BIG BASIN VINEYARDS
2007 ODEON SYRAH/CABERNET - 93 points
2007 MANDALA SYRAH - 91 points

2007 Odeon: "This has wonderful flavors with a medley of ripe cherry, mocha, toasty oak, espresso bean and black licorice notes that are rich, supple, full-bodied and expansive, ending with a long, flavorful finish. Drink now through 2018." - J.L.

2007 Mandala: "Tight and intense, deep and concentrated without being heavy, offering dried berry, berry pie, anise, black licorice and cedary oak. Gains nuance and finesse on the finish. Drink now through 2017." - J.L.

Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine
March 2010

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BIG BASIN VINEYARDS
2007 MANDALA SYRAH - 93 points/2 Puffs

"...this hugely expressive bottling include(s) such admirable tidbits as full volume, distinctive blackberry fruit, focused varietal spice notes and an enormously inviting sense of richness that lasts from beginning to end and is carried very well by the wine's mouthfilling palatal impressions."

The Rhone Report
February 2010

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BIG BASIN VINEYARDS
2007 MANDALA SYRAH - 93 points

"The 2007 Big Basin Vineyards Syrah Mandala spends 20 months in 40% new French oak barrels and offers up
stunning cassis and blackberry fruit, smoked meats, graphite and spice notes. This opens up with air and
shows impressive complexity and a perfumed, bright character. The palate is full bodied with lots of sweet, rich
fruit, a lush texture and a long finish. There's ripe tannin on the finish. This drank beautifully over the 3 days I
had the bottle open."

Stephen Tanzer's International
Wine Cellar

Nov/Dec 2009

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BIG BASIN VINEYARDS
2007 FAIRVIEW ROAD RANCH SYRAH - 91+ points
2006 RATTLESNAKE ROCK SYRAH - 91 points
2007 BALD MOUNTAIN PINOT NOIR - 91 points
2006 ALFARO FAMILY PINOT NOIR - 91 points

2007 Fairview Road Ranch Syrah: "Deep ruby-red. Pungent, expressive bouquet displays blackberry, boysenberry, cracked pepper and smoky mineral scents, with nuances of pipe tobacco and herbs adding complexity. Broad and sweet but also spicy, with tangy red and dark berry flavors and a sexy suggestion of candied flowers. Closes down on the finish, with the spice and pepper notes repeating. This benefited from air and should be even better with a few more years of bottle aging."

2006 Syrah Rattlesnake Rock Syrah: "Bright ruby. Exotically perfumed aromas of cherry-cola, five-spice powder, cinnamon, tobacco and smoked meat, with a sexy floral quality gaining strength with air. Deeply concentrated dark berry compote flavors are framed by supple tannins and brightened by Asian spices and minerals. The tannins carry through the finish but don't interfere with the wine's sweet, juicy, very persistent berry qualities. Give this a couple more years in the bottle."

2007 Bald Mountain Pinot: "Vivid red. Powerful aromas of black raspberry, cherry, mace, allspice and minerals. Brighter red berries on the palate, with bitter cherry and spice notes gaining strength with air. Sexy but serious, with impressive clarity and finishing energy and thrust. This very young but extremely promising wine is worthy of cellaring. "

2007 Alfaro Family Pinot: "Dark red. Exotic aromas of black raspberry, Asian spices and incense, with a muskier herbal note lending a serious quality. Broad, fleshy dark berry flavors are given spine by juicy acidity and repeat the spice note on the back end. Alluringly sweet pinot with gentle grip to its long, sappy, spicy finish. This is more open-knit than the Bald Mountain today."

The Rhone Report
November 2009

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BIG BASIN VINEYARDS
2007 FAIRVIEW ROAD RANCH SYRAH - 91 points
2007 SANTA CRUZ/MONTEREY SYRAH - 90 points
2006 RATTLESNAKE ROCK SYRAH - 91-93 points
2005 RATTLESNAKE ROCK SYRAH - 95 points

2007 Fairview Road Ranch Syrah: "The third vintage of this release, the 2007 Big Basin Fairview road Syrah sees 20 months in French oak and exhibits impressive aromatics of raspberry and blackberry fruit, spice, earth and underbrush
that are framed by bitter chocolate and coffee nuances. In the mouth, the wine is medium to full bodied with a soft, mouth filling texture hiding a firm, structured core. The wine tightens up with air and it’s balanced, beautifully fruited and shows nice sappiness to the fruit. Drink this over the next 10
to 12 years."

