Exceedingly ripe and a little high in alcohol, this Syrah nonetheless is just delicious. It swamps the mouth with pie-filling flavors of blackberries, cherries and raspberries, sprinkled with savory baking spices and enriched with sweet, smoky, caramelized oak. With firm but pliant tannins, it’s a beautiful wine to drink now with roasted lamb or grilled steak. ——S.H.(11/1/2011)—— 94

Tastes big, ripe and fruity, a wine that wants a little time in the cellar to calm down. Really swamps the palate with blackberry and cherry jam, currant, cola and mushu plum sauce flavors that go on and on. The tannins are thick and sweet. Hold until early 2011, then drink with a great steak, or a rich wild mushroom risotto.——S.H.(11/1/2010)—— 93