A superb offering is the 2004 Syrah Stolpman. An inky/blue/purple color is accompanied by sweet blueberry and blackberry fruit notes intermixed with scents of smoke, charcoal, and flowers. With fabulous fruit, a nice unctuosity, full-bodied depth, and great precision and purity, it is one of the stars of this ripe vintage of Syrah. A recent vertical tasting of all the Thompson Syrahs offered some wonderful surprises. The sensational 2003 (rated 93) was a powerful, opulent, nearly over the top Syrah (the type of wine Tolmach supposedly despises). It’s a great wine in the making. The 2002 (rated 89?) seemed somewhat monolithic and closed, but the 2001 (rated 95) was fabulous, with great intensity, and notes of charcoal, tapenade, blackberries, and creosote. The 2000 Thompson Special Bottling (rated 94+) behaved like a spicy, leather and black fruit-dominated Pauillac, with huge structure, fabulous concentration, and a long finish. The 1999 (rated 93) offered a beautiful nose of flowers, black fruits, espresso beans, and licorice. Rich, broad, savory, and long, it was stunning. The 1998 (rated 91) came across like a top-notch French Hermitage. Herbal with black olive notes intermixed with black cherries and cassis, it could easily be mistaken for a top vintage of Jaboulet’s Crozes-Hermitage Domaine Thalabert. The 1997 Syrah Henry David (named after Adam’s son) was rated 94. At ten years of age, it is a fabulous wine exhibiting notes of licorice, creosote, plum sauce, blackberries, and smoke. This meaty, chewy, full-bodied, fleshy Syrah coats the palate, stains the teeth, and is still a youngster in terms of development. It should drink well for another 10-15 years or more. Tel. (805) 649-1674

There was not much difference between the 2004 and 2003 Syrah Stolpman Vineyard. The 2003 may be more supple and fleshy. This cuvee reveals considerable power and body along with dense purple colors and rich constitutions. The 2004 is slightly more elegant whereas the 2003 is more muscular, fatter, and more saturated in color. It will easily last a decade or more. Adam Tolmach kindly conducted a mini-vertical, going back to 1995, of his Bien Nacido Vineyard Syrah, and it was good to see how well they all performed. My favorites included the 1996 (93 points), 1998 (91 points), 2000 (93 points), and 2002 (93 points). The only wine that did not show as well as I would have hoped was the 1997 (88 points), which was much lighter and on a faster evolutionary track. Tel. (805) 649-1674

There was not much difference between the 2004 and 2003 Syrah Stolpman Vineyard. The 2003 may be more supple and fleshy. This cuvee reveals considerable power and body along with dense purple colors and rich constitutions. The 2004 is slightly more elegant whereas the 2003 is more muscular, fatter, and more saturated in color. It will easily last a decade or more. Adam Tolmach kindly conducted a mini-vertical, going back to 1995, of his Bien Nacido Vineyard Syrah, and it was good to see how well they all performed. My favorites included the 1996 (93 points), 1998 (91 points), 2000 (93 points), and 2002 (93 points). The only wine that did not show as well as I would have hoped was the 1997 (88 points), which was much lighter and on a faster evolutionary track.Tel. (805) 649-1674