2020 Site Wines Syrah Santa Barbara County 750 ml

Superstar winemaker Jeremy Weintraub’s bottles usually go to a rabid mailing list and MICHELIN-starred destinations like The French Laundry, SingleThread, and Lazy Bear, but thanks to the friendship our Master Somm, Sur Lucero, struck with Weintraub over the past few years, we’ve got a rare share of Jeremy’s outstanding 2020 Site Wine Syrah, a stunner that Wine Advocate awarded 95 points. 

The previous vintage of this wine earned an incredible 4.58-star rating from our members, which puts it alongside some of the most iconic wineries in the world. A gorgeous, complex Syrah from two of the top sites in Santa Barbara County, the 2020 Site Wines Syrah Santa Barbara County is the essence of artisanal winemaking without compromise, and the name of the project says it all. 

Site Wines are all about expressing their source, which is why Jeremy refuses to claim any one “style.” Instead, the former Seavey (Napa) and current Adelaida (Paso Robles) winemaker favors a roll-with-the-punches approach that can only be dictated by the vintage and the vineyard.

His Santa Barbara Syrah comes from two of the most revered sites in the county: Bien Nacido, which sits in sunshine-drenched Santa Maria, and Larner, at the wind-whipped southern end of Ballard Canyon. With this wine, Jeremy has taken a stunning snapshot of two of the great Syrah terroirs in California.

As crazy as it is to say, this wine reminds us of a more restrained Sine Qua Non. That’s the kind of quality we’re talking about here: A decadent nose, silky and mouthfilling on the palate, and soft tannins that frame an elegant tapestry of flavors. In all, it’s a gorgeous balance of richness and elegance.