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: 2018 Piedrasassi "Bien Nacido Vineyard" Santa Maria Valley Syrah

2018 Piedrasassi "Bien Nacido Vineyard" Santa Maria Valley Syrah

SKU #1548787 95 points Vinous

Outer quote mark The 2018 Syrah Bien Nacido is a dark, beguiling beauty. Purplish/black fruit, spice, lavender, licorice and black pepper give the Bien Nacido a distinctly sepia-toned profile. Time in the glass brings out striking Syrah aromatics, but the 2018 remains a brooding, muscular wine with tons of depth and potent tannins that need time to soften. (AG) Inner quote mark (8/2020)

95 points Wine Enthusiast

Outer quote mark 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. (MK) Inner quote mark (4/2021)

93 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

Outer quote mark 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. (EB) Inner quote mark (10/2020)

K&L Notes

A remarkable blend of two legendary blocks at Bien Nacido. The core of this wine is "X-Block" a parcel planted way back in 1973. The balance of the wine is from an exposed, elevated, hillside block, planted in 1992 to the Estrella clone.

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2018 Piedrasassi "Bien Nacido Vineyard" Santa Maria Valley Syrah

Price: $41.95

Quantity:

VN: 95

WE: 95

RP: 93

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Product Reviews:

By: Ryan Woodhouse | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 8/24/2021 | Send Email

With winemaker, Sashi Moorman's deft touch in the cellar, the old vines at Bien Nacido have issued forth a very complex and intriguing wine here. The bottle doesn't give up all it's charms on the first sip. Initially it's quite tightly wound, a few good swirls will lift dried lavender and alpine herbs from the glass. Following on one might find briary, dark red berries, laced with dusty earth and smoldering embers. Vibrant on the palate, with fresh, pure fruit and beautifully pronounced acidity. More succulence and fruit emerge on the palate with 30 minutes in a decanter. Suggestions of toasted spice, and seared red meat appear too. An understated power runs through the wines core. A very special expression of cool-climate Syrah from a Grand Cru vineyard, crafted by a true master of his trade. Don't miss this one.

Top Value! Drink from 2021 to 2040

Additional Information:

Varietal:

Shiraz/Syrah

- One of France's noblest black grape varieties, Syrah is known for its intense and distinctive perfume reminiscent of briar fruit, tar, spice and black pepper and its firm structure. One of few black grape varietals frequently vinified on its own, the best examples of Syrah come from the Northern Rhône, particularly Hermitage, but also Côte-Rôtie, Cornas, Crozes-Hermitage and St-Joseph. These wines are very astringent in their youth, though some Crozes-Hermitage and St-Joseph can be enjoyed young, relatively speaking. Given the requisite patience, though, these wines can reveal amazing complexity and secondary fruit characteristics like plum and blackcurrant as well as subtle hints of smoke and flowers. In the Southern Rhône, Syrah is used to add structure and complexity to wines dominated by Grenache and complemented by Mourvèdre, like the more immediately drinkable Côte du Rhônes, as well as the long-lived wines of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. In recent years, plantings of Syrah have spread throughout the Languedoc-Roussillon where it is produced on its own or blended with other varietals. Outside of France, the most important Syrah growing country is easily Australia, where it is called Shiraz. Quality levels here depend greatly on yields and geography, and the wines range from bold, fruity and easy-drinking to intense and ageable, like the famed Penfolds Grange. Often bottled on its own, in Australia Syrah is also can be blended with Grenache and Mourvèdre, as in the Southern Rhône, and is increasingly combined with Cabernet Sauvignon. Syrah has also been steadily increasing in popularity in California, thanks to a group of advocates called the Rhône Rangers. Its most successful iterations come from the Central and Sonoma Coasts, where winemakers are pushing boundaries and creating some incredible wines. In recent years Syrah has also found a number of proponents in Washington State, which is definitely a region to watch for this variety.

Country:

United States

- When people consider domestic wine, they normally think about the state of California. The fine viticultural Region within California, including the Napa Valley, Sonoma, Santa Cruz Mountains, Mendocino and Santa Barbara, are capable of growing grapes of world-class quality. But there's plenty of fabulous wine coming from other states, too. Oregon, Washington and New York are also causing eyebrows (and glassware) to be raised around the world.

Sub-Region:

California

- With the explosive growth that California's wine industry has seen the past several years, it's easy to view winemaking and grape growing in the Golden State as a recent phenomenon. And while it's true that California's viticultural history is brief compared to several European countries, this state's roots date back well over 200 years. Due to the enormous response to California wine within the United States and worldwide, there are thousands of excellent and diverse wines being produced within the state each year.

Specific Appellation:

Santa Maria/Santa Barbara

- Santa Maria and Santa Ynez make up the two AVAs of Santa Barbara County, an area known for its natural beauty and temperate climate. The best grape-growing areas, however, are located on the very coastal reaches of these two appellations, and are cooled by ever-present fog and ocean breezes (it is even cooler and foggier here than Carneros!). As expected, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir thrive while the more inland zones lay claim to Bordeaux varietals and some Rhône blends.

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