2008 Du MOL Syrah Eddie's Patch

Inky ruby. Dark berries, candied licorice, minerals and black olive on the nose. Medium-bodied and bright in the mouth, with taut blackberry and bitter cherry flavors complicated by tar, minerals and violet pastille. Gains flesh and weight with air and closes on a sweet floral note, with excellent length. This looks like it will need more patience than the Finn.

The 2008 Syrah Eddies Patch, which includes one-third whole clusters, displays a dark purple color, terrific texture and notes of camphor, pepper, roasted meats and abundant blackberry and cassis fruit. This inky Syrah possesses superb intensity and richness, but sadly, it will undoubtedly be difficult to sell. Go figure! I would have to rank DuMol as one of my favorite half dozen producers of California Chardonnay as well as one of the top twenty in terms of Pinot Noir. Moreover, their Syrah program is also impressive. For unknown reasons, I did not get to taste any Viognier, which I have also loved. The 2008 Chardonnays are all performing as well if not better than they did from barrel last year. Winemaker Andy Smith told me that both he and proprietor Kerry Murphy believe 2009 is their best vintage yet for Pinot Noir, which is certainly saying something. The 2009s do look impressive, but at this early stage, I would not rate them higher than several other recent vintages. That, of course, is debatable given the fact that just about everything at this winery has been stellar since I first started tasting them. Tel. (925) 254-8922; Fax (925) 254-8942