New California / USA wines in the Flickinger Fine Wines inventory http://www.flickingerwines.com/wineregions/californiausa.asp WA 98+ (12/2010): The riveting 2007 Howell Mountain exhibits aromas of black raspberries, blueberries, crushed rocks and flowers along with full-bodied power accompanied by an ethereal delicacy and sublimity that make it a haunting wine to smell and taste. It should drink well for 25+ years.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/Abreu.aspWA 98+ (8/2009): The succession of prodigious Syrahs continues with the 2006 Syrah Seymour’s Vineyard (named after John Alban’s father). An infant in terms of development, it exhibits a smoky meatiness along with a forest floor character as well as its siblings’ colossal level of concentration, enormous, multilayered texture, and skyscraper-like mouthfeel. Remarkably, there is no sense of heaviness. Another tour de force in Central Coast Syrah, it should drink well for 30-40 years. IWC 96 (12/2010): (15.9% alcohol) Opaque ruby. Smells like a cross between a fruit-processing plant and a head shop, with its pungent, highly aromatic scents of raspberry liqueur, cherry-cola, potpourri, five-spice powder and vanilla joined by slow-building smokiness. Deep, sweet and intensely floral in the mouth, offering sappy red and dark berry flavors and a complex array of spice notes. Possesses unlikely vivacity for a wine of its volume and power, finishing with intense red fruit and candied violet qualities. These three wines put the lie to the assertion that high alcohol equates to heat and portiness; I wish that those who are prejudiced by the number on the label could try these with an open mind. WS 96 (2/2011): This wine exhibits a broad yet tightly reigned-in range of roasted herb, tobacco, mineral, graphite, pepper and road tar flavors. Full-blown, intense and chewy, with stewed plum and wild berry flavors supported by dense, extracted tannins. A baby. Best from 2012 through 2024. 350 cases made.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/AlbanVineyards.aspWS 91 (10/31/2001) Ripe, rich and complex, with layers of juicy plum, blackberry, anise, coffee and wild berry. Turns supple, with a sense of elegance and finesse. Firms up on the finish, where the tannins fold in. Best from 2002 through 2008. IWC 88 (12/2001): Deep ruby-red. Cassis, peat, licorice, menthol and a whiff of green pepper on the nose. A juicy wine with good texture and extract, but not yet showing a lot of flavor development or personality. Finishes with firm, slightly dry tannins and licorice and herbal notes.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/Caymus.aspWA 98 (8/2011): The 2008Armada Vineyard Syrah takes the longest to come around according to Christophe Baron. It was aged in puncheon for 22 months. Smoked meat, game, Asian spices, lavender, and blueberry are just some of the scents composing the wine’s aromatic array. In the glass it opens to reveal a pure, rich, elegant but powerful wine with a 60-second finish. It, too, will drink nicely for 10-12 years. I’m a bit cautious on my aging potential estimates because of the lack of a track record, but 10-12 years is a certainty in a cold cellar.RR 97 (6/2011): The most dense and compact of the ‘08s, with pure plum and black cherry notes intermixed with tapenade, herbs, bloody meat, and serious minerality, the 2008 Cayuse Syrah Armada Vineyard is a rock star on the palate. Full bodied and amazingly energetic and focused, with a thick, dense mid-palate, perfect balance, and a long, chewy, broad finish, this exceptional Syrah should evolve and drink brilliantly for 12-15 years, easily. IWC 95 (10/2011): Full red-ruby. Explosive aromas of black cherry, minerals, flowers, brown spices and pepper. Wonderfully dense and penetrating, with compelling sweetness to its dark berry and spice flavors. Finishes with silky tannins and outstanding length. Like a topnotch Old World wine in the way it spreads out horizontally to saturate the palate without leaving any undue impression of weight. The best yet for this bottling, from high-density vines (by Washington standards) planted in 2001.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/Cayuse.aspIWC 88 (11/2011): Pale orange blush color. Sexy aromas of strawberry and lees. Juicy, dense and very dry, with nicely concentrated orange peel and floral flavors. Perked up by some unabsorbed CO2. Not quite the cut or length for a higher score but very easy to drink, and food-flexible.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/Cayuse.aspWA 96 (2/2010): From a superb site, the blockbuster 2007 Syrah James Berry Vineyard boasts an opaque purple color in addition to extraordinary aromas of creme de cassis, subtle smoke, blackberries, pepper, and bouquet garni, a fabulous texture, and a finish that lasts for 50+ seconds. This amazing Syrah should drink well for 10-15+ years.IWC 94 (6/2009): 14.2% alcohol) Glass-staining ruby. Vibrant red and blue fruit aromas are complicated by Asian spices, smoky minerals and potpourri. Strikingly sweet, with nervy raspberry and boysenberry flavors and an undertone of cinnamon, clove and dried violet. The floral qualities gain strength with air and carry through the long, sappy finish. Impressively pure and balanced to age, but already delicious. This wine was fermented with 75% whole clusters.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/CopainWines.aspIWC 3 (6/2011): Vivid ruby. Smoky cherry, blackberry, spicecake and floral scents are complicated by a subtle herbal quality. Pliant red and dark berry flavors show excellent depth and seductive sweetness, picking up cola and violet nuances with air. Leaves bitter cherry and blackberry liqueur notes behind, along with a hint of candied flowers. This has the structure and focus to age. WA 91-94 (2/2011): Made from tiny yields, the 2009 Pinot Noir Cahill Lane comes from Dijon clones 114 and 115 and the Rochioli Selection. It reveals a slightly sweeter fruit profile along with abundant notes of black raspberries, black cherries, earth and forest floor. Medium to full-bodied and fleshy with a richer, more authoritative, deeper style than the Estate cuvee, it should drink well when released and evolve for 7-10 years.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/WalterHansel.aspBH 95 (10/2010): An exceptionally densely fruited nose that is intensely floral and nuanced with stone, spice and soft earth hints complements to perfection the impressively concentrated medium weight plus flavors that brim with dry extract such that the very firm tannins are rendered almost invisible at present though I suspect that they will become more visible as the baby fat recedes. This broad-scaled effort should age for up to a decade and last several more. Magnificent. Drink 2016+. Outstanding.WA 87 (2/2011): The 2008 Syrah Horseshoe Ranch (also fermented with 100% stems and aged in 25% new French oak) comes from a parcel planted at a 1,600 foot elevation. While it was impressive from barrel last year, it now reveals more tannin as well as a muscular, masculine, austere, angular, brittle style. Hints of tea, earth and red currants are buried under the hard, sinewy, charmless tannins. This wine may become desiccated unless it fleshes out and reveals more depth of fruit. There is always a delicate balance between the concentration of fruit, ripeness and tannic structure. It is prudent to be skeptical when the tannins dominate a wine’s fruit characteristics so dramatically. It will be interesting to taste this offering in 3-4 years as it is certainly going to last given the acid and tannin profiles. However, I do not know whether it will ever develop much charm or generosity.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/Rhys.asphttp://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/Scarecrow.asp