Sourced just under half from Boushey Vineyard and the rest from Force Majeure, Avennia’s 2010 Syrah Parapine represents a one-off bottling, as following last year’s frost Peterson lost his share of Force Majeure fruit. Ripe, fresh blueberry is tinged by bitter huckleberry, cardamom, pork rind, peat and diverse floral perfume for a nose and palate that could only come from one grape I know. A smoky, fatty suggestion of salted, roast goose pan scrapings adds to the saliva-liberating effect of a polished yet firm palate performance, leading to a long, mouthwatering finish. (DS)

(15% alcohol; fermented with wild yeasts): Bright ruby. Aromas of violet pastille, bitter chocolate and licorice. Concentrated, rich and very ripe, with a seamless texture to the flavors of crushed blackberry, black raspberry and bitter chocolate. The tactile, saline finish leaves behind building tannins and a hint of nutty oak (actually just one of six barrels was new). (ST)

This blends fruit from Red Mountain's Force Majeure Vineyard and Boushey Vineyard. Fermented using native yeast, it shows black cherry, cola and earth, with a drying finish that's redolent of wet cement. This is complex and even delicate. (PG)