While this 2014 possesses familiar flavor details from previous years (a hint of 2008’s depth, the lush fruit core of 2009, the elegance and focus of 2012), the completeness of it dazzles. The 10th harvest seems to have it all, and it feels like a breakthrough pleasure to share the fruit of our efforts: brilliant blue/violet hued, deep dark fruit notes with a complex spice element, and pleasantly chewy tannins. It’s built for the long haul but is all enticingly filled with youthful charm.
Fermentation: Aged 22 months in Kadar 400 L puncheons of which 20% were new Baker Lane Estate vineyard, though non-certified, is farmed using organic/bio-dynamic principles. A cold soak of seven days preceded a natural yeast fermentation with no added enzymes.
Specs
Vintage: 2014
Appellation: Sonoma Coast
Varietals: 97% Syrah, 3% Viognier
Harvest Date: 9/23 & 9/30
Production: 235 cases
Alcohol: 13%
2017 Baker Lane Estate Syrah, Sonoma Coast
Tasting Notes
The fact is that this may be the most complete young wine that we’ve ever made, as its deep core of blue and black fruits aromatics and palate seem engaged in a dynamic pas de deux with its ample tannic/acid armature. I’m sure that it will age wonderfully for many years to come. I’m equally sure that it’s as impressive and pleasing in its youth as any wine we’ve ever released.
Specs
Vintage: 2017
Appellation: Sonoma Coast
Alcohol: 13.1%
2018 Baker Lane Estate Syrah, Sonoma Coast
Tasting Notes
The vinous denouement of this fortuitous winegrowing narrative has a warm violet robe that confirms its lush, supple expression of ripe berries, and hints of Asian spice and lightly smoked meat. It’s youthful but impressively expressive nose leads to a lively, textured mouthfeel whose integrated tannin and acid elements lifts the palate and propels it forward with grace and balance. The sky is the limit for the broadly (even exotically) flavored fare food choices with which this bottling could marry with delicious style.
Baker Lane Vineyards Family, located in Sebastopol, California, is owned and operated by Stephen Singer and Michel Boynton. The winery has provided Stephen the rare opportunity to transform its 15 acres in to a bio-dynamically farmed Syrah and Viognier vineyard with singular terroir, olive orchard and home. Baker Lane’s mission to produce sustainably grown, exceptional expressions of cool climate (and most importantly, table friendly) Syrah, Viognier and Pinot Noir has appropriately drawn on all aspects of Stephen’s skill set.
Baker Lane Vineyards was inspired by great wines from around the world that express something distinctive and delicious about taste and site. The agricultural practices propel a commitment to winegrowing and winemaking that gains empirical heft with each passing year of boots in the vineyard. As distinct taste expressions emerge from each harvest, it’s clear that there IS a special flavor identity that comes to mind and palate. A decade of winemaking has confirmed the flavor and character of Baker Lane Wine’s terroir; now it’s our pleasurable quest to produce the best version of it that each growing season will allow.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
Baker Lane Estate Syrah Vertical - $60 = 23.06%
@chipgreen@pmarin@sammypedram I’ve got the 2012 and 2015 from the previous offers. Does that make the ladder a little safer?
I really did not need to order more wine, but after loving the 2012 which I got to rat, I figure I’d regret if I passed on this. I guess I better get drinking because my basement looks like a small liquor store.
I had a case of 2014-2015-2016 vertical this summer and it was delicious, my favorite Syrah. Just order two cases. Apparently casemates won’t let me order more. I will say the first bottle of 2014 I opened was a little off, but it just needed to breath a minimum 20 minutes. I love Baker Lane’s Syrah!
@losthighwayz@rh27 I don’t know Baker Lane Syrah, but the Andrew Murray mixed case had some good Syrah. The 2013 Cougar Crest is really good. And the Kendrick Syrah is tasty. They were all offered here.
@losthighwayz@rh27
Only comments from the last 30 days are this thread… But I don’t want to jump to conclusions, maybe they’ve just been waiting for a smoking B.L. syrah deal?
@klezman@michaelvella first off lighten up people. Having a little fun. Second, I don’t think there is anything wrong with a little vetting. Randomly claiming Baker Lane is the best ever with no notes or background is at least suspect. Simply asking for clarification. @michaelvella welcome back btw. Missed your snarky comments!
