2007 Bayo Oscuro Syrah, 91 points

Dark purple. Cherry, blackberry, spices and cracked pepper on the pungent nose. Sweet red berry and bitter cherry qualities on the palate, along with notes of candied flowers and smoked meat. Showing a more serious personality than the Lucero today as well as more complexity. Finishes with very good clarity and a lingering bitterness.

2008 Alazan Pinot Noir, 89 points

Bright red. Spicy red berries and cherry on the nose, with complicating notes of dried rose, spicecake and minerals. Very pinot, offering lively red fruit and bitter rhubarb flavors and good mineral spine. The finish repeats the floral note and lingers with very good clarity and spiciness.

2008  Lucero Syrah, 89 points

Glass-staining ruby. Spicy black raspberry and cherry-vanilla aromas are complemented by notes of dried flowers and gingerbread. Lush and juicy on the palate, displaying sweet dark berry and spice flavors and subtle tannins. Open-knit and sweet syrah with very good finishing lift and lingering spiciness.

2008 Tobiano Pinot Noir, 88(+?) points

Light, bright red. Spicy bouquet of redcurrant and strawberry, with exotic incense and floral qualities adding nuance. Tightly wound and a bit dry, offering nervy red berry and bitter chocolate flavors and good mineral cut. Very fresh pinot, with more sweetness building in the glass and lingering on the finish. Give this youthfully tangy wine at least another year of bottle age to flesh out.

2008 Cariblanco Sauvignon Blanc,  87 points

Bright ruby. Seductively perfumed aromas of raspberry, blueberry, potpourri and incense, with a strong cinnamon quality adding energy. Tangy and pinot-like in its precision and red fruit expression, offering pure raspberry and candied cherry flavors and a subtle mineral underpinning. The spicy qualities gain strength on the finish, which is strikingly focused and long. I'd love to taste this alongside some high-end California syrahs. These wines are made under the supervision of California-based winemaker Byron Kosuge.

2007 Tobiano Pinot Noir, 90 points

Deep red. Seductively perfumed bouquet of raspberry, Asian spices and fresh flowers. Sweet, silky red berry flavors stain the palate and pick up exotic floral pastille and smoky mineral character with air. Really alluring pinot with excellent finishing clarity and persistence. This would stack up well next to plenty of $50 pinots from the New or Old World.

2007 Alazan Pinot Noir, 89 points

Deep red. Powerful scents of cherry and dark berries, with hints of tobacco and smoked meat. Weighty dark berry flavors coat the palate and are firmed by dusty tannins. Richer than the Tobiano bottling, but missing that wine's energy and suavity. Finishes with a strong echo of bitter cherry and very good cling.

Inky ruby. Explosively perfumed aromas of blackberry, cassis, violet and black pepper, with a strong note of smoked meat. Sappy and sweet, with deep dark berry preserve flavors, supple texture and slow-building spiciness. The floral and pepper notes linger on the impressively long, juicy finish. This is a superb bargain that behaves like a California syrah costing at least twice as much.

2007 Cariblanco Sauvignon, 88 points

Extremely pale straw. Sharply focused scents of lime, grapefruit and quinine. Racy and dry, offering an array of citrus and underripe orchard fruit flavors and nervy minerality. An uncompromisingly firm sauvignon with good finishing grip and mineral persistence.