Varietal:Syrah
Appellation:California, Santa Barbara
Style:Red
Price:$19
WOW Rating:89

Zaca Mesa shows, once more, how suited the Syrah varietal is to the Santa Barbara appellation. This is a big, full, supple wine with rich, ripe fruit. Yet is balanced by a dash of fresh acidity, assisted no doubt by those cool Pacific breezes. President Richard Nixon showed a preference for sparkling wine from Napa, but if alive today he could have chosen well from his own neighbourhood.
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This time of year, along with gondolas trundling down the road and crushers running night and day, many of the wineries in the Napa Valley and Sonoma County – and probably every other wine grape growing region in California – are calling on the good services of local prelates to bless the harvest as the first load of the vintage arrives.
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