2010 Bacio Divino Vagabond Red

The 2010 Syrah Vagabond is a classic North Coast Syrah boasting an inky/purple color along with notes of blackberries, charcuterie, chocolate, pepper, roasted meats and bouquet garni. This big, rich, full throttle, exuberant, fleshy Syrah is a terrific effort that saturates the palate and stains your teeth purple. It can be enjoyed now and over the next 7-10 years. This project of Claus Janzen and his son continues to turn out a lot of seductive, rich wines that merit serious attention. If you look at his portfolio, Janzen has five separate entities, including Bacio Davino, Pazzo (his value-based blend of Bordeaux varietals with Sangiovese included), Vagabond (Syrah), Janzen (single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignons) and most recently, Lucie (the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir program). Some of the barrel samples I tasted included all the 2011 Cabernets and the Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon under the Bacio Davino label. These all appeared to be successful wines in this difficult vintage. Both the 2011 Beckstoffer cuvees are much lighter than their 2010 counterparts, but the 2011 Cloudy’s Vineyard is nearly as seriously endowed and rich as the 2010. The 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve also looked very strong. I’m not sure any of them will merit 90 points or higher, but it’s possible. Once they are in bottle, I’ll comment on them. The three 2012s I tasted with proprietor Claus Jenzen and his son, the Beckstoffer To Kalon, Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper and the Cloudy’s Vineyard, were blockbuster Cabernet Sauvignon fruit bombs with inky purple colors and lots of creme de cassis, spring flower, graphite an oak characteristics. They are big, thick, juicy, succulent, full-bodied reds with tannins that are largely concealed by the lavish amount of fruit, but I think the structure is there and will become increasingly apparent in bottle. Tel. (707) 942-8101