Piedrasassi, Syrah, Bien Nacido Vineyard, Santa Maria Valley, California, 2021

Overview of the Wine
Piedrasassi cultivates grapes and grain in the Central Coast of California. Through our bread and wine, we endeavor to tell the stories of this unique region and its people. In the vineyards and fields, our family’s winery and bakery, we approach our work with a reverence for place and a responsible hand—We seek to celebrate the innate beauty of each harvest.

We primarily cultivate and vinify Syrah, a variety with which winemaker Sashi Moorman has worked for over two decades. Today, the viticultural heritage of the Northern Rhone and the pioneering ethos of the Central Coast equally inform his engagement with Syrah. 

Our points of interest within the greater Central Coast are found in its remarkable east-west transverse valleys, shaped by an era of tectonic contortion and upheaval. Here, geologic time stands on its head: diverse soils of varying epochs are often entangled. Receptive to the daily rhythms of the Pacific’s cooling winds and pervasive fog, these valleys and, in particular, their constituent hillsides, are host to some of California’s most compelling terroir for Syrah.

In the winery, we strive to coax from each harvest its individual expression of place. We employ, in balance, time-honored technique, observations from our travels, and intuition. We cultivate the native yeasts of our vineyards before fermenting without additives or the manipulation of temperature. We often make use of the whole grape cluster – its berries and stems. Our wines are then raised in large, used barrels, and, finally, bottled with only minimal sulfur – and without any fining or filtration.

We do not shy away from experimentation, but our work is always in the service of the same principles: Piedrasassi is committed to ecological responsibility and the health of our patrons; our wines are structured to unfurl with age, to share with each passing year a new facet of a time and place; and wine must show up at the dinner table — that is, its most complete expression should be apparent alongside food and in good company.

Winemaker
Sashi Moorman

Grape / Blend
Syrah

Origin
Santa Maria, California

Winemaker's Tasting Notes
This wine actually looks more developed than it is, and that’s a good thing. Rather than aging prematurely, it’s more of a wunderkind, fully-formed and shockingly expressive at six years of age. There’s a lot to unpack on the nose alone, from gentian and California sage to white pepper, black currant and lilac, more aromas popping up every second. The palate? Nothing short of an art gallery with countless elements demanding your attention, yet all carefully curated and simpatico so that no one thing dominates another. Silky in texture, fuller in body, waves of blue fruit, garrigue and acidity cascade effortlessly, with just enough tension to balance the power.

93 Points - Wine Advocate
The 2021 Syrah Bien Nacido Vineyard comes from X and Z blocks and includes some fruit from the very old vines planted in the 1970s. 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. 487 cases were made.

 Product size: 750ml