcohol, you’ll love this wine; if not, it may not be your thing.

Hot damn Shiraz, Darlin’!
Yeah, serving at 55-65 F is the dance move…

We had this wine at the last DFW Woot dinner. The color was a deep, dark purple to the edge, and opaque as expected. Dark berries on the nose. Hard to pick up other notes as the heat covers up everything else. Tart wine, medium-plus tannins, with a lingering finish. Liked the flavor of this wine. Picked up a good bit of fruit, did not pick up any spices or tar, and the heat carries through. We opened this later in the dinner, but maybe we should have opened it at the beginning of the dinner to let it air out.

My last note was that I would buy depending on the price. Based on today’s offer, it has me thinking, but I would not be a buyer at the list price.

Z

Still no shipping to MI? This is the second offer in a week that I’ve tried to buy only to be disappointed. Anyone know what’s going on and if MI shipping will ever return?

If it’s any consolation, you’re not alone.