Harvested on October 20th, the 2002 Syrah La Serenne is a black-colored wine with herbal, smoky, dark berry aromas. Sweet, lush, and structured, it reveals excellent depth of fruit (mostly black raspberries) but does not blossom on the palate enough to merit an outstanding score. Drink it over the next 4-5 years. Tel. (425) 415-1751 www.betzfamilywinery.com

Dense and plush with exotic scents of roasted coffee, smoke, toast, cedar and blackberry jam, this is very young, showing mostly primary fruits and lots of new wood. But the ripe, sappy fruit, from an exceptional block in the Boushey vineyard, stands out, seamless and pure. Like a racehorse, this wine is sleek, powerful and perfectly proportioned. It offers immense enjoyment as soon as the cork is popped, but will go for a good 10 years in the cellar. ——P.G.(12/15/2004)—— 94