Readers looking for a California red that is a dead-ringer for a French Cote Rotie should check out Black Bart’s 2005 Syrah Stagecoach Vineyard. It boasts a dense ruby/purple color as well as an unmistakable nose of graphite, bacon fat, cassis, cherries, licorice, pepper, and tapenade. The remarkably complex aromatics are followed by a medium to full-bodied wine with good acidity, purity, and impeccable winemaking. Drink it over the next 8-10 years.Tel. (707) 226-2215

The vineyard has had a mixed record of producing reds, usually expensive, not always great. This Syrah is too sugary sweet, with jammy berry and fruit flavors and lots of caramelly oak.——S.H.(12/15/2007)—— 83