The 2010 Syrah Eddie’s Patch represents great Syrah. Aged 17 months on its lees in 43% new French oak, this inky/purple-colored Syrah offers a big, sweet kiss of charcoal, truffle, blackberries, licorice, roasted meats and bouquet garni. The blackberry component continues on the palate of this full-bodied, superbly textured, rich, savory Syrah. Drink this mouthfilling 2010 over the next decade or more. - Robert Parker

Slightly more mineral-laced and focused, with brilliant purity of fruit, the 2010 DuMOL Syrah Eddie's Patch (100% Syrah aged 17 months in 43% new French oak hogsheads) is easily one of the top Russian River Valley Syrahs being made today. Full-bodied, rich, and powerful, yet also incredibly elegant, pure, and fresh, it possesses thrilling aromatics of smoked blackberry fruit, wet stone like minerality, hints of chocolate, liquid flowers, and peppered meat-like nuances that continue to develop and gain in intensity and richness over the evening. While reasonably approachable today, with plenty of ripe tannin, it will be better in 2-3 years, and drink beautifully for over a decade after that. - Jeb Dunnuck

Fully ripe, very outgoing and very much showing the kind of generous fruit and oaky richness that we have come to expect from DuMOL, this year's Syrah from "eddie's patch" is a big, slightly viscous, decidedly concentrated offering that is ever so slightly hushed in specific varietal spice. That said, it earns fine marks for its juicy volume and insistence, and its hard-to-ignore tannins serve as an important reminder that its best lies some years ahead.