Just delicious, a really fine Syrah notable for its balance and complexity. Dry and smoky, it has plum, blackberry and coffee flavors, with a streak of sweet anise and leather. Doesn’t say so on the label, but the grapes came from the Unti Vineyard. The tannins are rich and thick, but this wine is best in its flashy youth.
— S.H.
(11/1/2006)
Shows real complexity in the array of cola, rhubarb pie, raspberry, red cherry, sweet tobacco and spicy flavors, with an overlay of toasty oak. Delicate and silky mouthfeel with a long, intensely fruity finish.
— S.H.
(5/1/2005)
The grapes come from a vineyard in a part of the sprawling Sonoma Coast appellation that has yet to prove itself. The wine is ripe, with delicious cherry and raspberry-pie-filling flavors liberally accented with the sweet toast and vanilla notes of oak. There’s an obvious appeal of deliciousness, and while it doesn’t tire the palate, it doesn’t offer extreme…
— S.H.
(12/15/2010)
You’ll find ripe blackberry, coffee and anise flavors in this very dry wine, and also a richly earthy streak that suggests humus and dried autumn leaves. It’s smooth and supple, with good length. Distinctive and interesting.
— S.H.
(5/1/2005)
A good wine that delivers the power you want. It’s dry and rich in blackberries, currants, chocolate and smoky cedar. There’s a slight rusticity in the form of a tannin-acid inconsistency.
— S.H.
(12/15/2010)
A spicy rich wine, packed with bing cherry, raspberry, toast, menthol and herb flavors. It’s got good, but moderate length on the finish, backed by supple tannins and a bit of a licorice edge at the end.
— J.C.
(3/1/2004)
Opens with pretty strong notes of freshly ground white pepper, but turns lusciously fruity in the mouth, with cherry-berry flavors. The tannins are gritty and firm, leaving a dry, slightly scouring finish. A rack of lamb would be the perfect accompaniment.
— S.H.
(2/1/2004)
Located on the southern edge of the appellation, practically within sight of the office towers of San Francisco, this wine has very ripe fruit. The baked cherry pie filling flavor is a little one-dimensional, but it’s a delicious dimension. Finishes nicely dry and spicy.
— S.H.
(11/1/2006)