2006 RIBERACH Synthese

[Jon]

Ok, here is my TN - a "synthesis" of two bottles, opened last night, which were very similar:

2006 Riberach "Synthese" -
Dark red color, strong notes of Carignan and Syrah with background whiffs of unresolved sulphur and mild reductive notes (which should blow off with another half year in bottle). Very bright on the palate and quite fresh in character - a cool climate take on Syrah with Grenache poking in and out. I've had longer wines but this is quite enjoyable for its Northern meets Southern Rhone style (although it's from the Roussillon). For me, the nose is the highlight here as the palate is still unresolved and closed with the acidity dominating. This wine is in-between developmental stages - I would like to wait until early 2010 to issue judgement. I found no metallic or dead notes with no noticeable flaws. Fair/good.

For now, I will issue a refund for any tainted bottle, no questions asked: melisa@garagistewine.com

This wine is nowhere near as good as the samples I tasted in the spring but the bottles tasted last night were not flawed, they were merely fair/good instead of great (but still enjoyable). If the wine does not improve over the winter, I will consider issuing a full scale refund in Feb/March 2010 (after tasting it again).

- Jon Rimmerman

[egath]

Thanks Jon. Very fair offer. I sincerely hope that by next year my remaining bottles are even slightly closer to yours than my first one was.

[guitarguy]

Perhaps the pricing on this wine was more intentional that originally thought. Should be $30-50 in the US, Garagiste gets it for $17? Mine are still in Seattle, I will taste a few months after they arrive and avail myself of Jon's offer if they are bad. So far with only one argument required (my money was refunded), Gargiste has stood behind their wines, so I expect nothing less from them.

[guitarguy]

Cellar Tracker users are not cozying up to this either. Mine just arrived so not fair to open until the new year when they have had some time to overcome bottle shock. It does not seem like there is much disagreement on the wine, however. One thing I am confident in, Garagiste will continue to take the returns even in the new year if the wine is bad.

[okwines]

Opened my first bottle last night. After drinking 3/4 of the bottle with a little icelandic lamb, kale, chantenay carrots and baby limas, I went back to the offer.
My notes while drinking the wine and before looking at the offer notes
Thyme lovely aromas of very dark berry, lots of mineral, beautiful high tone nose begs for another sniff
I had comments it smells a lot like old vine Carignan but it has a nice barnyard whiff of Syrah. I had not remember the blend.
Just finished the wine. 2nd night, same notes as above, fruit has flushed out considerably.
I hope my second bottle is this good. I will be holding on to that one for a few years though

[guitarguy]

A month after shipment (I try to wait at least three but wanted to jump the gun here) I tried this and while I did not find it to be great, my first of four bottles was clearly not flawed. My notes are in Cellartracker but suffice to say this wine was austere, although I did not detect any over sulfur. Perhaps a little metallic, which concerned me a bit (did this get bottled on a flawed bottling line) but the metallic flavor could easily just had been the steelyness of the wine. I have had plenty of experience with Cargnane (eg. - Ridge ATP releases) and this does not strike me as necessarily atypical. This style would be right Mr. Rimmerman's aisle, steely, cool, balanced, not overtly fruity, so I think it is probably about as advertised, just toned down a bit.

[guitarguy]

I tried this again tonight and it was pretty nasty on opening, sulfur deluxe, which based on my experience, was probably from the yeast during fermentation rather than SO2 added for preservation. This mitigated but not completely with air. There wasn't much fruit and the wine was a bit sour and acidic, but other than the sulfur, I can't say there was anything further wrong with the wine technically, but it is not a good wine and clearly a mediocre buy at this point. Perhaps it will turn around with a few more months or year or two in the bottle but I would not bet on it. Sorry Jon.

[guitarguy]

Night two the sulfur stink was perhaps even stronger, which my be due to serving temp. This was not an attractive wine, hot, sulfury, sour, light to no fruit, short finish. This was a swinging strike three. Wish I did not have two more.

[guitarguy]

Tried another last night with super-slosh decanting. Tons of lightweight, almost grape must or seed-like sediment. Milky sediment. Nasty sulfur odors on opening, perhaps some reduction but did not completely clear with super-slosh. Nose, aside from sulfur and rotten egg, included hints of blueberry, not much else. Flavors were consistent with other notes, blueberry, hints of the sulfur sheeite, grass, moderate tannin. Bit metallic and lean, but the metallic notes are more just hard rock than metal, per se. Will skip Riberach in the future.