Since 2002 Bradley Brown has been producing excellent estate Syrah; intense wines that deserve - nay, demand - cellaring. As the vines have aged and other Rhone varieties have been planted the range has expanded.  The latest release features two siblings that are very different from each other.

2010 Big Basin Old Corral Syrah 

The 2010 Old Corral is a dark, brooding wine featuring 13% Grenache and 1% Viognier. There's a deeply rich nose; lots of dark fruit - plum and blueberry, with herbal tones. Lots of young tannins back up a nice fruit core. It's almost painfully young at this stage; needs at least 3-5 years cellaring and will reward more. Highly recommended.

2010 Rattlesnake Rock Syrah

Blending just 11% Grenache into the Syrah somehow gives a lighter wine than the Old Corral. The nose is floral, almost soapy; it comes across more like a white wine than a red. Where the Old Corral showed black fruits the Rattlesnake Rock leans towards the red; more cherry than plum, with smoky, meaty notes and great structure.  Again. this is a wine you shouldn't plan to touch for a while. Highly recommended.

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Here are some notes from a visit to the Big Basin tasting room late last year - the notes were misplaced and recently found. The winery was pouring some new releases

2009 Rousanne, Estate
The first harvest for this grape at Big Basin, possibly the first ever in the Santa Cruz Mountains, as previous plantings of this grape turned out to be Viognier. Less than half a barrel was made, so the wine was only available for club memers. Nose shows apricot with floral notes. Creamy, with flavours of Asian pear, peach and apricot, with a long, rich finish. I look forward to more plentiful vintages in the future. 92

2009 Pinot Noir, Coastview Vineyard, Monterey County
The first vintage from what were originally underperforming Syrah vines, now grafted over to a number of Dijon Pinot Noir clones. Notes of cherry, cola, rose petal. Light and fresh, with flavours of black cherry and cranberry, nice acidity. Liquorice and tannins show on the longish finish. 92+

2009 Pinot Noir, Lester Family Vineyard, Santa Cruz Mountains
Black cherry and strawberry aromas are echoed on the palate, adding wet stone and raspberry. Good finish. 92

2008 Odeon
A blend of 57% Syrah, 43% Cabernet Sauvignon from Santa Cruz and Monterey counties.
Tasted twice; the first bottle had been open 3 days and showed plenty of black fruit - bramble, cassis and plum, but a little too much oak. 91+. A newly opened bottle was much brighter with vibrant acidity and lots of blackcurrant. 92+

2007 Rattlesnake Rock Syrah, Estate
Massive nose of black fruit and game. Mouth-coating richness; flavours of black plum, berry, meat and liquorice. Long, long finish. 95

2008 Syrah, Coastview Vineyard, Monterey County
Spicy with black fruit, white pepper and dark chocolate. Lots of oaky tannin on the finish; needs time. 93

2009 Homestead
A blend of Grenache, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Grenache dominates the nose - bright floral (lily?) with smoky notes.
Bright red fruit - redcurrant, raspberry, 'red vines' with spice - cinnamon and clove, and a medium finish 92

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At the end of August Big Basin Vineyards opened a new tasting room in Saratoga. Wes and I took a trip out to the winery and called in on the way to see the place and taste the current range.

The tasting room is in a brand new building on Highway 9, next door to Cinnabar - the address is at 14598 Big Basin Way. The room is light and airy, with a large L shaped bar and some comfortable seats. The walls are decorated with photographs of the vineyards taken by the owner and winemaker Bradley Brown and artwork by Matt Jones, whose work is used on several of the wine labels.

Tasting for a flight of 6 wines is $10, refunded with $100 purchase. There is currently a 2 for 1 promotion. You can also purchase wines by the glass; since the tasting room is open until 7PM on Fridays and Saturdays that makes it an ideal place to meet up prior to dinner.

2009 'Aura' Rose of Syrah, Monterey County
Floral nose, with notes of rose hip. While not sweet it doesn't come across as bone dry; it's fruity with a slightly bitter finish and flavours of crisp red apples. Light acidity. $18 89

2007 Alfaro Family Vineyard Pinot Noir, Santa Cruz Mountains
I've often found the wines from the Alfaro Family vineyard to be rather tannic and unyielding when young, but Bradley's treatment doesn't show that at all. The nose has sweet candy and dried cherry; in the mouth it's richly textured and spicy with flavours of dried cherry and white pepper, and a tart finish. $42 91

2007 Syrah
This is a 50/50 blend of Santa Cruz Mountains and Monterey County fruit.
The nose is soft and plummy, the fruit is smooth and light fruit with some tart berry notes and a light finish. $28 88

2006 Rattlesnake Rock Syrah, Santa Cruz Mountains
The flagship estate wine; when I've tasted previous vintages it's been a really big textured wine. This seems lighter than in other years; the nose is fairly restrained with dried currant notes. However it's still pretty big and rich; there are layers of layers of dried fruit, herb and minerals and a longish finish showing those mineral notes again. $54 92

2007 Mandala, Santa Cruz Mountains
This is predominantly estate Syrah, with around 14% Cabernet Sauvignon from a vineyard in Los Gatos blended in. Surprisingly the Cabernet seems more prominent; the nose shows blueberry and pepper, with a balsamic note. On the palate there's blueberry and blackcurrant with oak and tannin showing on the finish. $39 91

2007 Coastview Syrah, Monterey County - Gabilan Mountains
Interesting nose; more assertive than the Rattlesnake Rock with herbal notes, some green pepper and nice black fruit. In the mouth it's another big, richly textured wine; concentrated black fruit flavours with some candied orange peel and meaty notes, leading up to a long finish. Nice smooth tannins; really a delicious wine. $48 93+

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