Eberle’s 2002 Syrah Steinbeck Vineyard offers black currant and cherry fruit, spicy oak, and earthy, loamy soil characteristics. Medium-bodied, well-made, and somewhat simple but satisfying, it will offer pleasant drinking over the next 3-4 years. Tel. (805) 238-9607

Drier and more tannic than Eberle’s Lonesome Oak Syrah, this wine is also earthier. Flavors of sweet, dried herbs frame dark berries and oak. There’s real complexity in the finish.——S.H.(12/15/2004)—— 87