Ojai Syrah Vogelzang Vineyard

Wine can be such a fickle animal. Cork OK, bottle not flawed. Smell during trickle decant was excellent but there were aromas of age and some browning in the color, so I tried a taste. Fruit not oxidized but it was muted and this was awkward. Concerned this was not up to par for the group, I poured it back into the bottle and we came back to it during dinner about 90 minutes later. Fruit showing much better now. …

Decanted for an hour. Very nice nose of perfumed, dark flowery fruit. Resolved tannins, round, balanced mouth with good acid, great dark red and black fruit. Length that tapers but then lingers for quite a long time. A very impressive showing for this bottling, which seems to just get better and better - go figure! PS. Doesn't seem to last for more than a few hours in the glass. Starts to tighten up...

An excellent showing for this wine tonight. Decanted for an hour; ripe, balanced fruit with decent acidity but none of the somewhat shrill character that I've picked up on in the past.

Nice fruit, though not a fruit bomb. Rather simple. Good picnic wine. Value not recommended, however.

A fine bottle of wine, but not up to the level of the other Ojai 2002 syrahs. Shows tart and tightly wound, with a simple core of briary red fruit and a bit of not-unpleasant vegetable matter. Very different than the other Ojai examples; not displeasing, just, well, different. I wouldn't put my money on this one getting much better with age...

Very good, but somewhat tight. Hopefully it will improve with some time. A bit simpler than the Winter Creek that we had alongside it.