The 2008 Syrah Pheasant Vineyard was made with 50% whole clusters. The nose is more brooding and on the palate the wine is more structured. There is plenty of ripe savory fruit and enough fine-grained tannin to support 2-3 years of cellaring. Drink it through 2020. I met up with Charles at his new wine bar in Walla Walla before we drove out to the winery in his 1949 Cadillac, a picture of which is on the web-site (not the deluxe model like my grandfather used to drive). It is always a highlight of my annual trip to Washington because in addition to the tasting, you get a performance but, after all is said and done, when it comes to making wine, Charles Smith is all business. He knows where the vineyards are, he believes in amazingly low yields, and in the winery he is a non-interventionist. All of the following wines were made with native ferments and were bottled without fining or filtration. Tel. (509) 526-5230; www.kvintners.com

First you smell chocolate, then it quickly shows a piercing minerality, with tart boysenberry and pomegranate fruit. Dense without being heavy, it has compact layering that shows especially in the aromatics. A subtle, refined, elegant wine that does not feel at all like its 15% alcohol.——P.G.(12/15/2011)—— 93