2006 BIEN NACIDO SYRAH

Santa Maria Valley

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Vineyard manager Chris Hammell continues to work his magic here. Our section in block Z has always produced a wine of distinction, but Hammell’s farming has turned this block into a showcase of how to produce the best syrah grapes. Organic growing, low yields, and painstaking attention to detail have taken these vines to a new level–and the wines show it. This 2006 syrah is a wonderful statement of how good Bien Nacido syrah can be: a wine with fascinatingly complex aromas and dense, woodsy, berry fruit and zippy exuberance. This is an intensely flavored but completely delicious wine to drink.

Vineyard manager Chris Hammell continues to work his magic here. Our section in block Z has always produced a wine of distinction, but Hammell’s farming has turned this block into a showcase of how to produce the best syrah grapes. Organic growing, low yields, and painstaking attention to detail have taken these vines to a new level–and the wines show it. This 2006 syrah is a wonderful statement of how good Bien Nacido syrah can be: a wine with fascinatingly complex aromas and dense, woodsy, berry fruit and zippy exuberance. This is an intensely flavored but completely delicious wine to drink.

Blend: 100% Syrah | Alcohol: 14.5% | Vinification: 20% New French Oak | Barrel Aging: 20 Months | Total Production: 194 cases

Press Reviews

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar

“Inky violet. Ripe, smoky aromas of cassis, mocha, truffle, licorice and dark chocolate. Then broad, sweet and round, with distinctly dark flavors of blueberry, black raspberry and licorice. Finishes with chewy tannins and excellent persistence. This should age very slowly.” – JR 92 Points

Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate

Wine Advocate #190 Aug 2010

“The saturated purple-hued 2006 Syrah Bien Nacido Vineyard exhibits this site’s tell-tale graphite character along with blackberry and cassis fruit, a thick, juicy, full-bodied mouthfeel, and a heady, long finish. It should drink well for a decade or more.” – RP 94 Points

Wine Advocate #177  June 2008

“This wine is scheduled to be bottled over the next few months. The 2006 Syrah Bien Nacido Vineyard boasts a dense ruby/purple hue along with a bouquet of lead pencil shavings, minerals, blackberries, and notions of olives and cherries. This dense, full-bodied Syrah possesses high tannin, decent acidity, and a long finish. It will require patience, but it should turn out to be a mouthfilling, large-scaled red. Once it is in the bottle, give it several years of bottle age.” – RP 91-93 Points