Readers should not confuse The Terraces with the 2003 Syrah Alder Springs Vineyard which is made from a completely different block of Syrah in the expansive Alder Springs Vineyard. The latter effort is a bigger wine (16.3% alcohol compared to 15.8% for The Terraces) boasting gorgeously opulent blackberry liqueur notes intermixed with notions of charcoal and licorice. Silky-textured fleshy and fat this cuvee is bursting with fruit glycerin and character. It should be drunk over the next 7-8 years.

An amazing Syrah with a dense and chewy yet plush and polished core of blackberry wild berry pomegranate and beefy espresso flavors. Young and unbridled it keeps a tight focus while the flavors unfold gracefully ending with ripe fine-grained tannins and a spicy beef carpaccio edge. Drink now through 2012. 183 cases made. –JL