Tried these two over the weekend:
1. OjaiVnyd Syrah SBC (13%) 1994: Med.dark color w/ some bricking; strong smokey/toasty/oak bit roasted/coffee/roasted meats/bacony bit Rhonish slight herbal/cinammon/blackberry/Syrah quite complex nose; lightly tart strong smoked meats/smokey/roasted/oldRhonish/oak slight herbal/blackberry/Syrah complex flavor w/ some drying/astringent tannins; cery long tart rather dried out light blackberry/Syrah oldRhonish/smoked meats finish w/ some dried out tannins; quite an interesting nose but rather dried-out on the palate.
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2. Qupe Syrah BienNacidoVnyd Reserve/SBC (12.5%) 1994: Med.color w/ little bricking; quite smokey/Rhonish rather roasted/bacony light blackberry/Syrah/blueberry rather cedary/pencilly/tobaccoy quite complex classic old Qupe nose; lightly tart/tangy very smokey/bacon fat/roasted/espresso light blackberry/blueberry/Syrah quite complex classic Qupe flavor w/ light smooth tannins; very long tart/tangy classic old Qupe/smokey/cedary/pencilly/bacon fat some blueberry/Syrah very complex finish w/ light gentle tannins; lost some fruit but a classic example of an old Qupe Syrah w/ loads of smokey/roasted character; really quite a pleasure to drink.
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. I also cracked the Ojai Calif Syrah '94 and Ojai PinotNoir SBC '94. Both were pretty much dead & gone.
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2. Qupe: BobLindquist continues to be one of the greatest Syrah producers in Calif...nay..the world. The wines are not particularly big or extracted and don't seem very profound upon release, but there balance takes them out into old age better than near anybody else's. Justin & John could learn a thing or two from Bob methinks.
Tom