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Connoisserus'
Guide to California Wine - March 2005 Syrah Reviews
- 89 Points UNTI Benchland
Dry Creek Valley 2002
"Both of the Unti offerings require patient cellaring to be at
their best, and this solid youngster is by small measure the slightly
more solid and better filled of the two. Its concentrated blackberry
fruit is highlighted with pepper and violets and oak, and its well-extracted
flavors hint at a touch of dark earth. Imposing tannins cut things
short at the finish, and the wine needs a good half-dozen years of
age."
- 88 Points UNTI Dry Creek
Valley 2002
"Here is a big, blustery, well-extracted Syrah that is a long
way from being polished, but its youthful lack of refinement and all
too plentiful ragged edges are more than compensated for by a very
deep center of varietal fruit. Its suggestions of chocolate, leather,
hardwoods and game point the way to complexity to come with bottle
aging."
Wine &
Spirits, October 2002 Issue
- 88 pts.
UNTI 2000 DRY CREEK VALLEY ZINFANDEL
"While this zin is light
in color, its deep fruit is black as night, cool and fresh as well
water. It's built on a firm frame, a claret-style that's satisfying
if not complex. Decant it, and give it an hour to open before a dinner
of grilled chicken."
- 88 pts.
UNTI 2000 DRY CREEK VALLEY SYRAH
"Aromatic complexity
leads off this bright, berried syrah. The flavors are simple plum
warming to prune in the end. Decant it, and the aromas should build,
ready to enliven a steak. "
Robert
M. Parker, Jr.'s The Wine Advocate,
2-28-02, Issue 139, page 39:
- UNTI VINEYARDS 2000 SYRAH
ESTATE DRY CREEK (27.00) RED 89+
- UNTI VINEYARDS
1999 SYRAH ESTATE DRY CREEK (25.00) RED 89
"From a winery that should receive more
attention, these are two notable as well as realistically priced 100%
Syrahs. Approximately 30% new French oak is utilized. The dense purple-colored
1999 Syrah Estate displays a kinky nose of truffles, earth, animal
fur, and blackberry/cassis fruit. Layered, full-bodied, and seriously
constructed, with considerable richness and length, it will drink
well for a decade. The 2000 Syrah Estate possesses higher alcohol,
more forceful blackberry liqueur notes, a saturated purple color,
outstanding depth and richness, and moderate tannin. If the tannin
melts away and the fruit holds, it will merit an outstanding rating.
Anticipated maturity: 2003-2010."
The Wine House,
August
2001 Newsletter
- 1999 DRY CREEK VALLEY
ZINFANDEL
- 1999 DRY CREEK VALLEY
VALLEY SYRAH
"Unti is the type of winery
that exemplifies the unpretentious, down-to-earth approach to winemaking
that we associate with great Sonoma County producers. Unti's wines
are never fancy or over-done, though styled for those of us who love
robust California wines to drink, not just to hoard or collect. ...Unti's
1999 Dry Creek Valley zinfandel is blended with a tiny bit of syrah
and petite sirah for color and structure. The wine is full of briary,
brambly berry fruit with a memorable mid-palate and finish. It is
the type of zinfandel that makes you feel happy. We first tasted the
1999 Dry Creek Valley syrah after only 5 months in bottle and even
then it showed a wonderfully meaty, gamy rich quality backed by lots
of fruit. Mick Unti calls the wine "brothy" and if you've ever tasted
consommé that has been made over a long time, you'll recognize that
depth of flavor. Many of SF's hippest and tastiest restaurants are
pouring this wine by the glass, so if you've been wondering where
to get your hands on this syrah, here it is!
Honolulu Advertiser,
June 7, 2001 Randal Caparoso The Discreet Charm of Rhone Style Reds"
- 1999
UNTI VINEYARDS DRY CREEK VALLEY SYRAH
($25-$35) - Good, solid,
pure Syrahs from California are a fairly recent phenomenon, thanks
to the ground breaking work of the original "Rhone Rangers" (notably,
wineries such as Bonny Doon, Qupe, Havens, and Edmunds St. John).
Mick Unti is fairly new at the job, but this bottling clearly indicates
that he, too, has the right stuff. The wine is packed with black licorice
and violet perfumes, and flavors that tease and electrify the senses
with a wild raspberry-like juiciness, a roasted coffee-like savoriness,
and tannins that embolden rather than overpower the palate."
Wine
Spectator,
April 30, 2001
- 1998
UNTI DRY CREEK VALLEY SYRAH
87
points. $24 Lean, with spicy,
beefy, leathery berry and cherry, turning firm, with crisp mineral
and sage notes. Drink now through 2006. 1,673 cases made. --J.L.
Sacramento
Bee, Dec. 13, 2000 - Thirst: These Wines
for $20 or Less are Fine Holiday Gifts
- UNTI
VINEYARDS 1998 DRY CREEK VALLEY SYRAH
($20) "Why are so many
wine enthusiasts increasingly excited about Syrah? Here's the answer.
Actually there are several other fine answers on the market, but this
bright, dark and fleshy interpretation of the varietal comes as close
as any to mimicking the bacony, meaty, gamey reds of the Rhone Valley,
which inspired California winemakers to try their hand with the grape."
Robert
M. Parker, Jr.'s The Wine Advocate,
6-26-00, Issue 129, page 26 waaaayyy at the bottom:
- UNTI
VINEYARDS 1998 ZINFANDEL
"A sexy wine produced from
a blend of 81% Zinfandel, 11%Syrah, and 8%Petite Sirah, this medium
ruby-colored, soft, round, fat, succulent, berry-dominated offering
is not complex, but it is lovely, supple-textured, and pleasurable.
Consume it over the next 2-3 years."
Los
Angeles Times, From
the January 12, 2000 Zin Went the Strings
- 1997
UNTI VINEYARDS, DRY CREEK VALLEY:
$19. Unti is another new
winery worth remembering. Winemaker Nick Unti draws grapes from his
family's vineyards in the middle of the Zinfandel-loving Dry Creek
Valley, and in this, his first important showing, he had added small
fractions of Petite Sirah and Syrah for both structure and nuance.
The wine mixes ripe blackberry notes with suggestions of black pepper
and cocoa in it is supple first impression while being reasonably
full in body. It will age comfortably for several years." Editor's
note: Who is this Nick Unti guy, and can we hire him?
Connoisseurs'
Guide Review
- 1997
UNTI VINEYARDS DRY CREEK VALLEY ZINFANDEL:
One Start Rating: "Sweet
scents of blackberries fan out beneath top-notes of oak, pepper, dried
brush and cocoa in the decently focused aromas here, and the wine's
direct, medium-intense flavors similarly show a good fit of oak and
essential varietal fruit. Medium-full-bodied and slightly supple in
feel, this one eschews bombast in favor of balance and it can be enjoyed
now or held for two or three years."
San Francisco
Chronicle
- 1997 UNTI
VINEYARDS DRY CREEK VALLEY SYRAH:
Was listed as one of the
Top100 California Wines of the Year.
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