2017 Site Wines Syrah Bien Nacido Vineyard Santa Maria Valley 750 ml

Decorated with 96-point praise and grown on the legendary cool-climate Bien Nacido Vineyard, this wine is one of the greatest and most complex Syrah expressions in California. Pouring inky purple-black, with plush aromas of blackberry, cassis, and cracked pepper, it’s got the silky, seductive richness you find in $300-per-bottle Sine Qua Non, but sculpted into a more restrained form.

“Full-bodied, concentrated, voluptuous, and incredibly seamless on the palate, it has another level of polished elegance,” wrote Jeb Dunnuck in his 96-point review. “It’s brilliant Syrah from this talented winemaker to enjoy over the coming decade or more.”  

Owned and operated by Jeremy Weintraub­­—the former Seavey (Napa) and current Adelaida (Paso Robles) winemaker—Site’s objective is to explore a trio of world-class vineyards. Jeremy lets the terroir and vintage dictate the style, without any dogma or preconceptions. It’s a philosophy that has landed his wines in regular rotation at spots like The French Laundry, SingleThread, Meadowood, and Lazy Bear.

Bien Nacido Vineyard has few equals in the pantheon of Santa Barbara County sites. The vineyard’s elevation, loamy soil, and ocean-controlled mild temperatures form a cradle for Syrah that heightens the grape’s broad-shouldered concentration, even as the cool climate tightens the tension and energy that will keep it ticking away in the cellar well past 2030.