@klezman@losthighwayz@michaelvella Boy I thought my work meetings were getting snarky! And now I come here for some wine and relaxation… But anyway I took the first “you a bot?” as a humorous jest. So I don’t think it started off negatively. But it sure turned that way quickly.
But yes, “shill” posts unfortunately are a major problem on deal forums or review sites.
On this site, I think most people recognize other user names, not all of them but probably 75+%. So when the first post of a new user joined Feb21 is gushing praise, honestly I was suspicious too. (and to some extent, still remain so…)
@losthighwayz@rh27 To question the possibly shill and possibly totally-legit-person @rh27, the first response was “Is there a better Syrah… on casemates”.
And yet the search engine info that was so proudly posted as an in-your-face retort to the question of “why first posting” means that @rh27 would ONLY get Google notifications of this particular product. So how would @rh27 know what other Syrahs have been offered here?
@losthighwayz@michaelvella I’m generally on the side of giving people the benefit of the doubt. I also want this community to expand, so chasing off new people is ill advised.
The other thing is that a shill is far more likely to appear on a winery’s first offer, not their 4th or whatever this is. And then a shill would only appear if the winery completely ignored WD’s instructions and really didn’t care if they sold much. We know how quickly the crowd can sour on a winery if they’re perceived to be shady in any way.
Regardless, I’m done with this part of this discussion. On to the wine!
@klezman@michaelvella@pmarin appreciate your post. Seems like I always get picked on even by the SoCal crew. I don’t believe what I posted was that insulting and I promise you the same SoCal people liking @michaelvella response to my post have made shill comments on WW. Double standard for sure. Only time @michaelvella responds is to attack or be a jerk. I could go back and search but not worth my time.
@rh27@TimW Tricky situation, which Syrah (or GSM) deals to jump on. My limited budget has to support certain requirements for budget whites, rosés, a few fancier whites, budget reds. What’s left is for mid-level reds. I’ve recently decided I’ve only got cellar budget for our favorite varietals. But even then, not much budget. Snagging those Pedroncelli Ports was probably a good move long term, but put me in the whole.
So, I can really only bite on the 2-4 best Syrah deals of the year. Is a better deal than this coming down the road this Spring? Hmmmm. Hmmm indeed.
Of course, I’m not sure which Syrahs (or anything else) are my favorites. So need to keep splitting with my mates and trying stuff. An advantage to this deal is you can try the 2014 pretty soon to see how Baker Lanes is with some age on it. And they seem to be repeat seller, so maybe should pull the trigger.
@PatrickKarcher I guess it depends how much you like Syrah? I very much like Syrah. I’ve only had the 2012 vintage of this wine. Very nice wine. Definitely a more “smokey” flavor than other Syrahs I’ve had. I obviously don’t have a comparison though in terms of other vintages. If* other vintages are similar and you like the smokiness then I would recommend to pull the trigger on this.
@PatrickKarcher well we still need to connect for the Ports, are you looking for splits on a purchase? May have some other locals in your area as well…
@jpwilmsn It might be were Scribe gets their grapes for the syrah. I am pretty sure anything Scribe grows on property is labeled “Estate”. BTW the Scribe Syrah is delicious. I would be prob buying this offering if it were shipping to IL.
I got an email last night that I was a golden ticket winner. Great, I thought to myself, this has to happen during Lent when I gave up alcohol. I started to think about what I could do with the wine that would benefit the community and then I realized I could combine two things I enjoy in life. Today is the first day of maple syrup season in Connecticut, and as the sap starts to fill the buckets, I realized I needed to clean my evaporating pan. Pan cleaner is an acid that dissolves the minerals that stick to the pan after boiling multiple batches of syrup. Some people use vinegar, which has a pH of 2.5. I figured I could test how well this wine works as a pan cleaner, as my cheap and inaccurate pH meter from Amazon says the 2017 Syrah has a pH hovering around 3.5.
Here are a few before and after pictures. I boiled the wine with the lid on the pot for about an hour at high heat, and I was amazed at the results. If anyone here is into making maple syrup, I would highly recommend picking up a few bottles in case you run out of pan cleaner, which can’t be shipped because of hazmat regulations.
