Tried these two last night:
1. OjaiVnyd Syrah WhiteHawkVnyd/SBC (14.5%) 2003: Dark color w/ some bricking; very strong blackberry/Syrah/bit peppery/spicy classic Ojai toasty/smokey/oak slight pungent/licorice rather complex nose; lightly tart bit dried/tangy/metallic strong blackberry/Syrah/blueberry/spicy/slight peppery/pungent strong smokey/toasty/Ojai oak flavor w/ light drying/tangy tannins; very long/lingering bit tart/metallic/tangy strong blueberry/blackberry/Syrah/bit peppery strong Ojai oak/toasty/smokey complex finish w/ light drying/astringent tannins; a lovely classic Ojai syrah/smokey nose but starting to dry out a bit on the palate; drink up now.
___________________
2. OjaiVnyd Syrah MelvilleVnyd/SantaRitaHills (14.5%) 2003: Very dark color w/ slight bricking; beautiful Syrah/blackberry/blueberry/very spicy quite cold-climate/cracked black pepper some Ojai oak/toasty/smokey/pungent very complex nose; fairly tart/tangy very strong blackberry/blueberry/Syrah/very spicy very c-c/cracked black pepper some smokey/toasty/oakvery complex flavor w/ modest smooth/ripe tannins; very long/lingering strong blackberry/blueberry/Syrah/very spicy very strong c-c/cracked black pepper bit Rhonish/smoked meats/espresso rather complex finish w/ light smooth/ripe tannins; a beautiful classic c-c/cracked black pepper Ojai Syrah; probably at its peak or a little beyond.
_____________________________
A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. Both of these Syrahs had wonderful classic mature Ojai Syrah noses. On the palate, the WhiteHawk had that metallic/tangy character that suggests a wine starting to dry out. The Melville showed none of that but is probably close behind starting to dry out and crack up.
The MelvilleVnyd originally have a fair amount of Syrah planted, but grafted much of it over to Pinot. Most of the former customers were transitioned to the Verna'sVnyd, which was originally planted by the Melville's (since now sold). Only Melville and Ojai still draw from the original Melville vnyd.
Tom