Review of California Syrah/Shiraz & Rhone Blends Wines

I have always had an appreciation for wine, but I admit I really didnt know much, but when I was married, my husband had a passion about wines, so I was able to deepen my love of and knowledge of wine, here is a guide about California Syrah/Shiraz & Rhone Blends wines.

Adelaida 2002 Syrah Paso Robles SLO

Anapamu 1999 Syrah Central Coast ($16).

Arcadian 2002 Syrah Santa Lucia Highlands Sleepy Hollow Vineyard

Baileyana 2003 Syrah Edna Valley Grand Firepeak Vineyard

Baystone 1999 Shiraz Dry Creek Valley

Benziger 2000 Syrah California

Beringer 2003 Shiraz California Founders' Estate

Bonny Doon 2002 Syrah California

2000 Le Cigare Volant ($8 by the glass in restaurants). Easy to like, with bright red currant and berry flavors that stay juicy through the finish, picking up rich, toasty vanilla and a dash of warm spices. Versatile with food. Ready to drink now. ($32). Juicy red berry and concentrated cherry fruit flavors are smooth and easy to enjoy in this Rhone blend. Medium-bodied structure and tannins. Picks up exotic spice and milk chocolate on the finish. Ready to drink now and over the next three or four years.

Bridlewood 2003 Syrah Central Coast

2003 Syrah Central Coast Reserve

2002 Syrah Santa Ynez Estate

2001 Syrah Central Coast

2001 Syrah Santa Ynez Valley Estate Reserve

2000 Syrah Central Coast ($19). Great white pepper and floral aromas and accents enhance the concentrated red currant and raspberry fruit, picking up touches of mint and toasty oak on the generous finish. A great deal! Ready to drink now and over the next couple of years.($24). Fruit forward bouquet is rich and heady, leading to tightly wound flavors that include smoky, cedary oak, black currant and berry fruit, and tar. Picks up dark chocolate at the finish. Still a baby -- could use a couple of more years in the bottle. Drink from 2005-2010. ($18). Yes, the price is lower than the vintage before -- and may even drop a bit more. In any case, this Central Coast Syrah is still my favorite wine of the Bridlewood lineup. Focused and intense, with white pepper and cedar aromas and flavors alongside black currant and cherry fruit, bacon and fresh earth flavors. Smooth and supple, backed up by firm structure. Ready to drink now and over the next three or four years. ($40). Extracted blackberry and plum fruit is accented generously with rich vanilla, coconut and chocolate. Thick, ripe finish. Ready to drink now and over the next couple of years. ($24). Nicely balanced, with rich espresso, cedar and vanilla accenting smooth blackberry and currant. Folds together on a long, smooth finish. Ready to drink now and over the next two or three years.

Canyon Road 2000 Shiraz California

Castoro Cellars 2002 Syrah Paso Robles Reserve

Chateau Souverain 2002 Syrah Alexander Valley

1999 Syrah Alexander Valley

Christopher Creek Winery 1997 Syrah Russian River Valley Reserve

Cline 1998 Syrah California

Cypress 2002 Shiraz California ($10). An easy-drinking, appealing red from J. Lohr -- offers nice balance. Perfect for pizza night! Ready to drink now. ($10) -- Wonderful spice and concentrated fruit are the stars here. Appealing tobacco undertones add interest and balance. Very good now and will age nicely for a few years. ($24). Very nice, with lush berry and black currant fruit along with touches of mocha and cinnamon. ($20). A wonderfully full-bodied and fruit-forward version of this versatile grape, this wine is concentrated and rich, with black currant and cherry fruit studded with pepper, licorice, smoke and herbal notes. Delectable finish. Ready to drink now and over the next two or three years. ($20). Really good -- one of the best California Syrahs we've tasted in recent memory! With concentrated red berry and lush plum fruit laced with anise, smoky oak and black pepper. Velvety mouthfeel masks plenty of structure and oomph. Ready to drink now and over the next four or five years. ($18). Violet, smoky black currant and blackberry aromas and flavors are laced with a hit of black pepper. Easy to like. Ready to drink now. ($10). Spicy currant and cherry fruit, with earth and herbal notes, make this a great value. Good structure and full tannins. Ready to drink now and over the next three or four years.($18).

Restrained red currant and berry fruit is laced with white pepper, leather and earth, with a nice burst of acidity on the finish. More elegant and lean than ripe or jammy. Easy to pair with food. Ready to drink now and over the next three or four years. ($11). Great BBQ wine, with a nice balance of ripe black currant, baking spices and toasty oak aromas and flavors. Quite good - especially at this price. Ready to drink now. ($22). Mouth-watering bouquet of deep black cherry and cassis fruit. Followed by smooth, concentrated black cherry accented with rosemary, earth, and white pepper. Generous finish. Ready to drink now and over the next three years. ($24). Concentrated and lively, with vibrant red currant and cherry fruit, along with white pepper, toasty vanilla oak, and a scrumptious bittersweet chocolate note that emerges on the generous finish. Ready to drink now and over the next two or three years. ($30). Tightly wound black currant and fleshy plum flavors are laced with aromatic white pepper and lavender accents. Quite pretty. Ready to drink now and over the next five or six years. ($NA). Intense and concentrated, with aromatic earth and game accents to the dusty black currant fruit. Long finish stays intense and picks up black pepper, licorice and coffee notes. Ready to drink now and over the next three to five yearsThis is a full-bodied wine that boasts flavorful fruit, game and pepper notes. Tannins are firm but approachable now. The smoky finish lingers nicely. Ready to drink now and over the next three or four years. ($18). Lush, enticing aromas of black plum and currants introduces a balanced, appealing wine. Finishes with creamy, sweet vanilla. Ready to drink now.