What’s so nice about this wine is its balance. All the parts come together, but it is also a big bruiser of a Syrah. Opens with a blast of white pepper, blackberries, coffee and sweet charred oak, then turns richly fruity in the mouth. But that fruit is accompanied by wonderfully thick tannins and bright acidity.
— S.H.
(12/1/2005)
Hard to tell if the dry farming had anything to do with the success of this wine, but it’s one of the better Mourvèdres in California. Dry and softly tannic, it offers comforting and complex flavors of berries, cherries, cocoa, pepper and cedar, with exotic notes of roasted coconut, tamari-sautéed wild mushrooms and balsamic. Drink now.
— S.H.
(8/1/2009)
From one of the state’s coolest growing areas comes this acid-filled, streamlined Chard. The flavors are of lime and tropical fruit, with a bracing streak of minerality. This balanced wine will be great with shellfish.
— S.H.
(12/1/2005)
Pretty floral and spice notes are fron and center in this wine, which is also graced by tangy acidity. Velvety texture carries the spice along with raspberry, tea, coffee and cherry flavors. Zippy on the finish.
— W.E.
(11/1/2003)
This is a very fruity wine that’s enormously rich in tropical papaya and nectarine flavors. With a smoky, slightly caramelly edge, it finishes in a tremendous fireworks of oriental spices.
— S.H.
(12/1/2006)
Soft, full-bodied and stuffed with baked blackberry, cherry, raspberry and chocolate flavors, this big, rather hot wine has a bit of superripe sweetness in the finish. Yet it pulls it all off with aplomb and manages to stay balanced.
— S.H.
(12/1/2006)
Grown well inland, in a hot, arid part of the county, this Zin got superripe in the ’07 vintage. It bursts with deep, rich flavors of blackberry pie filling, dark chocolate, anise and black pepper. The alcohol is extraordinarily high, approaching 16%, but there’s really very little heat.
— S.H.
(8/1/2009)
This Rhône-style blend is very dark and dense in flavor and texture, and not offering a whole lot of taste in its youth. Tannins and acids dominate, making for a firm, unyielding mouthfeel. Seems crafted for aging, although with no history, it’s a gamble. A blend of Syrah, Mourvèdre, Grenache and Counoise.
— S.H.
(12/1/2003)