if the first duty of a wine is to be delicious, this tiny production bottling succeeds beyond all measure. the black bear block is almost always zaca mesa's best syrah among its many releases, and so it is again in 2009. take one sip and you're dazzled by the refined tannins, dryness and complexity of flavors: blackberry, cassis, plum sauce, mocha, bacon, smoky oak, white pepper, chamomile tea and licorice. what's harder to express is the sheer pleasure of the mouthfeel. this is an exciting syrah, and may just be at the beginning of a long journey. drink now and for many years as it slowly changes.
Black Bear Block Estate Grown and Bottled