A Crozes-Hermitage look-alike, the 2001 Syrah Bien Nacido Vineyard reveals notes of tapenade, red currants, cherries, and pepper in a measured, sculptured style. Drink this medium-bodied, shy (by this varietal’s standards) Syrah over the next 5-8 years. Readers who love Pinot Noir should check out these Syrahs as they offer elegant, fresh, lively flavors, high acid profiles, and nowhere near the mass, concentration, or power of some of this varietal’s bigger examples. Tel. (805) 688-2477

Always a wine that needs a good six years in a good vintage to mature, this release is marked by plummy, blackberry and chocolate flavors that are framed in stiff tannins. It’s not a blockbuster, but should gain complexity by 2007.——S.H.(6/1/2004)—— 87