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2016 Peake Ranch "Bellis Noir" Sta. Rita Hills Rhone Blend

2016 Peake Ranch "Bellis Noir" Sta. Rita Hills Rhone Blend

95JD
92RP
92VN
$39.99

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95

Jeb Dunnuck

Reviewed October 2018
The 2016 John Sebastiano Vineyard Bellis Noir checks in as an even split of Grenache and Syrah that was aged 18 months in neutral barrels. This medium ruby/purple-tinged red gives up rocking amounts of spiced black raspberries, olive, spring flowers, and bacon fat. While the Syrah dominates this wine right on opening, the Grenache emerges with time in the glass (I followed this wine for two days) and it's ethereally textured, seamless, and incredibly layered, with sensational purity of fruit. It's a brilliant bottle of wine.

Professional Reviews

92

Wine Advocate

Review Date: 09/2019
The 2016 Bellis Noir is a blend of 50% Grenache and 50% Syrah from the John Sebastiano vineyard. Pale to medium ruby-purple, it's scented of mixed berry jam, dried black cherries, blueberries, dried violet, chocolate-covered cherries and garrigue. Medium-bodied, it offers great intensity of tricolored fruit in the mouth with lots of savory character, segueing into chocolate and red fruit sparks, with very fine, ripe, grainy tannins and good freshness, finishing with pleasant warmth. 98 cases were made. (EB)

92

Vinous

Review Date: 09/2018
The 2016 Bellis Noir John Sebastiano Vineyard, a blend of Grenache and Syrah, is another striking wine from Peake Ranch. Fleshy, flavorful and super-expressive, the 2016 has much to offer. The combination of Grenache aromatics and Syrah structure works very well here. (AG)

Notes

Peake Ranch Winery is only a few vintages in, but already they're on to something: sexy, expressive Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Syrah, and a soupçon of Grenache from excellent vineyard sites in the Sta. Rita Hills and Santa Maria Valley. Owner John Wagner is a physicist-turned-hedge-fund-manager-turned-winemaker, who developed a passion for the grape when he bought Sierra Madre vineyard and got "sucked in," as he puts it. He's brought talented folks on board-an exciting young winemaker named Wynne Solomon who cut her teeth at Melville; Michael Anderson, a veteran viticulturalist; and somm/winemaker Paul Lato. They're currently in the throes of building a state-of-the-art winery and tasting room at the old Richard Sanford property, being careful to preserve the historic spaces that harken back to the founding of the Sta. Rita Hills AVA (and Sideways fame, of course). The future looks bright for Peake Ranch, but, in the here and now, they've got some fantastic wines on the roster.

Details

TypeRed Wine
VarietalRhone Blends
OriginSanta Maria/Santa Barbara, California, United States
Bottle Size750 mL
SKU1392711