Winemaker Notes
Blend: 100% Syrah
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
Taking Syrah to another level, there are exciting flavors to be found here, the bold, yet intricate 2009 Bonny Doon Bien Nacido X-Block comes to the game with bold black fruit, a streak of minerality and beguiling specks of black pepper. Can you say Cote-Rotie? Maybe that is stretching it a bit, but this is a pretty cool wine. Just think, you are on the deck and a slow roasting herb-rubbbed leg of lamb is on a nearby grill. What can be better than this? (Tasted: February 5, 2015, San Francisco, CA)
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A classic Bien Nacido Syrah with its smoky dark fruit, mineral and pepper-driven bouquet, the 2009 Syrah Bien Nacido Vineyard X Block (100% Syrah aged 20 months in French oak puncheons) is medium to full-bodied, beautifully fruited and has a focused, pure feel on the palate.
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
A lesser-known but elite AVA within the larger Santa Barbara district, the Santa Maria Valley AVA runs precisely west to east starting near the coast. The valley funnels cool, Pacific Ocean air to the vineyards more inland, allowing grapes a longer hang time to ripen evenly and achieve their full potential by harvest time. Combined with minimal rainfall, consistent warm sunshine, and well-drained soils, it is an ideal environment for grape growing.
Many of the wineries here are small and highly respected, having established a reputation in the 1970s and 80s for producing excellent Central Coast wines like Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. More recently, Syrah has also proven quite successful in the region. Many vineyards are owned by growers who sell their grapes to other wineries, so it is common to see the same vineyard name on bottlings from different wineries. Bien Nacido Vineyard is perhaps the best-known and most prestigious.