Site Syrah BeinNacidoVnyd/SantaMariaVlly/SantaBarbaraCnty (14.3%; www.SiteWineCo.com) jeremy Weintraub/Adelaida winemaker SiteWineCompany/PasoRobles 2020: Very dark/near black color; classic BN/black cherry/plummy very strong toasty/Fr.oak fairly intense nose; some tart fairly c-c/peppery classic BN/blackbrry/black cherry Syrah/boysenberry strong toasty/Fr.oak lovely rich/lush flavor w/ modest soft tannins; very long/lingering finish w/ some ripe tannins; a pretty big intense classic BN lovely SBCnty peppery Syrah; resembles a lot a Jaffurs BN Syrah but not as oaked & not as structured/intense peppery. $65.00/$nc (Ian/SommKitchen)
More kikkerfuzz fom TheBloodyPulpit:
Interesting story behind this unknown (to me) Syrah. While in Paso for the recent Rhone Ranger founders event, I was looking for places to eat. The first night, I tried Thomas Hill Organics. I sorta liked this place because I was attracted to the name. This time I was pretty disappointed. The food was good enough (but just that) but really quite expensive.
The second night, I wanted to try Somm Kitchen. The chef (Ian) does a multi-course dinner w/ selected wine pairings. Unfortunately, I didn’t understand the Somm Kitchen procedures. There is one seating around this 16 person round bar. I went in rather late & the group was in the near ending of their meal. They sorta poked fun at me for being so late. The chef/owner came out & was rather apologetic that he couldn’t serve me. But as a consolation prize, he gave me this btl of Syrah, that I’d never heard of. Only one brl was made & Ian bought half of the production, some 12 cases. Apparently, Jeremy Weintraub, the winemaker at AdelaidaWnry, makes the Site Wines under his own label. I was pretty impressed with it. He makes several other wines that I’d love to try. But, anyway, Site is a label worth trying. Thank you, Ian, for turning me onto this label. I’ll be back next trip to Paso to try your food.
Tom
I was not as impressed by this bottle of Site. I thought it heavier and not as varietally specific – not as much like syrah – as a Jaffurs or Ojai Bien Nacido would have been.
I don’t know if I know a lot, but I’ve had a whole bunch of Jaffurs and Ojai – Qupe, too – from that vineyard. Definitely one of the best, year in and year out.
Thanks for the note. I pick on the earlier side, with the alcohol being relatively lower and the structure being a little tighter than some of my comrades. That might be a reason why it’s been paired with halibut at Providence in LA and other fish-centric restaurants like Benu in SF. Not sure, but maybe.
Hi Tom,
Thanks for the note. SITE is definitely less-known than others, but they’re not completely “unknown,” at least if you were to ask my mom. I make just 4800 bottles, so that might in part explain why you don’t know the wines, and I’ve made the wines for only 13 years so that could be another reason. I’ve worked with Bien Nacido in some capacity or other since 2005. It was my first full-time job in the wine industry after doing a fellowship at Tignanello/Solaia. I then went on to become winemaker at Seavey Vineyard and left to start SITE in 2012 and become winemaker at Adelaida in Paso Robles.
Hi Ben, thanks for your thoughts. The SITE Roussanne is not to everyone’s palate, as it’s a bit leaner than the Roussanne from some other producers. I’ve been encouraged that The French Laundry, Providence, Saison, Single Thread, and Republique have liked it enough to put it on their menus. It’s probably not because of my winning sales skills! But I recognize that there’s many more people who probably hate the wine, and that’s cool, too. I’m glad that you tried the wine.