2007 Santa Cruz/Monterey Syrah: "Just packed with chocolate and coffee aromas, the Big Basin Vineyards Syrah Santa Cruz/Monterey County has decadent and rich cassis and blackberry fruit, spice and graphite notes coming through with air. The wine is medium bodied in the mouth with a smooth, pure texture, excellent precision, rich fruit and solid underlying structure and balance. This finishes well and I’m a fan. Drink this outstanding Syrah over the next 5 to 7 years."

2006 Rattlesnake Rock Syrah: "The 2006 Big Basin Rattlesnake vineyard Syrah is a dense, structured wine with fantastic aromatics of smoked meat, tobacco, dark fruit and striking minerality. The palate is medium to full bodied, rich,
tannic and structured. This needs time."

2005 Rattlesnake Rock Syrah: "Exhibiting a fantastic, northern Rhone like bouquet of smoked bacon, blackberry, black olive and minerals, the 2005 Big Basin Vineyards Syrah Rattlesnake Rock is medium to full bodied with a tight,
precise texture, vibrant acidity, awesome fruit and a long, structured and classy finish. This actually showed best the day after opening so if drinking anytime soon, a healthy decant is recommended. A dead ringer for a top Cote Rôtie and highly recommended!"

Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine
October 2009

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BIG BASIN VINEYARDS
2007 ALFARO FAMILY PINOT - 92 points/2 Puffs
2007 BALD MOUNTAIN PINOT - 87 points/1 Puff

2007 Alfaro Family Vineyard Pinot Noir: "Extract rather than grace is the main theme of this fleshy, well-muscled young Pinot, yet in spite of its proclivities to a mild bit of chocolaty ripeness, the wine is well-filled with keenly defined cherry-like fruit. It is firmed by ample acidity but still shows glimmers of velvet to come, and while it may be just a bit taut at the finish, it never lets go of its very confident fruit. It is a sure bet to grow more attractive over time and could improve for five or more years."

February 2009 Issue

BIG BASIN VINEYARDS
2006 FAIRVIEW RANCH SYRAH - 91 points
2006 RATTLESNAKE ROCK SYRAH - 90 points

2006 Fairview Ranch Syrah: "A big-shouldered syrah with rich, velvety tannins, this shows full-on Santa Lucia Highlands ripeness checked by the fine white pepper and savory smoked meat flavors of a cool-climate zone. It shows more mineral character with air, the texture a silky vehicle for peppery spice and black cherry richness."

2006 Syrah Rattlesnake Rock: "Youthfully primary and juicy at first, this develops meatier, savage scents with air. It carries the coastal, redwood forest coolness of this site near Big Basin State Park. The peppery tannins suggest cellaring it for several years before serving with roast boar."

BIG BASIN VINEYARDS
2005 RATTLESNAKE ROCK SYRAH - 94 points

"Towering, purple, blue and red fruits with bold aromas of currant, chocolate and smoke. The palate is lush berries, black tea and round with some salty nuances to the sun warmed fruit." - Doug Wilder, The Wilder Side of California

BIG BASIN VINEYARDS
2004 RATTLESNAKE ROCK SYRAH - 93 points

"Full of rich and supple aromas of blackberry and tarry violet. The palate is smooth and concentrated. This is a wine that gives immediate enjoyment as well as ability to age." - D. W.

February 2008 Issue

BIG BASIN VINEYARDS
2005 FAIRVIEW RANCH SYRAH - 93 points
2005 RATTLESNAKE ROCK SYRAH - 92 points

2005 Fairview Ranch Syrah: "The scent of mulberries and wild fruit gives this an untamed fell, spicy with crushed green peppercorn and lasting red berry flavors. The soft texture turns voluptuous as the wine takes on air, its structure based more on refreshing acidity than powerful tannin. A sleek red for squab with wild mushrooms."

