Winemaker Notes
Opaque garnet color. Aromas of blackberry, black plum, black pepper, smoked meat, black olive, fennel, dark chocolate The palate is lush with notes of black plum, blueberry, blackberry compote, dark chocolate, anise, vanilla, baking spices, espresso.
Professional Ratings
-
Jeb Dunnuck
All Syrah from one of the great sites in the Central Coast, the 2016 Syrah Bien Nacido Vineyard spent 21 months in 57% new French oak. Wonderful purity of fruit, medium to full body, ultra-fine tannins, and complex notes of blackcurrants, spiced plums, bay leaf, cured meats, and exotic pepper all make for an incredibly compelling, layered, singular Syrah. This meaty, gamey Syrah would pass undetected in a lineup of top Cornas (although I think its pure California fruit might give it away). While approachable today, it will keep for at least 7-8 years.
-
Wine & Spirits
This feels effortlessly balanced. It’s fully ripe and yet hasn’t lost its beautiful savory accents—the bacon fat, the gingerbread, the smoky briary intensity that seems to have a gravitational pull on the dark cherry fruit. It’s velvety and gorgeous. Tri-tip, please.
-
Wine Enthusiast
Vibrant raspberry, blueberry and red cherry aromas leap from the glass of this elegant and refined Syrah, with faint hints of iris petals and thin mint for added depth. The palate is smooth and silky, with fine, well-integrated tannins and lively, saline-inflected freshness that keeps the palate lifted and the finish vibrant and enduring. Pepper and cola-like spice unfolds on the close.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Medium to deep ruby, the 2016 Bien Nacido Vineyard Syrah has a pretty nose of blueberry and boysenberry preserves, cassis, bacon fat, smoke, garrigue and lavender with a dense black fruit core. The palate is full-bodied and dense with lush black and blue fruits and tons of savory accents. The tannins are firm but ripe, and it finishes long and savory.
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.