The 2018 Syrah Tinaquaic Vineyard has a medium ruby-purple color and scents of cassis, dried herbs, graphite and baking spice. The palate is full-bodied with dense fruit, chewy tannins and some woody bitterness on the finish.

Containing 7% Viognier, the 2016 Syrah Tinaquaic Vineyard is deep ruby-purple with aromas of dried blueberries, dark chocolate, menthol, warm black cherries and blackberries plus notes of pepper. Medium to full-bodied, it gives up fresh blue and black fruits in the mouth with a firm frame of chewy tannins and great freshness, finishing long.

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2015 Syrah Tinaquaic Vineyard offers notes of warm black currants and baked black berries with touches of anise, underbrush, black soil and chargrill. Medium-bodied, with a firm, taut structure of grippy tannins and lively acid, it offers plenty of earth, pepper and baked black berry flavor layers and a long finish.

Tasted as a barrel sample, the inky colored 2014 Syrah Tinaquaic Vineyard gives up tons of black and blue fruits, crushed rock and liquid violet notes in its medium to full-bodied, concentrated, tannic style. I love the purity here, and I suspect the tannin will be more approachable once this is in bottle. Nevertheless, a few years in bottle will do it good.

Also inky colored, with more meaty, peppery and herb characteristics in its core of ripe fruit and graphite, the 2013 Syrah Tinaquaic Vineyard is a serious barrel sample that's medium to full-bodied, structured and still tight, with lots of tannin. Cofermented with 4% Viognier and aged 21 months in larger format French and Hungarian oak (30% new), give it a year once released and enjoy bottles over the following decade.