Had this one orphan btl in my EdStJ box:
1. SierraVista Syrah ElDorado (EB; 12.5%) 1987: Med.light color w/ some bricking; some earthy/ElDorado mushroomy light toasty/oak some pencilly/cedary light roasted/oldCornas/smokey/rustic light blueberry/blackberry/Syrah bit tired complex nose; soft some metallic/tangy/drying-out light smokey/oldRhonish/Cornas/rustic some earhy/ElDorado mushroomy very light blueberry/Syrah/blackberry delicate light complex flavor w/ light smooth/gentle tannins; med.long soft/smooth/gentle/delicate some cedary/pencilly/oldCornas/smokey earthy/ElDorado mushroomy slight blueberry/Syrah finish w/ light smooth tannins; quite an interesting old Syrah a bit like an oldCornas/rustic w/ some blueberry/Syrah fruit still peeking thru; like a quiet little old lady fading into the sunset but you just know she'd been around the block a time or two; speaks in a whisper of its once greatness.
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. John & Barbara MacCready really don't get the credit they deserve for their contributions to the Calif Rhone movement. In the '82 vintage, we had four of the first really good Syrahs in Calif that indicated the greatness that grape would eventually achieve. Ojai (Ojai Oakview vnyd), BonnyDoon (EstrellaRiver vnyd), Qupe (EstrellaRiver vnyd), and the ringer, SierraVista (SierraVistate estate vnyd). Actually, it was the SV that outlived them all.
John & Barbara were the ones that blazed the trail for the great Syrahs that now come from ElDoradoCnty. They were two of the original organizers of RhoneRangers and John was their first Prez. These folks should be better known for their pioneering efforts.
Tom