The 2008 Syrah Rattlesnake Rock was made from a parcel planted predominantly with an Alban Cote-Rotie clone, and includes 7% Grenache in this vintage. The late harvest and low yields of the vintage comes across in this big, powerful wine. This is a decidedly lush, super-ripe style. The aromatics appear later, adding complexity and nuance on the mid-palate and finish. Brown gave the Rattlesnake Rock 83% new barrels for 27 months. It’s almost like there is too much of a good thing (or things here). The wine is a touch ripe, the new oak is a bit high, the toast levels are a bit high?.none of these things on their own would probably be terribly significant but when put together yield a wine that is excessively heavy. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2018. Bradley Brown crafts gorgeous artisan wines from his vineyards in the Santa Cruz Mountains and Monterey County. The wines are fermented with ambient yeasts, see no racking and are bottled unfined and unfiltered. The Pinots are aged in 50% new medium toast barrels, while some of the Syrah and Syrah-based blends see higher amounts of new wood. Brown is gradually moving towards reducing toast levels and amounts of new oak. The 2008s are big, rich wines marked by the low yields of the year that are the result of the spring frost. Vintage 2009 was a flashier, more overt year until a heavy rainstorm hit on October 13. The 2009s generally are lower in alcohol than the 2008s. As good as these wines are – and they are often outstanding – my feeling is that Brown has just scratched the surface of his potential. Tel. (831) 621-8028; www.bigbasinvineyards.com