Santa Barbara

• Santa Lucia Highlands
• Santa Rita Hills
• Santa Ynez Valley

One of our go to value wines (especially when buying on futures), this continues to impress even after the sale of the winery.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, black pepper, roasted meats and spice.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Good acidity.  On the palate, this is tasty with some complexity.  No doubt, this could last fifteen years, but we tend to drink these young and age the single vineyard wines.  Great on its own, this went well with a Butternut squash curry.

I usually drink these young and let the other wines from Jonata age, but I managed to keep this one and it was worth it.  This is a blend of 45% Syrah, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 4% Viognier, 3% Sangiovese, and 2% Grenache.  Purple in color with ruby hues.  Mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with black raspberries, cherries, black cherries, char, floral notes and spice.  Full bodied.  Silky tannins.  Good balance.  On the palate, this is tasty with nice varietal complexity.  This seems like it should be at peak but shows no sign of older age.  Black raspb

One of my favorite Rhone varietal producers in California.  It is a blend of 61% Syrah, 24% Mourvedre, 13% Grenache and 2% Viognier.  This wine gets extended barrel ageing.  In my experience, the extended barrel ageing requires more patience and cellaring and this wine is very young.  That said, for those who like big, ripe in your face wines, there is plenty to like now.  For others, a bit of patience will be amply rewarded.  Inky purple in color, opaque and shimmering bright.  The nose has black raspberries, char, black pepper, violets and slight roasted meats.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins

Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, black pepper, slight roasted herbs and spice.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, black raspberries, char and slight dark chocolate notes.  Nice finish.  This is drinking well now and should for the next eight to twelve years.  Nice on its own, this will work well with Indian dishes, too.  

This is in a great spot at age 17.  Purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, black pepper, slight gamey meat, and a bit of raspberries.  Full bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, this is deep with some complexity.  Black raspberry fruit with some black pepper and a hint of meatiness.  Nice finish.  This seems to be about at peak but should go another five to eight years at this level.  It drinks nicely on its own and will work well with roasted veggies, fowl or meats.  

This wine is a blend of the best individual vineyard barrels of Syrah (50% Thompson, 33% Larner and 17% Verna's Vineyard).  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with black raspberries, black pepper, slight bacon fat and roasted meat.  With air a slight "purple" flower note.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Lovely texture.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Not a fruit monster but not shy either.  Lots of depth.  Still drinking youthfully.  Lot of  black raspberry fruit with some underlying char and minerality.  Nice finish.  Great on its own, this works well with food.  It

Ordered off the list at Craig's in Hollywood, CA.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with lemon, lime, slight floral note and  slight  smoke.  Full bodied.  Creamy texture.  On the palate, this is dry as a bone.  Delicious.  Lemons with slight lime.  Good acidity.  Long finish.  Very food friendly.  Went great with a Veggie Burger.  Drink over the next ten years.

Tensley is an excellent source for excellent wines at fair pricing.  This one is a blend of 75% Syrah and 25% Grenache.  This was a Magnum only release.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with black raspberries, black pepper, slight roasted herbs and a hint of floral notes.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Black raspberry fruit with some pepper and underlying char.  Nice finish.  Drinking well now and should continue for another ten to twelve years.  Very nice on its own, this would also be nice with roasted vegetables.  

This is a lighter in style Syrah from Santa Barbara.  Purple/ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has black cherries, slight herbal notes and black pepper.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, black cherries with slight earthiness.  Moderate finish.  This is better with food.  A nice wine with pizza.  Drink now.  

This is a nice value in Cabernet Sauvignon.  Purple in color with ruby swirls.  The nose is nice with cassis, slight vanilla, dust and spice.  Full bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, this is a nice easy drinking Cab.  Cassis and black cherries.  Moderate finish.  Drink over the next few years.  A nice with with a (veggie) burger.