I kid, I kid. UPS dropped the bottle off around 5 and I opened it up about half an hour later. The wine has a rich plum color. The aroma after the first pour it is a bit of fruit, but nothing overly strong. There is a bit of alcohol. It’s actually hard to put a finger on the aroma. Maybe blackberry, but who ever smells an actual blackberry? The wine leaves some good legs on the side of the glass. The first sip is great. It is a bit on the drier side, with tannins that make a little pucker that doesn’t quite make it to the back of my mouth. It’s really well balanced. It’s not sweet, it’s not dry, it’s not too tannic, it doesn’t taste like pure alcohol.
The aroma on the second glass is red wine. Nothing specifically stands out to me, except perhaps what I’d describe as earthy. It doesn’t taste fruity per se, but the first words to describe it were blackberries, currants, and tannins. It has a sharp beginning, and a smooth finish. There’s not a lingering aftertaste. It’s delicious!
I wanted to get this up here as soon as possible, though the rest of the bottle will be enjoyed with some eggplant parmesan.
@markgm@ttboy23 Me too. That was fantastic. The pictures are what made it. (a), is a great effect, but (b) if means you don’t see where he says ‘just kidding’ until you scroll down. That’s awesome.
Thanks! The only thing I’ll add is that it went well with eggplant parm, garlic bread, and green beans. I didn’t get heat/pepper while drinking it on it’s own, but I did when I had it with food. It definitely held its own.
@markgm did you save any? I’d be interested to hear how it is on day 2. This is a much younger wine than i normally drink, so id be laying these down for 4-5 years
Would-be Lab Rat here - UPS attempted to deliver to the wrong address and apparently my neighbor wasn’t home to accept. How do I know it was my neighbor? My wife was expecting a separate UPS package that indicated delivered, and I found it sitting on his doorstep with the dreaded “Sorry we missed you…” sticker on the front door.
Luckily the review from @markgm is pretty great! I’ll post as soon as I can, most likely at the eleventh hour tomorrow!
2014 Baker Lane Estate Vineyard Syrah - Sonoma Coast
Hey everyone,
Sorry for a sort of late report here, as I got the bottle yesterday afternoon. I tested it out last night after popping it into the wine fridge for a few hours. I saved a glass and a half for tonight to test it 24 hours later as well, but that might be a bit late for this sale - but I’ll try to update here! On to the wine.
I like to start by saying what kinds of wine I generally like, to help frame my impressions for you guys. I am a big syrah/GSM fan. I love Rhone wines. Crozes-Hermitage, CdP, Vacqueyras type wines. I also love the bigger Cali reds when thats what I want, and I like petite sirah alot.
The color on this wine is a dark purple/plum. There was a bit of heat on the initial nose but it blew off fairly quickly and then I got some mixed berry and peppery spice nose. (That’s about as good as I can get on the nose, I never understand some of the scents people get. It smelled like wine. It smelled good. I definitely got berry/fruit but not overly so; definitely got a peppery/spice).
The first sip was pretty good. Tannins are there but not overly tannic. Fruit was there but not overly fruity. I liked it, but I wasn’t blown away or anything. So far so good though. Next I broke out some bread and cheese I had to snack on and eat with food. I liked this wine a bit more to sip with food; I think if I had a bunch of it in the house, I would probably drink it for a normal dinner wine with “regular” food, ie if we made a chicken or something like that. This isn’t a knock or anything; I just mean this isn’t like one of those wines that screams for red meat to run with.
The next glass or two went down easy, and it stayed together structure-wise over the hour or so we drank it. I didn’t really have any further insights. I put the cork back in and stuck it back in the fridge for tonight after that.
So far my impression is that this is a quality california syrah, not aggressively fruit forward but well structured and would pair well with a home-made dinner of pasta or chicken. I wouldn’t say its a tuesday/daily drinker level wine, but it’s not (for me) a wowser; let’s call it a Thursday night dinner wine. I would happily bring it out if we had some people over for dinner. in the 20-25$/bottle range, its a reasonable buy if you like Syrah. It is not something I would buy at the 1000$/case winery price.