2005 Syrah Rattlesnake Rock: "Bradley Brown began reclaiming an old vineyard site adjacent to Big Basin in 1998. He planted Rattlesnake Rock in 2000, at an elevation rising to 1,400 feet. Given the native yeast fermentation and the 100 percent new oak used in aging, you can expect the wine to be wild and powerful. It is, in fact, floral and black, with a meatiness to the aroma that one taster described as "blood sausage in a glass." The blueberry fruit is cut by sharp notes of conifer and black pepper, providing a tension to the wine that lasts. Decant it for roast venison or other game. "

ISSUE 172

BIG BASIN VINEYARDS
2005 FAIRVIEW RANCH SYRAH - 92 points
2005 MANDALA SYRAH - 92 points
2004 MANDALA SYRAH - 90 points
2005 RATTLESNAKE ROCK SYRAH - 92 points
2004 RATTLESNAKE ROCK SYRAH - 92 points

"Impressive Syrahs are being fashioned by proprietor Bradley Brown from his Santa Cruz Mountain vineyards. Unfortunately, quantities are limited for these cuvees. The 2004s reveal that vintage's opulence, richness, full-bodied power, and flesh. All the wines are bottled without fining or filtration. The 2004 Syrah Rattlesnake Rock exhibits creamy blackberry, damp earth, spice, meat, and earthy notes. Its seamless integration of acidity, tannin, and lofty alcohol results in a full-bodied, powerful, serious wine that can be drunk now and over the next 12-15 years. Displaying a smoky bacon fat character intermixed with truffle, beef, blackberry, and cassis notes, the 2004 Syrah Mandala is slightly lighter, but still dense, powerful, rich and harmonious. It should drink well for a decade.

The 2005 Syrah Rattlesnake Rock offers up aromas of charcoal, creme de cassis, pepper, and white chocolate. More elegant and restrained than the exuberant, flamboyant 2004, it is reminiscent of a top French Hermitage. Medium to full-bodied with moderately high tannin as well as a richness that builds incrementally in the mouth, this fresh lively, impressive Syrah should age well for 12-15 years. The 2005 Syrah Mandala possesses more intense fruit, not the complexity of the Rattlesnake Rock, but is just as good because of the sweetness, purity, and overall harmony of its elements. With superb purity, an expressive style, and loads of soul and character, it will provide plenty of pleasure over the next 10-12 years. A more cool climate effort is the 2005 Syrah Fairview Ranch from the Santa Lucia Highlands. It reveals a dense ruby/purple color as well as notes of bay leaf, a touch of mint, white chocolate, and plenty of black cherry and currant fruit. Rich, heady, and full-bodied, with less power and exuberance than its Santa Cruz Mountain siblings, this beauty shows impeccable winemaking and style. Drink it over the next decade or more. "

Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine
July 2008

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BIG BASIN VINEYARDS
2005 RATTLESNAKE ROCK SYRAH - 92 points, Two stars

"Rich, ripe and spicy with a wealth of oak sweetening its way, this broad, mouthfilling Syrah eschews subtlety in favor of power, yet it is not overdone and avoids the pitfalls of uncontrolled ripeness. Its varietal credentials are never in doubt, and, if moderately tannic and very much one for the cellar, it has the depth and overall balance to insure good things ahead in five to ten years."

BIG BASIN VINEYARDS
2005 FAIRVIEW RANCH SYRAH - 93 points
2005 RATTLESNAKE ROCK SYRAH - 92 points
2005 MANDALA SYRAH - 92 points

"This dark ruby 2005 Fairview Ranch Syrah offers aromas of red and black fruit, roasted meat and smoke. On the palate it reveals a sweet lush attack of ripe raspberry and mulberry fruit with notes of garrique and dried herbs. It is beautifully balanced with firm round tannins and a long lasting finish. The Rattlesnake Rock Syrah sourced from a low-yielding vineyard at 1,400 feet, boasts an opaque ruby coloar and scents of raspberry framboise. On the palate it exhibits concentrated pomogranate and raspberry fruit flavors and spicy new French oak notes all elegantly integrated and in perfect balance and harmony. While drinkable now, it will be even better after a year or two of cellaring. The 2005 Mandala, a combination of selected barrels from the Rattlesnake Rock and Fairview Ranch vineyards displays deep ruby color with scents of pomogranate and wild red fruit, meat, leather, smoke and white pepper. Full bodied and highly concentrated on the palate, this complex and opulent wine reveals mouth coating pure red fruit, licorice, rose petals, cigar box and black pepper with soft silky tannins and a long sustained finish. This lovely wine is also showing great balance and finesse. "