Tensley Wine Syrah Reeves Ranch Santa Barbara Co., Ca. 2005

What an incredibly intense wine - and with 13 years of age on it! I should have decanted this wine, it is still that young and needs air time. The bouquet is dense with black fruits - plum and blackberry. The brown sugar of a year ago is fading but still noticeable while black pepper, smoke and coffee carry the mid-palate to the finish. A thick shadow of heavy sediment clings to the bottle in a swirl reflecting how the bottle has been moved over its 13 years. 14.8% alc. With leftover bolognese. 10.05.18. Recommended.


Lagier Meredith Vineyard Syrah Mount Veeder Napa Ca. 2006

Deeply colored blood red that almost shimmers in the glass. Somewhat floral with brined black olives, but .... sharp with VA. We struggle with the wine and wait. It doesn’t blow off. We set it aside and pull another wine. Fortunately, I didn’t dump this. Two days later, this is much improved. More black, brined olives, blackberry, smoke and smoked meats and iodine. The mouthfeel is silky. The tannins still dominate the wine. 14.7% alc. With veal osso bucco. 10.07.18. No Recommendation.


Ampelos Vineyards Gamma Syrah Santa Rita Hills Santa Barbara Co., Ca. 2010

A vast improvement over the 2009 version of this wine. Mouth-filling blackberry with a touch of blueberry. Integrating tannins and satisfying mouthfeel. A fairly typical California Syrah. Throwing some sediment. 14.% alc. On or about 09.13.18. (Not certain of date.) Don’t recall the pairing. Recommended.
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BEB

"I've wrestled with reality for 35 years and I'm happy to state I finally won out over it." Elwood P. Dowd