Winemaker Notes
I love the cooler vintages. This definitely ranks among the top 5 syrahs that I've produced from this special Bien Nacido Hillside block. It has the classic black pepper you get in cool vintages along with raspberries, cola, Provençal herbs with that nice touch of sweet French oak. This wine is a baby upon release... to enjoy young please decant a couple hours before you drink it so it can open up. If you buy some for the cellar, I'd recommend waiting until it's at least 8 years old and with the right storage this wine will easily go 15-20 years.
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
The syrah vines at Bien Nacido's Z-Block were planted exclusively for Qupé in 1992; by 2006, they began to reach a sweet spot in their adolescence. Where earlier vintages of Hillside Estate may have been awkward on release, this '06 feels confident and sure, wrapping raspberry and plum flavors in strong tannins that mix smoke and earth. It gains freshness with air, the fruit lifted by peppery spice and cool acidity. It will reward patient cellaring.
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.”
The largest and perhaps most varied of California’s wine-growing regions, the Central Coast produces a good majority of the state's wine. This vast California wine district stretches from San Francisco all the way to Santa Barbara along the coast, and reaches inland nearly all the way to the Central Valley.
Encompassing an extremely diverse array of climates, soil types and wine styles, it contains many smaller sub-AVAs, including San Francisco Bay, Monterey, the Santa Cruz Mountains, Paso Robles, Edna Valley, Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Maria Valley.
While the Central Coast California wine region could probably support almost any major grape varietiy, it is famous for a few Central Coast reds and whites. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel are among the major ones. The Central Coast is home to many of the state's small, artisanal wineries crafting unique, high-quality wines, as well as larger producers also making exceptional wines.