2016 Jaffurs Syrah Larner Vineyard, USA, California, Santa Barbara, Ballard Canyon, Wine Review

From on of the top Syrah vineyards in Santa Barbara County. Purple in color, opaque and bright. The nose is great with black raspberries, slight bacon fat, black olives and roasted herbs. Wonderful texture. Juicy acidity. On the palate, black raspberry fruit with underlying char and slight dry earthiness. This is delicious if a bit young. This will get a bit better over the next few years. Let it cellar for another five years and drink for ten to twelve after that. It will drink great on its own and work well with roasted pork or even Indian food.

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Vintage:

2016

America’s Best Rhone Style Red Wines: 11th Annual Rhone Rangers Tasting Reviewed

The Rhone Report: About Rhone and Rhone-Style Wines and Winemakers is part of an ongoing series. Last month we discussed the white Rhone style wines offered at the 2008 Rhone Rangers tasting event at Fort Mason in San Francisco on March 18. This month we turn to the reds, of which we tasted 50. Among those we tasted were some old favorites and some wineries or bottlings with which we were not yet familiar. We don’t pretend that we tasted a representative group of wines, because our sample was skewed to wines we have loved in the past and others about which we have heard positive comments.

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Top Ten California Syrahs - 2016

I tend to taste and drink a lot of wine over the course of a year. I am in a few tasting groups, sometimes the wines are consumed at various local wine store tastings and a number drunk with friends and family.

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2008 Hospice du Rhone Events: Highs & Lows of American Rhone-style Wines Tasted

The Rhone Report: About Rhone and Rhone-Style Wines and Winemakers is part of an ongoing series. The 16th annual Hospice du Rhone events in Paso Robles, California from May 1 to 3, 2008 was an opportunity to consider Rhone-style wines from a fresh perspective. Unlike most tasting opportunities, these events included Rhone-style wines from the Rhone Valley itself (51 wineries), elsewhere in France (4 wineries) as well as from Spain (4 wineries), Australia (17 wineries), South Africa (6 wineries), Chile (2 wineries), Argentina (1 winery) and the United States. The American wines were mostly from California (144 wineries), but a few examples from Arizona (2 wineries) and Washington State (5 wineries) were also included. While this is a California-dominated event, and while many of the Rhone Valley’s best producers aren’t represented, there is still sufficient European and other entries to make for interesting comparisons and contrasts. The events included two general tastings and a series of focused seminars.

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2014 Jaffurs Syrah Larner Vineyard, USA, California, Santa Barbara, Wine Review

Vintage:

2014

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Purple in color. The nose is very nice with black raspberries, black cherries, roasted herbs and slight violet notes. On the palate, this is full bodied. It is a big wine, but not over blown. Notes of black raspberries over a char and dry earth. Good balance. Long finish. This is still young and will likely improve. It needs about five years until peak and should be good for ten to fifteen after that. Syrahs like this go well with Indian food and also meat based dishes.

2017 Jonata Winery Todos, USA, California, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez Valley, Ballard Canyon, Wine Review

Vintage:

2017

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A-

Current Price:

$60.00USD

This is a blend of the grapes that didn't make it into the single varietal expressions consisting of 44% Syrah, 22% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Petite Sirah, with the remainder made up from Petit Verdot, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc.

2016 Jaffurs Syrah Larner Vineyard, USA, California, Santa Barbara, Ballard Canyon, Wine Review

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America’s Best Rhone Style Red Wines: 11th Annual Rhone Rangers Tasting Reviewed

Top Ten California Syrahs - 2016

2008 Hospice du Rhone Events: Highs & Lows of American Rhone-style Wines Tasted

2014 Jaffurs Syrah Larner Vineyard, USA, California, Santa Barbara, Wine Review

2017 Jonata Winery Todos, USA, California, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez Valley, Ballard Canyon, Wine Review