2002 Syrah

Winemaker Bob Foley is a major fan of the 2001 vintage; he notes that the wines present a rare combination of strong extract and very good acidity. The wines were great from the start," he summarizes. In comparison, everything about 2002 was slow to develop. They didn't even smell like wine until about July; they didn't show any overt character. But it's also possible that these wines may last longer than the 2001s."Critics of Foley's wines occasionally carp about their sweetness or lavish oakiness. But there's no denying their extraordinary intensity of mountain berry fruit and their obvious sex appeal. My experience to date is that Foley's better vintages have done an excellent job retaining their superb fruit. Foley tends to put together his final blends late, so I have limited my notes below to the wines I tasted from bottle in early March.