As with the ’14, the 2012 Syrah Rodgers Creek Vineyard saw a whopping 10% Viognier. It’s still young and offers a sensational perfume of currants, smoked meats, olives, spices, and crushed flowers. It’s a full-bodied, rounded, voluptuous beauty that has no hard edges, a flamboyant, sexy personality, and a great finish. Count me as a fan. It will continue drinking beautifully for another decade or more.

A bouquet of spicy black pepper intoxicates on the opening of this wine, followed by captivating waves of savory blackberry, leather and dust. The grapes are sourced from one of the producer’s coolest sites, With well-integrated, unobtrusive oak, the wine is soft and delicious now, offering plenty of meaty undertones, but will intrigue further over time, through 2022.

12% Viognier. Very much cast in the rich Ramey style and a bit more explicit than it mates in terms of its ready ripeness, this brash, big-bodied offering manages to keep Syrah in its sights even as it runs up against tannin and heat. It is more concerned with raw power than grace and is likely to displease those who embrace a leaner, cool-climate model as the right way to go, but its sheer richness and depth cannot be ignored, and its latter-palate turn to tightness bodes well for aging. Pour it in four or five years if you will, but know that it looks sure to grow for a good many more.