Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
As with the Grenache releases, the 2013 Syrah Il Padrino Bien Nacido Vineyard is a bigger, richer wine than the Larner Vineyard release. This inky, mostly opaque 2013 has an off-the-hook bouquet of smoked black fruits, ground black pepper, graphite, bacon fat and marine-like sea-breeze to go with a full-bodied, ultra-pure, elegant and seamless profile on the palate. Beautifully concentrated, multi-dimensional, layered, elegant and with blockbuster length, it's another wine from Paul that has the pedigree to drink splendidly in its youth, yet age gracefully.
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.