Clear light ruby. Smells like cat litter and diesel on opening, but blows off into a manageable tar & feathered rail-road-tie with a side of butane and hairball. Continual swirls give you a grievance of bad hot-weather fruit and ridiculous alcohol, something I am having a tough time with, with this ’14-2″ staring me in the face.

It tastes better than it smells. No, I changed my mind. No it doesn’t. It’s bad burnt stuff. If you like Ballard canyon stuff, or burnt, weirdly acidified but shockingly low AL wines or nutty butter reductions, this is your jam. I want to like it, but I can’t. There’s no center to it. Doughnut wine.

2017 AGHARTA Syrah Central Coast California 14.2

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