The opaque purple-colored 2003 Syrah Thompson Vineyard offers aromas of graphite, creme de cassis, blackberries, and smoky charcoal. Possessing exceptional intensity, richness, and balance, this seamless Syrah can be drunk now and over the next 10-12 years. Adam Tolmach kindly conducted a mini-vertical, going back to 1995, of his Bien Nacido Vineyard Syrah, and it was good to see how well they all performed. My favorites included the 1996 (93 points), 1998 (91 points), 2000 (93 points), and 2002 (93 points). The only wine that did not show as well as I would have hoped was the 1997 (88 points), which was much lighter and on a faster evolutionary track.Tel. (805) 649-1674

The opaque purple-colored 2003 Syrah Thompson Vineyard offers aromas of graphite, creme de cassis, blackberries, and smoky charcoal. Possessing exceptional intensity, richness, and balance, this seamless Syrah can be drunk now and over the next 10-12 years. Adam Tolmach kindly conducted a mini-vertical, going back to 1995, of his Bien Nacido Vineyard Syrah, and it was good to see how well they all performed. My favorites included the 1996 (93 points), 1998 (91 points), 2000 (93 points), and 2002 (93 points). The only wine that did not show as well as I would have hoped was the 1997 (88 points), which was much lighter and on a faster evolutionary track. Tel. (805) 649-1674