A strong performance is offered by the 2002 Syrah Schatz Vineyard from Lodi. It is good to see a wine of this quality emerge from this backwater region. Notes of pepper, dried Provencal herbs, melted licorice, dusty earth, plums, and black currants are present in the complex aromatics. The wine is round, opulent, and savory with great fruit, and a heady finish (despite its relatively low 14.1% alcohol). Tel. 707-265-9061