October 2002 Over the last twelve months, Wine & Spirits tasted 235 Syrah and 288 Zinfandel. The following wines received the strongest praise from our critics. A list of all Syrah and Zinfandel tasted, with the recommended wines highlighted, is included with subscription copies.

Syrah
96 I Qupé $40 1999 Santa Maria Valley Bien Nacido Hillside Estate Syrah Bien Nacido grows the pinot of syrahs. The brilliant gentleness is there in the roseate blue color, in the austerity, the composure of the wine. Sit with it as the oak comes up, then as it recedes again with more air to yield scents of roasted herbs, gunflint and white pepper. It's round and refined, lasting, as though you could feel the tertiary development that hasn't yet become perceptible in the flavors, but will with time: the season of a Pacific hillside captured and framed. (W&S October '02) Qupé Wine Cellars, Santa Maria, CA
94 I Glen Fiona $60 1999 Walla Walla Valley Basket Press Reserve Syrah Don't judge this young wine when you first open the bottle: as firm, gripping and savory as the flavors might be, they disappear after the middle of the taste, leaving a blank moment before a spicy, dark syrah flavor comes back to last. But that hole before the finish fills out with air, the fresh, dark flavors deepened by scents of mushrooms, brightened by jasmine. It's one of the masterful tricks of syrah, to save up so much intensity and power, then deliver it with grace. (W&S October '02) Glen Fiona, Walla Walla, WA
94 I Lafond $30 1998 Santa Ynez Valley Lafond Vineyard Syrah From the first deep scent of Santa Rita Hills earth, the character of the soil keeps coming up in this wine. And it lasts with layers of fruit, with black herb smoky as sensemilla, with a length of flavor that goes on for minutes. It's not an overtly powerful wine, but it has the balance to make a more elegant impact. Decant a bottle now to enjoy the subtle, primary aspects of the wine; put several in the cellar to enjoy what it will become. (316 cases) (W&S December '01) Lafond Vineyards, Santa Barbara, CA
93 I Cayuse $30 1999 Walla Walla Valley Syrah A simple, direct statement of the Walla Walla earth, this syrah grows at Pepperbridge and Morrison Lane vineyards. And it offers beautifully balanced floral scents on a pillow of tannin. It's big, rich and loamy, the tannins bursting apart and giving off the warmth of macerated cherries and black earth. And it keeps giving that cherry flavor for over a minute after each taste, gentle, yet persistent. It's a lovely, soft red that will turn a roast chicken into a romantic winter meal. (476 cases) (W&S October '02) Cayuse Vineyards, Touchet, WA
93 I Havens $45 1999 Carneros Hudson Vineyard Syrah Puritans may balk, purists may grumble. Sure this provokes a jolt with initial H2S, but give that time to blow off and reveal how gorgeous the wine can be. At first, it's black as coal, murderously bloody. But air brings a more sophisticated line, a juicy, red raspberry smoke and a lasting finish that's compelling on its own. This '99 is ready to drink now or later with Middle Eastern grilled lamb. (700 cases) (W&S August '02) Havens Wine Cellars, Napa, CA
93 I Jade Mountain $25 1999 Napa Valley Syrah Syrah has been the focus at Jade Mountain since the first vintage in 1992, and that focus has paid off in wines like this '99. The blue-black color promises this to be a big red, and the wine delivers. Mountain blueberries and ripe, black, mountain-grown tannins from the Paras Vineyard on Mt. Veeder give this a compacted feel, balanced by the fruit from the Hudson's Carneros ranch. It's all looking inward for now, intensely concentrated with a rasp of red fruit and a velvet texture. (757 cases) (W&S April '02) Jade Mountain, St. Helena, CA
