Santa Maria Valley
Since the beginning, I have had the conviction that the Bien Nacido vineyard has all the elements to make an age-worthy syrah, and I have structured the wines accordingly. It is a delicate balancing act to make wine that is reasonably accessible when young yet has the stuff for aging gracefully. When we release this wine for sale it doesn’t have that brash fruitiness that is so fashionable these days. This wine is plenty fruit filled, but it expresses itself in a more complex, spicy, exotic, and earthy way. The beauty of the wine doesn’t really show itself for at least five years. Decanting 12 to 24 hours before tasting helps if you must drink this wine young, but you miss out on a lot of its magic if you are impatient with it. This could turn out to be our best syrah from this vineyard since 1996.
748 Cases Made
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Press Reviews
Robert Parkers’s Wine Advocate
“Structured and muscular with abundant tannins as well as superb concentration, it will benefit from several years of cellaring, and should keep for 15+.” -93 points
Stephen Tanzers International Wine Cellar
“Deeply flavored and fresh, with bright dark berry notes, vibrant minerality and silky tannins.” -93 points
Wine Spectator
”Pure, rich and concentrated, with firm blueberry, wild berry and huckleberry fruit that’s intense and well-structured, ending with tannins that help define the core flavors.” -90 points
