Tried these two last night:
1. JCCllrs Syrah FessParkerVnyd/SantaBarbaraCnty (14.5%; www.JCCellars.com) Oakland 2008: Very dark color w/ slight bricking; very strong blackberry/Syrah/bit boysenberry ripe classic SBC Syrah/bit peppery some toasty/smokey/oak some complex mature SBC Syrah lovely nose; soft rich/lush some toasty/charred/oak ripe/boysenberry/blackberry/Syrah/spicy light peppery classic SBC Syrah some complex flavor w/ light ripe/smooth tannins; very long/lingering oft some toasty/charred/Fr.oak ripe/blackberry/Syrah/spicy/boysenberry bit peppery/licorice/pungent some complex finish w/ light smooth tannins; a rather classic SBC mature Syrah that's probably not going to get any better; not starting to dry out, though; reminds a bit of a mature Jaffurs Syrah. $30.00
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2. JCCllrs Syrah Haley RockpileVnyd/Rockpile (15.2%) 2008: Very dark/near black color w/ little bricking; very string blackberry/Syrah/very spicy bit mineral/graphite/pungent some toasty/smokey/oak bit cold-climate/pepper/black pepper quite complex lovely aromatic nose; fairly tart/tangy/bit metallic very spicy/blackberry/blueberry/Syrah structured light toasty/smokey/oak light graphite/mineral/stony complex flavor w/ ample ripe/hard tannins; very long/lingering pungent/c-c peppery/licorice very strong blackberry/Syrah/blueberry some toasty/charred/oak very structured complex finish w/ ample ripe/firm tannins; a very interesting classic Rockpile Syrah w/ lots of structure; still could use a few more yrs; seems less ripe than the FessParker and carries the alcohol well. $60.00
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. I like JeffCohn's Syrahs quite a lot. They are on the bigger side, but are well-made and seem to age fairly well. Both of these are probably fully mature. His Rockpile Syrah is his flagship Syrah, but don't think it's quite worth the extra tarrif. I particularly like his Ventana Syrahs and Grenaches.
Tom