The 2008 Syrah Blend was sourced from two different parcels of Boushey Vineyard and aged in 75-80% new French oak. Smoked meat, game, balsamic, lavender, plum, and blueberry aromas are inviting. In the glass the wine is plush, layered, but with a firm underpinning. The flavors are ripe and succulent, the wine’s balance impeccable. Give this lengthy effort 1-2 years of cellaring and drink it from 2012 to 2020. French ex-pat Marie-Eve Gilla is a partner and winemaker of Forgeron Cellars, located in Walla Walla. These are the finest wines I have tasted to date from this reliable source.Tel. (509) 522-9463; www.forgeroncellars.com

Forgeron makes a full-bodied style of Syrah, with an almost jammy midpalate loaded with boysenberry and blueberry fruit. Veins of herb and loam lead into a generously chocolaty finish. The fruit is 100% from the Boushey Vineyard.——P.G.(4/1/2012)—— 90

This is 100% Syrah, delicious, fragrant and loaded with spice. It’s a blend from several different Washington AVAs, and has just the right mix of citrus, pepper, smoke, spice, acid, toast and tannin, bringing in elements from all of them. The fruit is sweet and brambly; the herbal elements are just right, adding notes of leaf and tobacco. There is a whiff of smoke and bacon fat, and the citrus/acid component lifts it nicely.——P.G.(11/1/2007)—— 91

This is a plump, mouthfilling Syrah that just lacks any extra dimension of depth or richness. The blackberry and charred toast flavors are pleasant, finishing crisp and clean.——W.E.(9/1/2005)—— 86