Tasting Notes Archive

JC CELLARS Syrah Santa Barbara County Fess Parker's Vineyard 2008 Score: 92 | $30

Marked by intense, chewy and concentrated beef, dried berry, graphite, loamy earth and savory herb notes. Full-bodied, at points powerful and well-focused, this is well-endowed with flavor. Best from 2012 through 2022. 454 cases made. —J.L.

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate - 93 points

From Santa Barbara’s Fess Parker Vineyard, the 2008 Syrah offers lovely blueberry, black raspberry and graphite aromas, sweet, velvety tannins, a full-bodied opulence and a multilayered mouthfeel. This brilliant Syrah is also a great value. Consume it over the next 6-7 years.

 91 points JC Cellars Fess Parker’s Vineyard 2008

Spot-on varietal spice and pepper get full play in this very expressive Syrah, and an extra bit of roasted meat gaminess is layered atop its very generous blackberry fruit.  If ripe and mouthfilling, the wine is ever so slighty less so than most of its cellarmates, and its rich, nicely balanced, very long lasting finish shows nary a hint of last-minute heat.  It too has a long life before it, but it is so structured as to also be useful now as a foil to a juicy, garlic-larded leg of lamb.

JC CELLARS Syrah Santa Barbara County Fess Parker's Vineyard 2007 Score: 91 | $30

Firm and concentrated, tight and full-bodied, this is marked by spicy cedar, wild berry, pepper, spice, mocha and espresso notes, ending with chewy tannins. Grows on you. Best from 2010 through 2016. 369 cases made. —J.L.

 

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate - 93 points

Thank goodness there are 369 cases of the 2007 Syrah Fess Parker Vineyard. This 100% Syrah tastes like a northern Rhone with lots of white pepper, roasted herb, licorice, blackberry, and creme de cassis notes presented in a full-bodied, opulent, exuberant, pure, impressive style.

Generous ripe, juicy black cherry and blackberry fruit is at this core in this full bodied effort, with hints of mineral, spice and floral scents. elegant and stylish. Drink now through 2012.

From another top-notch vineyard site, this time in Santa Barbara County, the 2006 Syrah Fess Parker Vineyard reveals a beautiful bouquet of flowers, black raspberries, black cherries, sweet spice, and pepper - very much in keeping with its appellation.  The most hedonistic and opulent of these offerings, it should drink well for 7-8 years.

Intensely aromatic and packed with rich oak, blackberry fruit and loads of varietal spice, this deep, highly extracted Syrah is as well-balanced as it is impressively stuffed. It displays a great sense of strength and stamina from start to finish, and, although involving and wonderfully showy even when young, it has all the right pieces in all the right places to encourage keeping for anywhere from five to ten years.

Rustic, showing intense, ripe dried currant and berry fruit, with anise, mineral and sage notes. Gains depth and richness, smoothing out the tannins on the finish. Drink now through now 2012.

The dense ruby/purple-colored 2005 Syrah Fess Parker Vineyard reveals exceptional fruit as well as notes of road tar, camphor, chocolate, blackberry liqueur, and roasted meat. This superb, full-bodied Syrah possesses silky tannin and a long finish. Enjoy it over the next 7-8 years.

This Syrah exhibits a dense ruby/purple-tinged color as well as a big, floral bouquet revealing hints of olives, garrigue, and pepper. Medium to full-bodied with moderate tannin, restraint, and finesse, it is the most elegant Syrah in this portfolio. Give it another 1-2 years of bottle age and drink it over the following decade.

This wine simply bursts with ripe, vital fruit seasoned with notes of white pepper, rich, creamy oak and vanilla crème brulée sweetness. In the mouth, it is supple and balanced with a fair bit of openness as it enters and a firmer frame as it finishes.

Medium-dark purplish ruby; attractive, forward, rich, sweet black cherry and blackberry fruit aroma with overtones of vanilla; full body; big, rich, lush blackberry fruit flavors; well balanced and structured; lingering aftertaste. Appealing to taste now and also shows good aging potential. Very highly recommended.

Harvested in late October, this wine reveals a dense ruby/purple color in addition to a floral, slightly herbaceous, expressive bouquet as well as flavors of black fruits, white pepper, tapenade, and smoke. This medium to full-bodied, strikingly pure, beautifully made Syrah will drink well for 5-6 years.