In 2004, after a lovely, moderate summer with very little fog but no real hot spells, the last week of August turned hot and dry, with offshore conditions prevailing for almost ten straight days. Persisting into the second week of September, it brought the Syrah to ripeness (25.0% sugar) with unusually good acid balance. The heat seemed to push the Cabernet almost to full ripeness, but we wanted to wait for completely mature phenolic elements. So, two weeks after the Syrah, we finally picked our Cabernet, with very full flavors and mature tannins. This extra hang time gave us a richness that we intended read more...to balance the Syrah's spiciness. When we decided to make the Black & Blue ten-years-later blend, we found these two wines a perfect complement: the Cabernet's richness and soft tannins were complemented by the spicy, exotic notes of the Syrah. 91 Points A 50/50 blend of cabernet sauvignon and syrah) Good ruby-red color. Black and blue fruit aromas complicated by minerals, licorice and black pepper. Sweet, aromatic and tightly wound, with impressive inner-palate energy for the vintage.The blackberry and floral flavors are still a bit youthfully tough, and the wine's tight tannins call for patience. Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar    (hide)

Rating for United States-California: 91 (slightly better than average year)<br/><br/>Drinkability: young, aging quickly, could be good now<br/>