Santa Maria Valley
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.