2004 Kongsgaard Syrah Hudson Vineyard
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Tasting notes
(15.5%; 3.93 pH, 6.7 TA): Bright ruby-red. Conveys a captivating smoky, roasted meat character, like wild duck hitting the grill, complicated by a brioche-like toasty note; reminded me of a Côte Brune style of Côte-Rôtie. Large-scaled yet somehow light on its feet, conveying a wonderfully fine-grained, plush yet reserved middle palate stuffed with dark fruits and smoky, meaty bass notes. Compellingly rich yet bone-dry Syrah with an extremely long, rising, saline mineral aftertaste that saturates every square millimeter of the palate. The best Kongsgaard Syrah in the series--at least until the 2013.
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Showing the most maturity in the lineup, the 2004 Kongsgaard Syrah Hudson Vineyard presents a brilliant array of underbrush, herbs, raw meat, and spice that's supported beautifully by perfectly ripe blackberry and currant styled fruits. This full-bodied, utterly seamless, and pure Syrah is still fresh and vibrant, showing a full, layered mid-palate, and a silky finish. While drinking superbly, it seems to just be entering its maturity stage and should continue to evolve gracefully for another decade.
Saturated medium ruby. Full-blown, varietally expressive nose offers dark berries, smoked meat, soy sauce, game, truffle, gunflint and melted chocolate. Then huge and palate-saturating, with Rhone-like flavors more expressive of the volcanic soil in Hudson's Q block than simple sweet varietal fruits. This is more full-blown and lower in acidity than the young 2005 but the pH is in the 3.8 range, which is lower than most of the top syrahs made from Hudson fruit. Kongsgaard noted that he picks this parcel on the early side. Finishes with big but ripe tannins and superb persistence.
Perhaps one of the most idiosyncratic and distinctive Syrahs from California is Kongsgaard’s. From a parcel of the large Hudson Vineyard grown in volcanic soils, this wine has a character totally different from anything else I have tasted in California. The 2004 Syrah Hudson Vineyard is the most monolithic wine I have tasted from Kongsgaard. It has outstanding concentration and plenty of graphite, roasted meat, blueberry, mulberry, and almost earthy characteristics, but it does not have the complexity of the fabulous 2003 or the blockbuster 2005. Previously recommended: 2003 Chardonnay (94); 2003 Chardonnay The Judge (99); 2003 Syrah Hudson Vineyard (94+); Fax (707) 963-4512