93 I St. Supery $25 2000 Napa Valley Syrah All flash early on; covered in the sheen of new oak, the fruit seems invisible, yet it's there in the texture, a powerful prune-plum beast waiting to take back the flavor of the wine. It reads like a fat porcini, the roasted flesh of a mushroom that gives fruit out of earthiness. If you plan to serve this as a young wine, open the bottle the day before, taste a bit, then recork it. And you might use a little in the sauce for sautéed veal scaloppine with fresh porcini. (414 cases) (W&S October '02) St. Supery Vineyards & Winery, Rutherford, CA
93 I Arrowood $55 1999 Sonoma Valley Syrah When first poured, this is barnyard in extremis. But that gives way with air, the wine's fruit growing generous, the manure turning to a lazy earthiness, built into the satin texture. The flavors grow toward pure blueberry and red raspberry, the earthiness giving it grip. Lasting and delicious, this needs five or six years in the cellar to begin to show its best. The wine is a blend from four vineyards, all under ten years old. (1,006 cases (W&S October '02) Arrowood Vineyards and Winery, Glen Ellen, CA
93 I K $50 2000 Walla Walla Valley Pepperbridge Vineyard Syrah The fresh blueberry flavor of Walla Walla syrah shines from this luscious young wine. It seems alive in the glass, vibrant and balanced, with a fine exposition of flavors and a structural austerity that takes it beyond simple, delicious fruit. The flavors are long, a lasting impression that should only gain further length with age. Buy some to drink now with game, and more to cellar. (110 cases) (W&S October '02) K Vintners, Walla Walla, WA
93 I McCrea $45 2000 Red Mountain Ciel du Cheval Vineyard Syrah The pure, lush fruit flavor of this syrah is all about deliciousness. There's nothing to provoke contemplation, just lively, dense fruit that coasts from start to finish with brightness and simplicity. As these young (seven-year-old) syrah vines on Red Mountain send their roots deeper, they're likely to produce wines with more complexity than this coltish beauty. And even if they don't, it's easy to fall in love with a wine like this. (145 cases) (W&S October '02) McCrea Cellars, Rainier, WA
93 I Terra Blanca $20 1999 Red Mountain Syrah This enchanting red shows the flavors of fully mature syrah grapes, the fruit skin and mature pips seeming to contribute to the wine's luscious texture by lifting it. They provide a gentle, creamy grain to the tannin, as if picking up a touch of austerity from the Red Mountain winds. The full-on flavors of chocolate and black herb build into an exotic rush of fruit, brisk and elegant. (1,365 cases) (W&S October '02) Terra Blanca Vintners, Inc. Benton City, WA

Zinfandel
95 I Rosenblum $47 2000 Napa Valley Hendry Vineyard Zinfandel A chef in Burgundy might create a coq au vin confit to serve with a wine like this. The intense high tones of the fruit have the taste of black raspberries fresh off the vine, but it's as regal as a great pinot noir, with a spike of exuberant fruit framed by earthier components. (887 cases) (W&S October '02) Rosenblum Cellars, Alameda, CA
93 I Cline $28 2000 Contra Costa County Live Oak Vineyard Zinfandel This warm, savory zin grows on ancient vines, planted on their own roots more than a century ago on wind-swept, inland delta sands. The fruit complexity is unusual to find in zinfandel, a layering of red cherry and blackberry along with the fruitiness of cola. (3,400 cases) W&S October '02) Cline Cellars, Sonoma, CA
93 I Markham $19.75 2000 Napa Valley Zinfandel Young and electric blue, this is a beautifully cool, claret-style zin. It builds from a solid core of flavor, the blueberry and boysenberry fruit lengthening on and on. And with air, the lovely fruit shows off just how impacted and lasting it can be. (W&S October '02) Markham Vineyards, St. Helena, CA
93 I Ridge $22 2000 Sonoma County Llewelyn Zinfandel The juice. Electrified, ebullient, lasting, yet simple. This is all blue fruit, firmly joined and enhanced by oak. And it comes together with air, an elegant, gentle claret. Available through Ridge's winery-direct ATP program. (900 cases) (W&S October '02) Ridge Vineyards, Cupertino, CA
