2004 Ojai Vineyard Syrah Melville Vineyards

Beefy, bad boy syrah. Interesting aromas of coal, and blueberry pie. This is tasty stuff. Jammy and powerful, full bodied and masculine, yet not cloying. While clearly an American syrah due to the excellent ripe fruit, it gives more of a nod to the French, crushed black pepper flavored Rhone wines then to the typical Austrailian jammy Shiraz. It is drinking very well now, at age 5. Ojai has a good mailing list for fans of wines like these. They are fairly priced, especially at this quality level. I paid $39, current retail $45, grade: A-.