Made from 100% Syrah, this wine shows Zaca Mesa’s house style of exceptionally ripe, heady fruit flavors tucked into a balanced, dry wine. It’s as lush as velvet in the mouth, with complex flavors of blackberries, anise, cocoa and black pepper. Feels soft and light and yet powerful and insistent at the same time. Drink now–2013. ——S.H.(11/1/2011)—— 93

The 2006 Syrah Black Bear Block is one of Zaca Mesa’s more seriously endowed wines. It was aged for 12 months in new French oak. Dense ruby/purple, with loads of spice, lard, oak, black cherries, and black currants, the wine is much more meaty, smoky, and earthy. With excellent complexity and richness, this wine should drink well for up to a decade. Tel. (800) 350-7972; Fax (805) 688-8796