Clendenen Family Vineyards Syrah / Viognier Rancho La Cuna

Unique blend but quite tasty!

What a wonderful Syrah. Maybe a tick riper than a hermitage, but not even close to purple / overripe Syrah; honestly it’s DARN close to a Hermitage. Velvety, melted tannin; red fruit, a truffly nose. Reminds me of how 1990 Jaboulet Crozes Thalabert tasted 15 years ago. Does Ca Syrah get any better?!

Really nice Pinot - maybe a touch too much vanilla for my liking, but this has susprisingly pure red fruit with little, if any, cola or birch beer. Silky textured and slightly lower acid than other ABC Pinots; but very very fragrant and not overly alcoholic or otherwise showing signs of overripeness. About as good as domestic Pinot gets, IMO.

Beautifully orchestrated combination of 90% deep luscious Syrah & 10% slightly bright & vibrant Viognier all from Santa Barbara County, Santa Maria , California. It just melted on my tongue to a state of velvet blushing excellence .

Au Bon Climat - Tasting Room : From 75cl P+P. Mature orange tint to rim. Red fruit, herbal action, olive tampenade and eucalyptus on the nose; thin, lithe, very dry entry with bright acidity but tightly closed, as is the mid-palate, which shows quite some tannins. Pleasantly balsamic finish. Hard to judge as a P+P, first impression was not all that attractive, but the killer scent is promising. $60 at cellar door. NR

I agree almost completely with the prior tasting note on this. Really nice bitter cherry, fairly light body with a somewhat herbal, earthy savory undertone. Delicious and well-made but overpriced at $35. Doesn't have a lot of obvious Syrah character.

Opaque ruby color. Bing cherry and some baking spices on the nose. Continues on the palate with some wood and raspberry overtones. Lots of tannin and a long finish. Not overly complex, but a tasty complement to bacon wrapped anything.