Hope this helps anyone on the fence! I will try to provide any relevant updates tonight.
PS and a big thanks to casemates for the opportunity to lab rat! Always fun.
I stood sentinel and flagged down the new UPS driver and now have a delicious glass of this 2018 syrah in front of me so welcome to my LAST MINUTE REVIEW.
Overall impression: This is very good wine. It’s dry but south of mouth puckering, it has alcohol on the nose but not enough to punch you, and it’s smooth like I think I am when I’m a few glasses in.
A lot of black pepper. If you like black pepper in your syrah - and this guy does - then this bottle does not disappoint.
I want to go ahead and hit submit on this so I’ll just finish
by saying this does a great job of checking all the syrah boxes and throws in an extra dash of pepper for good measure. I can’t speak to the other vintages but if they’re in the same wheelhouse as this 2018 then the 3 bottle selection is a great deal and the 12 is a steal.
Thanks for the bottle and letting me share my two cents!
2014 Baker Lane Estate Syrah, Sonoma Coast
Tasting Notes
Specs
2017 Baker Lane Estate Syrah, Sonoma Coast
Tasting Notes
Specs
2018 Baker Lane Estate Syrah, Sonoma Coast
Tasting Notes
Specs
Included in the Box
3-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
$948.20/Case at Baker Lane Vineyards for 4x 2014 Baker Lane Estate Syrah, Sonoma Coast, 4x 2017 Baker Lane Estate Syrah, Sonoma Coast, and 4x 2018 Baker Lane Estate Syrah, Sonoma Coast
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Thursday, Mar 18 - Monday, Mar 22
Baker Lane Estate Syrah Vertical
3 bottles for $64.99 $21.66/bottle + $2.67/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $199.99 $16.67/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2014 Baker Lane Estate Syrah
2017 Baker Lane Estate Syrah
2018 Baker Lane Estate Syrah
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
Baker Lane Estate Syrah Vertical - $60 = 23.06%
I was going to give props for CM finally offering an actual 3-year vertical and then I looked at the vintages.
@chipgreen
@chipgreen @sammypedram Think of it as a ladder with a few missing rungs…
@chipgreen @pmarin @sammypedram I’ve got the 2012 and 2015 from the previous offers. Does that make the ladder a little safer?
I really did not need to order more wine, but after loving the 2012 which I got to rat, I figure I’d regret if I passed on this. I guess I better get drinking because my basement looks like a small liquor store.
I had a case of 2014-2015-2016 vertical this summer and it was delicious, my favorite Syrah. Just order two cases. Apparently casemates won’t let me order more. I will say the first bottle of 2014 I opened was a little off, but it just needed to breath a minimum 20 minutes. I love Baker Lane’s Syrah!
@rh27 you a bot? Never seen you on here before. Just curious.
@losthighwayz @rh27
@losthighwayz not a bot. Just happy to see Baker Lane Syrah is available on this site since again! Is there a better Syrah you’ve seen on casemates?
@rh27 shill?
@losthighwayz @rh27 I don’t know Baker Lane Syrah, but the Andrew Murray mixed case had some good Syrah. The 2013 Cougar Crest is really good. And the Kendrick Syrah is tasty. They were all offered here.
@losthighwayz @rh27
Only comments from the last 30 days are this thread… But I don’t want to jump to conclusions, maybe they’ve just been waiting for a smoking B.L. syrah deal?
@knlprez @losthighwayz yes, I have Google https://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Acasemates.com+"baker+lane"
@knlprez @losthighwayz and yes, setup a web scraper about a year ago to alert me to any B.L. deals such as this.
@losthighwayz Dude, WTF?
Did it occur to you that not everyone who has an account participates in the comments?
@michaelvella dude??? What are you, 20 years old? Oh, he did make a comment by the way which amounts to “participation” so not sure what your point is
@losthighwayz You accused him of being a bot. Then a shill. Because you’d never seen him comment before. That was the point.
@losthighwayz @michaelvella Furthermore, all he said was he’s been hoping to see this again. Hardly shill or bot behaviour.
@klezman @losthighwayz ^This^
@klezman @michaelvella first off lighten up people. Having a little fun. Second, I don’t think there is anything wrong with a little vetting. Randomly claiming Baker Lane is the best ever with no notes or background is at least suspect. Simply asking for clarification. @michaelvella welcome back btw. Missed your snarky comments!
