Piedrasassi - Syrah Bien Nacido Vineyard Santa Maria Valley 2021 750ml
- Bien Nacido Vineyard, Block X & Z (Santa Maria Valley AVA)
- Z Block was planted in 1992 and X Block was planted in 1973 originally to own-rooted Riesling but was grafted to Estrella River clone Syrah in 1986
- Z Block is over limestone soils
- Hand-harvested
- Native yeast fermentation
- Wine was fermented in concrete tanks with 70% whole-cluster
- Aged 18 months in neutral French oak (12 months 228L barrique, 6 months 500L puncheon)
- 12.8% ABV
“The common thread among all the wines we love and admire is that there are both a mind and a place behind them. Wine, just like food, or music, or art, should have a certain kind of authenticity–it should come from someone and somewhere. This idea is what informs the work that we do. We try to make honest wines that we believe in. We hope you like them.” –Sashi Moorman, Piedrasassi
Sashi and Melissa have been making great, restrained, Northern Rhone-style Syrah for a decade, until now selling it only in California, and we are thrilled to bring their wines, in their very distinctive squat bottle, to the Tri-State area.
They began making a small amount of wine in Lompoc, CA in 2003 under the Piedrasassi label. The focus of Piedrasassi’s wine program is cool climate Syrah. Sashi & Melissa believe that good Syrah can be made at many sites in Santa Barbara County, but it is at the cool climate sites that Syrah is at its most compelling; producing the most complex aromas and the most savory textures. The vineyard sites for Piedrasassi range from Ballard Canyon in the east to the Santa Rita Hills and Arroyo Grande in the west.
In the vineyard, the team at Piedrasassi picks a bit earlier than their colleagues to keep the alcohol levels in balance with flavor and to preserve the natural acidity of the fruit. In the winery, Moorman employs some whole cluster inclusion, indigenous yeast fermentation, and no sulfur added at fermentation, remaining as natural as possible without compromising the integrity of the wine. Elevage is in 500L barrels to limit the wine’s exposure to oxygen and to minimize the influence of oak. They add the smallest amount of sulfur to the wine at bottling; allowing the aromatics to stay expressive while still protecting the wine during cellaring. The result, in all of these bottlings, is Syrah that shows off the different sites through aromas that bloom and evolve in the glass and tannins that grip and engage the palate.
93 pts from all the critics
Bright and effusive, with lovely aromatic presence, the 2021 is positively stellar. Dark red/plum fruit, chalk, white pepper mint and pomegranate all open in this super-expressive Syrah. Clean mineral notes extend the effortless, nuanced finish
It has very pretty scents of wild berries, game meats, saddle leather and wildflowers, continuously opening as it spends time in the glass. The light-bodied palate features understated, mineral-driven fruit, silky tannins and fireworks of fresh acidity, and it has a long, latent finish. It deserves 3-5 years in bottle to unwind.
A lighter style Syrah reflective of the region's cooling coastal influence over-delivers with a rich bouquet of Intensely aromatic black and blue fruited notes, tobacco leaves and oak tree sap. On the palate, a continuation of tobacco and a hint of flinty minerality open the senses for sun-dried white sage and chilled wild blueberry compote flavours from this cool climate Syrah. Bold, yet rather romantic in nature with soft tannins and lean acidity that carry through to the finish of lingering berry flavour on the tongue."
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