February 2, 2010 - good fruit, no sharp edges, silky tannins
November 9, 2009 - Strangely, the best of the bottles. Gorgeous black/dark purple in the glass to the rim. Loads of licorice, dark fruit, spice and pepper. The palate presented much of the same and the finish lingered for minutes. I love this.
February 12, 2008 - Great dark color in the glass. Blueberry, licorice and spices on the nose. The palate presented with licorice, spices, burnt cedar and strawberry. Great fruit in the glass, but almost nil finish. Drink now.
January 17, 2008 - Very dark purple color, but a tinge thin on the edges. Dark red fruits, pepper and rubber on the nose. The palate expressed too much oak for my liking, but a quality blend of the fruit and wet earth. After decanting for about 2 hours the tannins were practically non-existant, and that diminishes the overall drink a bit.
January 8, 2008 - I usually adore Santa Barbara syrah but this one disappointed slightly. From the color, I thought this wine was going to be a monster. Ink purple, almost black color. We decanted but then immediately poured some glasses. On the nose, definite freshly laid tar, rubber with nice, ripe dark fruits. On the palate, however, is where this wine started to fall apart. Very smooth, with no noticeable tannins left. Quite tasty going down but no finish at all. It immediately was gone after drinking. I think this wine may have been a touch past its prime for those looking for the bold, upfront fruit and tannins. The wine was way too mellow for me. No stuffing left at all. Drink up now if you have this wine............
October 21, 2005 - dark ruby red color. Very pleasant looking. On the nose pepper and other unidentifiable (to my nose) spices. Tried some out of the bottle and some from the decanter. The best sips were from the decanter after 30 and then 60 minutes. Had with babyback ribs. Three left, may order more.
September 16, 2005 - On the high end of very good. Had with tbone. Balanced and opened up and was spicier after 30 minutes of decanting.
September 11, 2005 - 8.3: 2nd bottle was excellent. First, was an 8, nice but not spectacular (8-8.6) fruity. Medium richness.