Zaca Mesa Winery was the first to plant Syrah in Santa Barbara County in 1978. Today we farm 100 acres of Syrah on our estate comprising 9 different clones. The diversity of vine age and clones provides our Syrah’s with complexity and depth. Even with 30 years of experience with Syrah on our land, we continue to learn and improve our practices to make better wine.

Our 2009 Syrah displays deep blackberry, cassis, smoked meat, pepper and our signature sage spice. The silky finish lingers from the ripe tannins with a touch of smoky oak.

96 Point Review - Wine Enthusiast If the first duty of a wine is to be delicious, this tiny production bottling succeeds beyond all measure. The Black Bear Block is almost always Zaca Mesa’s best Syrah among its many releases, and so it is again in 2009. Take one sip and you’re dazzled by the refined tannins, dryness and complexity of flavors: blackberry, cassis, plum sauce, mocha, bacon, smoky oak, white pepper, chamomile tea and licorice. What’s harder to express is the sheer pleasure of the mouthfeel. This is an exciting Syrah, and may just be at the beginning of a long journey. Drink now and for many years as it slowly changes.

92 Point Review - Wine Spectator Delivers a pure, rich, spicy mix of peppery wild berry, cedar, dried herb and underbrush flavors, firming nicely on the long, full finish. Drink now through 2022.