Tasting: Jaffurs Wine Cellars

I tried the 2006 Jaffurs Wine Cellars Santa Barbara County Syrah last night. I paid $50 for the bottle at a martini/wine bar called Cibar (17th and Irving) not too far from Union Square in New York. I didn't take formal tasting notes, but I'd say it was exactly what I was looking for last night.

Jaffurs Wine Cellars 2005 Santa Barbara County Syrah
Color: Ruby red
Nose: Nice, but not overwhelming. Hints of red fruits.
Taste: I enjoyed this wine, after a light-dinner, celebrating with a few recently engaged friends. The wine had nice bold fruit fruit flavors up front with a hint of spice, finishing with a silky bit of sweetness that made it perfect. It's not an extremely complex wine, more straight forward, but enjoyable none the less.

The Jaffurs website doesn't list the 2006 vintages yet. Additionally, from my limited research, it seems that Cibar is only charging a double markup - really not that bad for Manhattan. The wife and I are working on a trip to Santa Barbara at some point, so we will have to add this to the list of wineries to visit. Anyone else have a particular Santa Barbara wine they would recommend? Or just a bottle that's drinking particularly well?

I would give this wine a 8 corks.

A separate question: Anyone dreading the weak dollar for wine consumption reasons? I think it's certainly going to crimp some of my purchases of Italian wines if this keeps up.