Black Bear Block Syrah
2006 Black Bear Block Syrah, Estate Bottled Santa Ynez Valley
The Black Bear Block is a single 3 ½ acre block planted in 1978 on its own roots from cuttings brought over from Chapoutier in Hermitage region of the Northern Rhône. Named for the many black bears that live around our vineyard, Black Bear Block was the first Syrah planted in Santa Barbara County and is now the oldest remaining Syrah vineyard on the Central Coast.
Growing Season and Harvest
The 2006 growing season started a month late after an unusually cold March. Spring and summer were relatively mild with our average highs in teh upper 80's. In early October, we had an afternoon down pour which increased our anxiety since the grapes were still hanging. Thankfully, it was quickly followed by warm, dry weather which allowed the grapes to ripen fully. Harvest came and went quickly, albeit a month late, yielding rich reds and bright whites.
Winemaking
After hand harvesting, the grapes were destemmed and placed into small 1-ton open top bins to ferment with native yeast. During fermentation, the skins were punched-down by hand three times daily to develop rich color and fine tannins. Once dry, the wine was placed into new French oak barrels to age. After 21 months in barrel and a single racking, the wine was bottled unfined and unfiltered.
The Wine
This wine displays rich blackberry, cassis, mocha, cedar and our signature sage spice aromas and flavors. The finish lingers from the ripe tannins and smoky oak. This full-bodied wine should be enjoyed over the next ten years.
Others’ Opinions
2005 Vintage
“The 2005 Syrah Black Bear Block (from a tiny 3.5-acre parcel planted in 1978 form grape cuttings made in Hermitage in northern France) has a dense black/purple color and a gorgeous nose of blackberry, graphite, and smoke as well as hints of white chocolate and earth. The wine is rich, full-bodied, dense, with silky tannins but superb concentration and richness. This wine should drink well for up to a decade or more.” 92 Points, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, August 2009
“So delicious, complex and dramatic, it might almost be from the Northern Rhône, except for softness that identifies it as warm California. The waves of blackberries, black and red currants, grilled meat, mocha, licorice, graphite, Tabasco and pepper flavors change every second. This is the best Black Bear Syrah that Zaca Mesa has ever produced. Now through 2012.—S.H.” 94 Points, Wine Enthusiast, February 2009.
“Black Bear Block is a 3.5-acre section of Zaca Mesa’s estate vineyard, planted in 1978. Those mature vines yielded a dense, concentrated wine in ’05, with flavors of plums and blueberries wrapped in savory tannins. It’s massive and closed for now; cellar it for up to a decade to allow its complexities to develop.” 90 Points, Wine & Spirits, February 2009.
“Blackberry, pepper, and cedar with hints of cassis in the aroma, and a full, rewarding taste, best with highly seasoned game.” Exceptional, Dan Berger’s Vintage Experience, December 4, 2008.
“Intense and tightly focused on spicy, beefy, peppery Syrah flavors, presented in a full-bodied style, with richness, depth, concentration and complexity, ending with excellent structure. Drink now through 2015.—J.L.” 92 Points, Wine Spectator, Jan 31-Feb 28, 2009
“Inky ruby. Pungent, oak-spiced boysenberry and candied cherry aromas are complemented by incense and cured meat. Very syrah, offering sweet dark berry liqueur flavors, a pliant texture and a late note of black olive. Finishes wiht excellent clarity and sweet persistence. This vineyard was planted in 1978 with cuttings from one of Chapoutier’s Hermitage vineyards.” 90 Points, Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, November/December 2008
2006 Vintage
“This is always a great bottling, and Zaca Mesa’s 2006 Black Bear Block goes to the head of the line in newly released California Syrahs. It’s an enormously rich wine, filled to the brim with pure blackberries, currants, cocoa and peppery-spiced oak, and the finish turns to milk chocolate. But it’s dry. The 2006 vintage was a very good one for Zaca Mesa’s various Syrahs, and this is their best.” 94 Points, Wine Enthusiast, April 2010.
