The lean, austere 2005 Grenache (some Mourvedre and Syrah are blended) reveals some rough tannins along with attractive, sweet kirsch and licorice notes, medium body, and a soft style. It is meant to be consumed over the next 2-3 years.Tasting through three vintages of Adam Tolmach’s Syrahs is an education in how different these three years were in Santa Ynez and Santa Barbara County. 2004 was a warm year, 2005 was a cool year with high yields and good acids, and 2006 was a challenging vintage that required substantial work in the vineyards as well as tremendous patience at the end when it appeared a freakish hot spell might ripen everything at once. 2005 is a very strong vintage at Ojai, and all of the single vineyard offerings were deeper and richer than their 2006 counterparts.Tel. (805) 649-1674

Tastes a bit forward and simple right now in cherry pie filling, raspberry tart, framboise and orange datenut cookie flavors, with a silky texture and fine, ripe tannins. Could develop interesting bottle complexities over the next 6–8 years.——S.H.(4/1/2008)—— 87