cropthreash


Handmade wines since 1983.

 

 

1998 SYRAH, BIEN NACIDO
Santa Barbara County
 
Bien Nacido is our coolest vineyard site for syrah, and every year these are the last grapes harvested. We picked the grapes for this wine on November 16th, 18th, and 19th. It took that long for them to ripen fully!

Growing grapes in a climate where they barely get enough heat to ripen gives you wines that are profoundly different. There is a certain liveliness and lightness that they possess, which makes them eminently more drinkable. Though warm climate syrah is hugely popular, I often find it difficult to slug through a whole bottle of that sort of high-octane stuff.

Interestingly enough, the difference between hot and cool climate syrah is not the extract or intensity level. This is our darkest colored syrah from the vintage, and it has a boatload of flavor. It is more a matter of balance, and almost every year that is what sets this wine apart.
Aromatically, Bien Nacido syrah is so different from our other syrahs, so much spicier and earthier. This makes it a little more European in posture. Flavor-wise, while it is full of Californian fruitiness, there is an extra dimension here as well that I find compelling. This is a dazzlingly complex and complete wine. It tastes great now but will certainly get better with more time in the bottle.