A strong performance is offered by the 2002 Syrah Schatz Vineyard from Lodi. It is good to see a wine of this quality emerge from this backwater region. Notes of pepper, dried Provencal herbs, melted licorice, dusty earth, plums, and black currants are present in the complex aromatics. The wine is round, opulent, and savory with great fruit, and a heady finish (despite its relatively low 14.1% alcohol). Tel. 707-265-9061

The 2001 Syrah Schatz Vineyard is a big fruit bomb with 14.5% alcohol, medium to full body, and loads of black cherries, black currants, and licorice offered in an exuberant, flamboyant format. This outstanding effort is impressively pure, textured, and intense. Drink it over the next 5-6 years. Tel. 707-265-9061