2008 Variation One

(a 55/45 blend of syrah and merlot): Full ruby-red. Ripe aromas of black plum, violet and spices lifted by piquant notes of pepper, citrus peel and dried herbs. Firmly built and energetic, with fruit of steel. This boasts outstanding inner-mouth energy and a powerful spine for aging. A sexy suggestion of white fruits adds interest. Finishes long and perfumed, with excellent lift. A superb showing, but there's more to come for the patient collector.

The blend of 55% Syrah and 45% Merlot, all from the Hudson Vineyard in southern Napa is the 2008 Variation One. The trick is to co-ferment both Syrah and Merlot, and it has resulted in a meaty, blackberry, black cherry-scented wine with some notes of lard, jus de viande, and spring flowers. It is an interesting, layered, medium to full-bodied wine that is already delicious and should continue to age well for a decade or more. This is an intriguing and provocative operation from wine personality Fritz Hatton, who is also a classical pianist and auctioneer. He has long had a winemaking association with well-known Napa consultant Andy Erickson. Tel. (707) 963-5918; fax (707) 963-5919

(55% syrah and 45% merlot) Full ruby. Blackberry, licorice and violet on the nose and palate. Quite fresh, even brisk, on the palate, with lively acidity giving definition to the middle palate. Finishes with firm tannic structure and a continuing note of licorice. Less opulent and explosive than the young 2007, and slower to reveal its meaty syrah side, but the flavors of black fruits, licorice and flowers show noteworthy energy for a wine that Hatton told me has a pH of 4.15.