Santa Barbara

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

Great showing for this wine.  A cooler climate style of Syrah.  Garnet in color, ruby at the rim.  Mostly clear and bright.  The nose has boysenberries, black pepper, black olives and slight char.  Medium to full bodied.  On the palate, black raspberries, some black cherries with underlying earthiness.  Good acidity.  Nice finish.  This is drinking well now and should continue to do so for another seven to ten years.  Nice on its own,  it should be better with food.  Chili or beef stew would be a nice choice.  

Nice showing by this stalwart of Santa Barbara County.  Purple in color with garnet swirls.  On  the Black raspberries, black pepper and roasted meats.  Full bodied.  On the palate, lots of black raspberry fruit, some alcohol notes and a bit of earthiness.  Long finish.  Very tasty.  It took a few minutes to open.  This will improve a bit over the next five years and drink well for eight to ten more after that.  

Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherry fruit and roasted herbs.  There is some depth on the palate.  Full bodied.  Black cherries, black raspberries with underlying char and pepper.  This comes across more cooler climate, that is (for Syrah) lean, sinewy but with power.  No doubt this will get better as it matures.  Maybe another five years to get closer to peak and drink for ten after than.  A nice match with Indian food.  

Purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is dusty with black raspberries and black pepper.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, black raspberries with slight bitter cherries on the finish.  Long finish.  This improves with a bit of air.  Obviously young, this might still improve but either way, it should drink well for the next five to eight years.  A nice quaff on its own, it will work well with (veggie) burgers off the grill.  

This is in a great spot right now.  At peak.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, black pepper, roasted herbs and slight bacon fat.  Full bodied.  Ripe but not overt.  On the palate, nice black raspberry fruit with great acidity.  Deep and complex.  It opens beautifully in the glass.  Also, delicious.  Long finish.  This won't get better but should drink well for another five to seven years.  It works well on its own and would work with Thai or Indian food, or just a burger.  

There are not a lot of great producers of Grenache in California, but there are a few who excel and at the top is Manfred Krankl and his Sine Qua Non wines.  At age 13, this is just hitting its stride and just outstanding.  A blend of 82% Grenache, 14% Syrah, 2% Viognier and 2% Roussanne.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with black cherries, black raspberries, roasted meats and spices.  Full bodied.  15.8% abv but no heat.  On the palate, black cherries with some black raspberries over a bit of char.  Deep and powerful.  Delicious.  Long finish.  The kind of wine that

My first time trying this vintage.  One of my go to value wines every vintage.  Ownership changed hands a few years back and they haven't missed a beat.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with black raspberries, roasted meat, slight black olive and black pepper.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this has a great texture.  Rich but with suppleness.  Lots of black raspberry fruit over spice and slight earthiness.  Medium tannins.  This is obviously young but should drink well for the next seven to ten years.  It drinks well on its own and will work well with roasted or grille

This drinks like a cooler climate Cab.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries, dark chocolate, slight rosemary and spice.  Medium bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, black cherry fruit with a bit of chocolate.  This drinks easy.  it is young and may improve a bit with time.  It should drink well for ten to twelve years.  A nice wine with roast beef.  

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.

This is a very light and elegant Pinot Noir.  For those liking that style, this will be a hit.  For those who like a full throttle wine, this might be found lacking.  Light ruby in color.  The nose has cherries with some depth.  On the palate, great acidity. Bright cherry fruit.  Complex and delicious.  Elegant.  Nice finish.  This should continue to develop for the next ten years or so and drink well for another ten after that.  It will work better with food.  Crab cakes would be a nice match.