The 2005 Syrah Alpha from the Apalta Vineyard is one of my favorite wines year in and out. Smoky, spicy and seductive, with a nose that reaches out of the glass like a purple-hued siren, beckoning the thirsty traveller in for a sip. Flavors that range from tobacco and cigar box to rich blackberries to sweet perfume are bound by chewy tannins. Always more wine than the price tag suggests.