Neyers Combo

Red blends are a mixed blessing in California.

Whether inspired by Old World corners (the Rhone) or hinged on West Coast do-what-you-feelism, they can be delicious.

When they work.

With some frequency, they do not. Throwing Syrah and Cabernet into the same rotation, for instance, inevitably recalls that "Bull Durham" line: It's like a Martian talking to a fungo.

This isn't to carp about traditions of old. Libertines like Sean Thackrey have been defying European rigors for decades, to everyone's great benefit.

Indeed, California's own traditions define the pragmatism of blending; Italian farmers' pre-Prohibition field blends are as historically noteworthy as Chateauneuf's grab bag of varieties.