The 2004 Syrah “En Chamberlin Vineyard” is Cote-Rotie-like in its racy style. Beautifully perfumed with aromas of bacon, sausage, truffle, blueberry, and blackberry liqueur, this super-concentrated effort is impeccably structured for the long haul. It has enough succulence to provide pleasure now but it merits 8-10 years in the bottle to fully express itself. Patient pleasure-seekers will enjoy this wine through 2040. If that is not enough, I tasted a barrel sample of a 2005 Grenache which rivals the best grown in the USA. Could it be that before long Manfred Krankl of SQN will be known as the Christophe Baron of the Central Coast? Tel. (509) 526-0686; www.cayuse.com

The salty, saline quality of Spanish wines is here married to New World fruit. There is amazing density, concentration and sweetness to the fruit. Layers of chocolate, prune, fig, herb, cola, butterscotch, balsamic all commingle. This is incredibly complex, yet almost impossible to pin down.——P.G.(11/1/2008)—— 96