@klezman @losthighwayz I wasn’t trying to be snarky. I thought it was rude to immediately accuse a member of being a bot or a shill.
@klezman @losthighwayz @michaelvella Boy I thought my work meetings were getting snarky! And now I come here for some wine and relaxation… But anyway I took the first “you a bot?” as a humorous jest. So I don’t think it started off negatively. But it sure turned that way quickly.
But yes, “shill” posts unfortunately are a major problem on deal forums or review sites.
On this site, I think most people recognize other user names, not all of them but probably 75+%. So when the first post of a new user joined Feb21 is gushing praise, honestly I was suspicious too. (and to some extent, still remain so…)
@losthighwayz @rh27 To question the possibly shill and possibly totally-legit-person @rh27, the first response was “Is there a better Syrah… on casemates”.
And yet the search engine info that was so proudly posted as an in-your-face retort to the question of “why first posting” means that @rh27 would ONLY get Google notifications of this particular product. So how would @rh27 know what other Syrahs have been offered here?
Everything here still seems kind-of fishy to me.
@losthighwayz @pmarin @rh27 JFC, you people need to get a life.
@klezman @losthighwayz @michaelvella @pmarin @rh27 I just set up a scraper for DRC
@kaolis @klezman @losthighwayz @pmarin @rh27 I don’t think I can split a case of that…
@losthighwayz @michaelvella I’m generally on the side of giving people the benefit of the doubt. I also want this community to expand, so chasing off new people is ill advised.
The other thing is that a shill is far more likely to appear on a winery’s first offer, not their 4th or whatever this is. And then a shill would only appear if the winery completely ignored WD’s instructions and really didn’t care if they sold much. We know how quickly the crowd can sour on a winery if they’re perceived to be shady in any way.
Regardless, I’m done with this part of this discussion. On to the wine!
@klezman @michaelvella @pmarin appreciate your post. Seems like I always get picked on even by the SoCal crew. I don’t believe what I posted was that insulting and I promise you the same SoCal people liking @michaelvella response to my post have made shill comments on WW. Double standard for sure. Only time @michaelvella responds is to attack or be a jerk. I could go back and search but not worth my time.
@klezman @michaelvella thanks Klez. Your feedback is appreciated
@losthighwayz
LOL. Oh, the irony.
@klezman @losthighwayz @michaelvella That’s right. Don’t be chasing off us “Newbies”, lol!
Even though I’m a carry-over (2013).
Dammit Janet!
STOP putting all my fav wines up on here
@ttboy23
Let’s do the time warp again!
@pseudogourmet98 you’re funny
@pseudogourmet98
@pseudogourmet98 I knew I heard that somewhere…back in college, on High Street (Columbus).
@pseudogourmet98 @ttboy23
In between buckets of beer at Papa Joe’s?
@chipgreen @ttboy23
@pseudogourmet98 @ttboy23
Love it!
I should have given up Casemates for 40 days and 40 nights (especially).
@ttboy23 ain’t that the truth! I tell myself no more, and then… I justify by telling myself “I’ll drink it eventually”.
No IL?!?
@pete0744 can someone confirm for me before I have it shipped to Wisconsin?!?
Rats??
@StingingJ I heard a whisper that a box is on route to my house and should arrive by 9:00PM!
@rh27 @TimW Tricky situation, which Syrah (or GSM) deals to jump on. My limited budget has to support certain requirements for budget whites, rosés, a few fancier whites, budget reds. What’s left is for mid-level reds. I’ve recently decided I’ve only got cellar budget for our favorite varietals. But even then, not much budget. Snagging those Pedroncelli Ports was probably a good move long term, but put me in the whole.
So, I can really only bite on the 2-4 best Syrah deals of the year. Is a better deal than this coming down the road this Spring? Hmmmm. Hmmm indeed.
Of course, I’m not sure which Syrahs (or anything else) are my favorites. So need to keep splitting with my mates and trying stuff. An advantage to this deal is you can try the 2014 pretty soon to see how Baker Lanes is with some age on it. And they seem to be repeat seller, so maybe should pull the trigger.
