2006 Sandler Wine Company Syrah Connell Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Bennett Valley (1/11/2008)
The aromatics on this were wonderful right out of the bottle. I was taking it to a friends and Ed recommended some airtime so I gave a brief decant … but I had to smell and sneak a taste. Two things grabbed me. The added aromatics from the 100% whole cluster, that I love and fantastic texture. Nice tannic structure but the squeaky clean fruit makes it perfect for drinking now. At this stage, the wine is Un-jammy! Now on to 3 hours later. This wine is so precise. The texture is so smooth and clean. A great balance of sweet tannin, whole cluster vegetables and spice, and perfectly ripe fruit. I think I am going to open another very soon just to see if I am plain crazy or if this is indeed a Great Cali syrah. My guess is that there is a window of pure pleasure for this wine right now but it could start close up a bit as the primary fruit begins to subside. Once that starts, I think the wine will transition just fine and have a nice complex life. (93 pts.)
2005 Eno Wines Grenache G 05 Eaglepoint Ranch - USA, California, North Coast, Mendocino County (1/8/2008)
Pretty, brambly fruit. Very light at first. After a few minutes, it really picked up steam. Aromatics are beautiful on this baby. But very ripe. Amazing attack! Actually showing some of the elements I love about a clean CdP. Just more ripe. Texture is a bit heavy so I hope it does not gain weight with time. Balanced medium acids. The finish is a bit disjointed at this stage but I think time will sort this all out. Needless to say, I loved this fruity and ripe yet elegant wine. (91 pts.)
Cheers,
Jason