Inky ruby.  Powerful, oak-spiced black and blue fruits and olive tapenade on the deeply perfumed nose.  Smoky and broad on the palate, offering intense boysenberry and cassis flavors and a building floral quality.  The spiciness comes back strong on the finish, which is firmed by dusty tannins and lifted by juicy acidity.

Ramey's 2010 Syrah Rodgers Creek Vineyard is quite aromatically lifted and savory next to the Sonoma Coast Syrah, much of that coming from the inclusion of 25% whole clusters. Sage, rosemary, mint, licorice and plums lift from the glass as the 2010 opens up in the glass. Dried rose petals, violets and a host of floral notes follow. The 2010 is complex, nuanced and wonderfully complete from the very first taste, but the tannins are quite imposing at this stage. Patience is key.

This slightly opaque and very dark ruby colored Syrah from Ramey opens with a mild black raspberry and plum bouquet with hints of leather. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied, nicely balanced, elegant and velvety. The flavor profile is a tasty gentle plum with hints of minerality, black pepper, and a touch of oak. The finish is rather dry and its dusty tannins are really sticky. The panel suggested pairing this very good Syrah with prime rib. Enjoy - KWGTP

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The 2010 Syrah Rodger’s Creek Vineyard flirts with perfection. From a cold, windy site planted on volcanic soils, the Syrah was co-fermented with 9% Viognier and aged 27 months in new French oak. A stunning perfume of bacon fat, bouquet garni, acacia flowers, black raspberry jam and kirsch moving toward black currants and blackberries is followed by a complex, gorgeously proportioned, opulent, full-bodied Syrah. It should drink well for a decade. This killer wine priced at $60 competes with a Cote Rotie costing $350-$500 a bottle.

Lots of sweet oak overlies a generous measure of fully ripe, dark-berry fruit in the moderately extracted aromas and flavors of this ample young wine, and complexing elements of pepper, roasted meats and subtle notes of fresh earth leave an indelible varietal stamp to both. The wine is full-bodied and rounded with very good palatal length, and its scant suggestion of finishing heat is adequately buffered by continuous, easy-to-taste fruit.