@PatrickKarcher I guess it depends how much you like Syrah? I very much like Syrah. I’ve only had the 2012 vintage of this wine. Very nice wine. Definitely a more “smokey” flavor than other Syrahs I’ve had. I obviously don’t have a comparison though in terms of other vintages. If* other vintages are similar and you like the smokiness then I would recommend to pull the trigger on this.
Not sure if others have more input.
@PatrickKarcher @sammypedram Thanks for mentioning the “Smokey” flavor. Not a huge fan of that smokiness so I’m off the fence now.
@PatrickKarcher well we still need to connect for the Ports, are you looking for splits on a purchase? May have some other locals in your area as well…
Does anyone know: is there a relation between Baker Lane Winery and Scribe’s Baker Lane Syrah? https://store.scribewinery.com/product/2018-Baker-Lane-Syrah
@jpwilmsn It might be were Scribe gets their grapes for the syrah. I am pretty sure anything Scribe grows on property is labeled “Estate”. BTW the Scribe Syrah is delicious. I would be prob buying this offering if it were shipping to IL.
@jpwilmsn @jshaver Where in IL are you? I was going to ship to my sisters place in Milwaukee and just go get it - I’m in Deerfield.
@pete0744 I’m in Chicago, on the Northside in Lakeview.
@jshaver Let me know - happy to mule a case across state lines for you
@jshaver @pete0744 That’s real casemates dedication! And I thought my runs to NOVA & DC were committed for casemates runs!
@pete0744 thanks for the offer, but I think I am going to pass on this one- pretty well stocked, and it is wine club shipping season!
2017 Baker Lane Estate Syrah, Sonoma Coast
I got an email last night that I was a golden ticket winner. Great, I thought to myself, this has to happen during Lent when I gave up alcohol. I started to think about what I could do with the wine that would benefit the community and then I realized I could combine two things I enjoy in life. Today is the first day of maple syrup season in Connecticut, and as the sap starts to fill the buckets, I realized I needed to clean my evaporating pan. Pan cleaner is an acid that dissolves the minerals that stick to the pan after boiling multiple batches of syrup. Some people use vinegar, which has a pH of 2.5. I figured I could test how well this wine works as a pan cleaner, as my cheap and inaccurate pH meter from Amazon says the 2017 Syrah has a pH hovering around 3.5.
Here are a few before and after pictures. I boiled the wine with the lid on the pot for about an hour at high heat, and I was amazed at the results. If anyone here is into making maple syrup, I would highly recommend picking up a few bottles in case you run out of pan cleaner, which can’t be shipped because of hazmat regulations.
I kid, I kid. UPS dropped the bottle off around 5 and I opened it up about half an hour later. The wine has a rich plum color. The aroma after the first pour it is a bit of fruit, but nothing overly strong. There is a bit of alcohol. It’s actually hard to put a finger on the aroma. Maybe blackberry, but who ever smells an actual blackberry? The wine leaves some good legs on the side of the glass. The first sip is great. It is a bit on the drier side, with tannins that make a little pucker that doesn’t quite make it to the back of my mouth. It’s really well balanced. It’s not sweet, it’s not dry, it’s not too tannic, it doesn’t taste like pure alcohol.
The aroma on the second glass is red wine. Nothing specifically stands out to me, except perhaps what I’d describe as earthy. It doesn’t taste fruity per se, but the first words to describe it were blackberries, currants, and tannins. It has a sharp beginning, and a smooth finish. There’s not a lingering aftertaste. It’s delicious!
I wanted to get this up here as soon as possible, though the rest of the bottle will be enjoyed with some eggplant parmesan.
@markgm OMGeee, you had me there for a sec!
@markgm @ttboy23 Me too. That was fantastic. The pictures are what made it. (a), is a great effect, but (b) if means you don’t see where he says ‘just kidding’ until you scroll down. That’s awesome.
FOOLS! TOOLS! JEWELS! AWESOME!
@markgm Agreed - awesome review!
KRULL! A SKULL! BRETT HULL! AWESOME!
Thanks! The only thing I’ll add is that it went well with eggplant parm, garlic bread, and green beans. I didn’t get heat/pepper while drinking it on it’s own, but I did when I had it with food. It definitely held its own.
