Volume 34, Issue 1: November 2009
SYRAH SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Big and brawny, balanced and spicy, expensive and priceworthy, Syrah covers the waterfront in almost any style you would like and is often well-priced to boot. Sonoma Co. Chardonnay SUBSCRIBERS ONLY No sooner does the world decide that California can't make balanced Chardonnay than up pops wine after wine with all the depth and energy that the variety is capable of mustering. Sure, there is a bright, fruity quality that marks the wines from Sonoma, and so is there plenty of bristling acidity. SPARKLING SUBSCRIBERS ONLY West Coast sparkling wine has become consistently good, incredibly priceworthy and the best value you can get whether you are spending $15 or $50. Best Buys SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Look no further for great values that will be pleasing to your palate and to your wallet.				SUBSCRIBERS ONLY CONNOISSEURS' FORUMS with edtiors Charles Olken and Stephen Eliot. · wine price vs rating 2006 Kendall-Jackson Syrah Highland Estates Alisos Hills Santa Barbara County Intense and highly ripened blackberry fruit is the driving force right from the start here, and, while the wine is also decked out with lots of sweet oak, so too it is marked by an indelible streak of peppery Syrah spice. It is very full-bodied and a touch viscous to start, but it is more supple in feel than it is heavy or soft, and it persists quite well at the finish. A couple of years in the cellar will see it start to round into shape, but it has the pieces in place to improve for many years more. $35.00 Score: 91