The 2010 Syrah Roll Ranch is year-in, year-out, an outstanding wine. It also happens to age beautifully. Looking at this vintage, it sports an inky purple color to go with loads of black and blue fruits, licorice, ground herbs and distinct minerality. Similarly styled on the palate, it has medium to full-bodied richness, ripe tannin and a rocking finish. I like it now, but there’s some upside here as well. Ideally, it would be given 2-3 years in the cellar and will have 15 years or more of prime drinking. This was a mammoth tasting with winemaker Adam Tolmach and assistant Fabien Castel. While I had a number of these shipped to my office in Colorado (where I was able to follow the wines for multiple days), there were still upward of 30 bottles to taste through when I showed up at the estate. Adam continues to pull in his harvest dates, and in a number of cases, has released two cuvees from each vineyard, one harvested early (the Special Bottling) and one harvested later, which is still on the early edge. I have mixed feelings about the new style here, and while these early pick dates give his wines beautiful tension, acidity and energy, it comes at the expense of texture and richness, and the wines have a sappy, resinous, if not green, character that won’t be for everyone. Nevertheless, there are certainly some outstanding wines here. Tel. (805) 649-1674; www.ojaivineyard.com