Extremely floral up front, then racy and rich on the palate. The wine serves up a serious blend of ripe fruit; apricots, melons, peaches and pears come to mind. All are couched in a creamy, spicy blend that lingers nicely on the finish.
— J.M.
(12/15/2002)
From an easterly, warm part of the Santa Ynez Valley, this wine displays beautiful aromas of finely oaked, ripe Syrah: cassis and violets, lavender and grilled meat, and a hint of raisin. The mouthfeel is full. Finishes a bit hot due to 15.1% alcohol.
— S.H.
(2/1/2004)
This SBC Syrah’s flavors are very ripe, with accents of coffee and meat. Full and soft in the mouth, it’s an all-purpose, enjoyable wine.
— W.E.
(9/1/2005)
A good, though overdone, wine. Intense in the mouth, but it is heavy on the earth, prune and coffee flavors. A smooth feel segues into a mocha-laden finish; 300 cases produced.
— W.E.
(9/1/2005)
Fresh young cherry-berry aromas, with a kiss of oak, lead to extracted, jammy, full-bodied flavors that explode in the mouth. Soft, luscious and round, there’s lots of immediate pleasure here.
— S.H.
(7/1/2002)
Big, extracted and jammy, this Aussie-style wine has raspberry, cherry and blueberry flavors accompanied by soft, slippery tannins and rather low acidity. It all makes the wine slide down the throat with a delicious, fruity finish. It’s an easygoing, fun-to-drink wine.
— S.H.
(12/1/2002)
Starts with overtly gamy, leathery aromas, and turns thick and tannic, a wine that numbs the palate and demands rich, oily foods. Underneath the tannins are some lean blackberry and plum flavors. Seems to have been the victim of a late-harvest rainstorm that thinned the fruit.
— S.H.
(12/1/2002)
From this new, cool-climate appellation, a wine of high acidity, with a bony, tannic structure that’s lean, with earth, sage and tobacco flavors. Yet there’s an interesting taste of the earth. This is a first-crop wine, and one to watch as the vines mature.
— S.H.
(12/1/2002)