Smells great, impressing with a burst of black pepper-inspired mashed ripe blackberries and grilled meat bone. Those notes follow up as you taste the wine, which is extraordinarily soft and velvety. The only problem is excessive sweetness that may partially be due to glycerine and high alcohol. Drink now. ——S.H.(4/1/2011)—— 88

A tremendous Petite Sirah, among the finest from Paso Robles. It’s a big wine, with massive flavors of blackberries, currants, leather, mocha and smoky oak, with an ultralong, spicy finish. Yet the wine is totally dry, with refined, silky tannins. Yes, the alcohol’s high, but it’s completely balanced. Best now and through the next decade.——S.H.(12/31/2009)—— 93