93 I Sky $45 1999 Mt. Veeder Napa Valley Zinfandel A sophisticated, fragrant zin, a straight drive of flavor surrounded by all sorts of complicating funk. The core of fruit is focused and tightly formed, balanced between cooler cranberry and warmer, stewed fruit scents. Bold spices surround it, along with scents of fresh thyme and funkier rumble-tumble aromatics. (834 cases) (W&S October '02) Sky Vineyards, Napa, CA
93 I The Terraces $25 1999 Napa Valley Zinfandel The luminous color seems to extend right through to the finish of this satisfying zin. Generously filled with the primary flavor of ripe purple grapes, it's made complex by notes of black cherry, bacon and herbs embedded into the soft texture. (W&S December '01) W. Hogue Vintners, Rutherford, CA
92 I Chameleon $21 2000 Napa Valley Zinfandel Intriguing aromatics of rose and pear introduce the distinctive fruit character of this wine. Ripe and sweetly fruited as it is, it remains tight and firm, its weight building on the palate to a Napa grandeur. Decant it for venison in berry sauce. (558 cases) (W&S October '02) Chameleon Cellars, St. Helena, CA
92 I Chateau Potelle $50 1999 Napa Valley Mt. Veeder VGS Zinfandel Ripeness shows in the warm berry compote scent, then the wine is completely fresh in flavor, cool and spicy. This is a claret style zin, with firmness and grip to the red cherry flavors. Then it lasts in a host of spices, from black pepper to cinnamon. Order a bottle with wood-oven roasted venison chops. (W&S December '01) Chateau Potelle Winery, Napa, CA
92 I Clos du Bois $22 1999 Dry Creek Valley Reserve Zinfandel There's a simple and delicious grapiness to this zin, a juicy raspberry flavor set into a range of spices, from juniper to ginger and tea. It gets bolder, feeling ever more complete as it takes on air, the tannins balanced and adding their own intriguing raunchiness to the spicy fruit. (1,100 cases) (W&S April '02) Clos du Bois Wines, Geyserville, CA
92 I Dashe $20 2000 Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel It's California juice, whether you taste it as zin or smell it as sensemilla. The black herb scent yields to a lovely textured mouthful of red and black raspberry fruit. It's dense, weighty and full; if you drink it with lamb chops, you won't need the mint jelly. (W&S October '02) Dashe Cellars, Alameda, CA
92 I Franciscan $18 1999 Napa Valley Zinfandel This takes its black currant ripeness toward raisins and prunes just enough to seem festive without tipping over the edge. It tastes like a Christmas pudding, the texture of the red and black fruit held firm by the tension of acidity. (2,750 cases) (W&S December '01) Franciscan Oakville Estate, Oakville, CA
92 I Mayo $35 2000 Russian River Valley Old Vine Reserve Ricci Vineyard Zinfandel A rustic California pleasure, from its brilliant depth of color to the black herb scents and luscious textures. There's a robust, Port-like sweetness to the huckleberry fruit, balanced by a prickly, berry-seed tannin. (400 cases) (W&S June '02) Mayo Family Winery, Glen Ellen, CA
92 I Quivira $35 1999 Dry Creek Valley Tambellini Vineyard Zinfandel Concentrated, intense and completely black, this is a massive young zinfandel that manages to be huge without being overripe. It carries its power and tannin in balance with a bold, sweet cherry fruit component that shows no sign of letting up for years. (253 cases) (W&S April '02) Quivira Vineyards, Healdsburg, CA
92 I Scherrer $28 1999 Alexander Valley Old and Mature Vines Zinfandel This starts with a green peppercorn scent, then leads right into plump fruit set into the kind of firm acid and tannic structure Alexander Valley cabernets rarely satisfy as completely as this zin. Open a bottle, and open a view to the best of the Alexander Valley. (W&S December '01) Scherrer Winery, Sebastopol, CA