Dehlinger's 2012 Syrah Goldridge is quite powerful in style, with plenty of mid-palate intensity and fabulous overall balance. Black pepper, violets, smoke, mint and cloves flesh out on the finish. Overall, the 2012 is a bit gamy and at times rough around the edges, but in the end, it is the opulence of the fruit that wins. There is no shortage of personality here. (AG)

Fully ripe, solidly fruity, faintly smoky and redolent of peppered, roasted meats in the nose and following through with no change of course on the palate, this big, generously filled, yet relatively trim young Syrah conveys a sense of real sophistication in both flavor and feel. It is a confident, wonderfully well-extracted wine of great stamina and length, and it never once tips to excess. It is a complete package and requires no less than four or five years of age, but it is so well-assembled that it is all but guaranteed to develop famously for a decade or more. *Two Stars*