The dark ruby/purple-tinged 2008 Syrah Tinaquaic Vineyard smells of smoky meat intermixed with cassis, black cherries, and plums. Silky-textured and medium to full-bodied, it offers lots of up-front charm in a front end-loaded style. Enjoy it over the next 4-5 years. Foxen’s lighter-styled, more evolved 2008s are delicious, charming efforts without the density of the brilliant 2007s. However, do not underestimate them. Tel. (805) 937-4251

This has not been the most successful bottling for Foxen. It seems to want something the vineyard hasn’t yet been able to provide. This 08 is a good wine, with rich berry, currant, sweet cocoa and cedar flavors, but it lacks the firm structure you want in a Syrah, and finishes sugary. One hundred percent new French oak is excessive for the underlying wine.——S.H.(11/1/2010)—— 86