Orchard-ripe blackberries, spice, and vanilla precede dark berry and vanilla-spice notes with a hint of pepper.

The 1999 vintage was a late ripening one for Syrah. Our experience with each successive vintage is paying off dramatically with our southern Mendocino vineyards, which are ideal for growing Syrah. We continue to refine our vineyard practices to achieve full ripeness and flavor development, while encouraging textural appeal and balance.

Our Syrah showcases a dark red-purple hue. An aromatic, tantalizing nose full of orchard-ripe blackberry, spice, and some vanilla-toast precede full-flavored dark berry and vanilla-spice with a hint of pepper. The wine is fairly rich with a characteristic warmth of the sun that we find in our Syrah. While enjoyable to drink now, additional bottle age will engage the fruit and tannins quite positively.

The 1999 Bonterra Syrah shines with hearty, robust foods like osso bucco, leg of lamb with rosemary, grilled meats, game, and hearty mushroom and tomato-based pastas. Ripe cheeses are also well served by this hearty red.

"Veers toward Syrah's meaty, leathery side, although there's nothing shabby about the blackberry, coffee and pepper notes. It's a plush wine, and feels rich and elegant in the mouth. If mink had a taste, this would define it. . . ."

California's Best Value Syrahs
#2 out of 15
"Aromatic nose of freshly crushed black raspberry, cinnamon-clove spice and vanilla toast. Rich and chewy with medium-full tannins and lots of dark berry fruit and a hint of black pepper. A bold, smoky Syrah best paired with hearty, robust foods."

"Medium ruby; pleasant, slightly jammy, peppery, cedary, ripe plum and blackberry fruit aroma with notes of exotic spice; full body; big, dense, herbal, high-extract, ...ripe, black fruit flavors; full tannin; ...lingering aftertaste. Recommended."

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