AndremilyNo 9 2020

I loved the 2020 No 9 from barrel and this beauty does not disappoint from bottle. Based on 89% Syrah, 9% Mourvèdre, and the rest Viognier that was only 50% destemmed, it spent 22 months in 65% new French oak. A wine that demands lots of air to show at its best, it reveals a deep plum/purple hue as well as a brilliant bouquet of red, blue, and black fruits, ground pepper, iodine, crushed violets, and wild sagebrush. With incredible purity and precision aromatically, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a deep, layered, concentrated mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and a great finish. It's a big, rich wine from Binns, but if anything, it shows another level of finesse and stays light on its feet and graceful. This world-class Syrah will benefit from 3-5 years of bottle age and evolve nicely over the following two decades. It's clearly one of the wines of the vintage in Santa Barbara, if not one of the greatest 2020s in the state.

The 2020 No. 9, still in barrel, is a blend of 89% Syrah, 9% Mourvèdre and 2% Viognier, made with 50% whole clusters. Fruit comes from several vineyards throughout the Central Coast including Slide Hill, White Hawk, Larner, Harrison-Clarke, Kimsey and Alta Mesa. It will mature for 22 months in 65% new and 35% used French barriques. Opaque ruby-purple in color, it features aromas of black olives, ground coffee, turned earth and forest floor, before unfolding to pure blueberry liqueur, cassis, licorice and violet—what alluring aromas! Full-bodied, the palate is grainy and seamless, with concentrated, floral fruits and a very long, nuanced finish. Around 850 cases and a few magnums of this powerful Syrah will be made.