Harvest Weekend Syrah's that Wow
Eagle12, Chicago
Our second stop of our 4 day trip is here at Beckmen. The Cab grapes are on the pad being destemmed and I am mesmerized by the machine, up walks Mr. Beckmen and he explains the process. What a thrill, he must be very busy but he took the time to explain what they were working on and the steps involved. We enter the tasting room and it is crowded. Allie from Brazil is the only pourer and she is pleasant, busy and knows here wines. We taste a Grenache and I beleive 3 or 4 very good Syrahs. My brother joins the wine club so the tasting is free and our group purchases 9 bottles of Syrahs. I thought the best of the bunch was the 2007 Purisma Mountain Vineyard Clone#1 Syrah. On the way out of the tasting room Steve Beckmen sees the case and states "that he is glad we enjoyed the wines" inform Steve and that their Syrah's are phenomenal. This is another one of our best stops on Harvest Weekend. High points are the wines are very well made, the Beckmen family taking time to explain whats happening at the winery, and the way Allie handled the crowd in the tasting room in such a friendly manner. Don't miss this winery if you like Syrah.

Sideways!
TheAmericanIdol, Santa Barbara
One of the Santa Ynez Valley's finest vineyard/wineries. Being one of the wineries features in the movie "Sideways", Beckman Vineyards is an all around A+ stop. You can chose to lunch at one of the three gazebos Beckman has by the tasting room. The tasting room is charming and next door is a lovely gallery. The staff is upbeat, knowledgeable and very professional. I can say for sure one of the best Syrah's around. The Beckman 2003 Syrah is one of the best Syrah's and all others should bow to its excellence. The aroma has a perfect tingle of spice which excites the palate; which is then graced to taste one of the best Syrah's when you take the first sip. Go there. That's all I can say about this amazing winery. I plan to go back whenever I can!