@markgm Highly entertaining review. Thanks for ratting even though the wine arrived at the very last minute.
@markgm Oh and for breaking your lent too
@markgm did you save any? I’d be interested to hear how it is on day 2. This is a much younger wine than i normally drink, so id be laying these down for 4-5 years
@markgm I was expecting some side syrup and wine recommendations while you are at it!
@StingingJ I didn’t, I’m a firm believer in finishing what I start (also, I didn’t think about it at the time)!
Would-be Lab Rat here - UPS attempted to deliver to the wrong address and apparently my neighbor wasn’t home to accept. How do I know it was my neighbor? My wife was expecting a separate UPS package that indicated delivered, and I found it sitting on his doorstep with the dreaded “Sorry we missed you…” sticker on the front door.
Luckily the review from @markgm is pretty great! I’ll post as soon as I can, most likely at the eleventh hour tomorrow!
/giphy abrupt-snooty-juice
2014 Baker Lane Estate Vineyard Syrah - Sonoma Coast
Hey everyone,
Sorry for a sort of late report here, as I got the bottle yesterday afternoon. I tested it out last night after popping it into the wine fridge for a few hours. I saved a glass and a half for tonight to test it 24 hours later as well, but that might be a bit late for this sale - but I’ll try to update here! On to the wine.
I like to start by saying what kinds of wine I generally like, to help frame my impressions for you guys. I am a big syrah/GSM fan. I love Rhone wines. Crozes-Hermitage, CdP, Vacqueyras type wines. I also love the bigger Cali reds when thats what I want, and I like petite sirah alot.
The color on this wine is a dark purple/plum. There was a bit of heat on the initial nose but it blew off fairly quickly and then I got some mixed berry and peppery spice nose. (That’s about as good as I can get on the nose, I never understand some of the scents people get. It smelled like wine. It smelled good. I definitely got berry/fruit but not overly so; definitely got a peppery/spice).
The first sip was pretty good. Tannins are there but not overly tannic. Fruit was there but not overly fruity. I liked it, but I wasn’t blown away or anything. So far so good though. Next I broke out some bread and cheese I had to snack on and eat with food. I liked this wine a bit more to sip with food; I think if I had a bunch of it in the house, I would probably drink it for a normal dinner wine with “regular” food, ie if we made a chicken or something like that. This isn’t a knock or anything; I just mean this isn’t like one of those wines that screams for red meat to run with.
The next glass or two went down easy, and it stayed together structure-wise over the hour or so we drank it. I didn’t really have any further insights. I put the cork back in and stuck it back in the fridge for tonight after that.
So far my impression is that this is a quality california syrah, not aggressively fruit forward but well structured and would pair well with a home-made dinner of pasta or chicken. I wouldn’t say its a tuesday/daily drinker level wine, but it’s not (for me) a wowser; let’s call it a Thursday night dinner wine. I would happily bring it out if we had some people over for dinner. in the 20-25$/bottle range, its a reasonable buy if you like Syrah. It is not something I would buy at the 1000$/case winery price.
Hope this helps anyone on the fence! I will try to provide any relevant updates tonight.
PS and a big thanks to casemates for the opportunity to lab rat! Always fun.
@icarus8 Thank you for reporting. I was curious about the 2014.
/giphy tasteless-frugal-brush
2018 Baker Lane Estate Syrah, Sonoma Coast
I stood sentinel and flagged down the new UPS driver and now have a delicious glass of this 2018 syrah in front of me so welcome to my LAST MINUTE REVIEW.
Overall impression: This is very good wine. It’s dry but south of mouth puckering, it has alcohol on the nose but not enough to punch you, and it’s smooth like I think I am when I’m a few glasses in.
A lot of black pepper. If you like black pepper in your syrah - and this guy does - then this bottle does not disappoint.
I want to go ahead and hit submit on this so I’ll just finish
by saying this does a great job of checking all the syrah boxes and throws in an extra dash of pepper for good measure. I can’t speak to the other vintages but if they’re in the same wheelhouse as this 2018 then the 3 bottle selection is a great deal and the 12 is a steal.
Thanks for the bottle and letting me share my two cents!