Winemaker Notes
The nose is reserved but will blossom with cellaring. Subtle aromas of roasted chestnuts, black pepper and rhubarb are followed on the palate by layers of silky tannins that finish with flavors of Black Tartarian cherries, California Bay, pine resin and smoked salt.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Piquant, tart and snappy aromas of underripe berries and plums meet with lavender and crumpled dahlia on the nose of this bottling. The white-pepper, wild-thyme and bay leaf flavors are focused and pure on the palate, where black-plum and more lavender tones make for a fresh, lightly bodied and zesty expression.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Syrah Bien Nacido Vineyard comes from vines in X block planted in 1973 and biodynamically farmed. It has a deep ruby-purple color and a lovely perfume of violets, garrigue and charcuterie with fresh blackcurrant fruit. The palate is grainy, fresh and light on its feet with loads of floral character and a long, lifted finish.
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.