The marvelous 2003 Syrah Bennett Valley provides a great introduction to one of California’s newest AVAs. A deep purple color is followed by aromas of blackberry liqueur, lavender, flowers, spice, and pepper. Rich and full-bodied, with crisp acidity that provides uplift, this massively-endowed, super-rich, pure Syrah tips the scales at 16.9% alcohol (although that component is totally concealed by the wine’s fruit and glycerin). It should drink well for at least a decade. A “good feeling” story is that of Mike Officer, a home winemaker who began his own winery, Carlisle, in 1998, while he was still working as a software developer. The huge success he enjoyed among his mailing list customers, who quickly recognized his dedication to serious winemaking from old vineyard sites, allowed him to abandon his software career to become a full-time owner and winemaker. These are all big, but incredibly well-balanced, fresh wines. Officer is not afraid to push ripeness to the edge, but, remarkably, the wines are never over the top, revealing tremendous textures, aromatics, and ripeness. He has become one of the top three or four Zinfandel producers in northern California, and also demonstrates a sure hand with Syrah and some of the old field blends planted by Italian immigrants over a century ago. Tel. (707) 566-7700; Fax (707) 566-7200