2003 Kongsgaard Syrah Hudson Vineyard

Saturated ruby, darker than the 2004. Full-blown aromas of black raspberry, smoked duck and black pepper. Then superrich, huge and chocolatey, with highly concentrated flavors of cherry, raspberry, violet, creosote and white pepper. Wonderfully deep and explosive wine. Kongsgaard noted that this sample had been poured into a decanter six hours before my visit. This perfectly tracks the sample I tried from barrel a year ago, but seems even richer today. An extraordinary California syrah.

The blockbuster, opaque purple-colored 2003 Syrah Hudson Vineyard exhibits aromas of ground pepper, licorice, graphite, and smoke. While there is huge fruit and great richness, this cuvee appears to have shut down following bottling. Tannic, heady, and rich, it was difficult to coax out of the glass. There is a wonderful composty, underbrush, primordial character to these Syrahs, with an almost scorched earth component. Think of it as drinking a liquefied grilled steak. Fax (707) 963-4512

(from the Q block of Hudson Vineyard, featuring lighter, volcanic soil) Good medium ruby. Complex, Hermitage-like aromas of black fruits, smoked meat and black pepper, with a hint of reduction. Sweet and dense but juicy and penetrating, with the balance and tannic structure to develop in bottle for a decade of more. Very well balanced but youthfully tight syrah, finishing with building tannins.