2003 Ojai Syrah Roll Ranch Vineyard

The dark ruby/purple-hued 2003 Syrah Roll Ranch is even better than the 2004. Its up-lifted, floral bouquet (which reveals notes of blackberries and flowers) is followed by a wine with fleshy, succulent, full-bodied opulence, sweet tannin, and low acidity. This sexy beauty should drink well for 7-8 years. Adam Tolmach kindly conducted a mini-vertical, going back to 1995, of his Bien Nacido Vineyard Syrah, and it was good to see how well they all performed. My favorites included the 1996 (93 points), 1998 (91 points), 2000 (93 points), and 2002 (93 points). The only wine that did not show as well as I would have hoped was the 1997 (88 points), which was much lighter and on a faster evolutionary track. Tel. (805) 649-1674