2020 Andremily Wines Syrah #9, Santa Barbara County, USA

(99 Points)  "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."- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate.

Andremily Wines has quickly earned the respect and now sits alongside some of the greatest producers of Rhône-varietal blends in California’s Central Coast.  This should not come as a surprise as owner and winemaker Jim Binns earned his winemaker wings during his 12 years as assistant winemaker to Manfred Krankl at Sine Qua Non (2006-2017).  During his tenure at Sine Qua Non they achieved an amazing 27×100 points scores!   Jim continues to add to his fame with every vintage as his stunning line-up at Andremily seems to just get better and better every year, balancing hedonism and elegance to near perfection every year.

Jim and his wife Rachel’s work hand and hand with their two children which were the inspiration of the winery name.  Andremily was inspired by, their son Andrew, and daughter Emily.  When thinking of names for their new brand, they wanted their new venture to express a sense of family, which was accomplished by combining both of their children’s first names.   In 2012, Andremily was born and Jim decided to moved on from Sine Qua Non in 2017 in an effort to dedicate 100% all of his time and efforts to Andremily Wines.  The winery is located in the coastal city of Ventura, where they bring their rare elixirs through elevage.

Manfred Krankl was very supportive from day one, and literally gifted Jim SQN’s contracts for two of his prized blocks of the White Hawk Vineyard in Santa Barbara’s Cat Canyon.  Jim then started looking for other sources to compliment White Hawk, and luckily was able to secure a few great blocks at the Larner Vineyard in Ballard Canyon and then Alta Mesa Vineyard in the Cuyama Valley. Thus the foundation of Andremily winery was firmly in place and the debut 2012 vintage of ‘Andremily No.1’ was released to huge critical acclaim.  A few more sources have been added to the tool box since, including the purchase of the Slide Vineyard in Edna Valley, which marks the beginning of Andremily Estate Vineyard.

Jim like most wine producers considers the vineyards and his team to be farmers first and therefor everything starts in the vineyards.  They work tirelessly to control the yields and to ensure a uniform balanced vineyard.  The fruit must be picked at optimal ripeness, then it goes through a series of sorting tables before it finally reaches the fermentation vessels.  Then before fermentation the grapes undergo a period of cold soaking before fermentation takes place.  The whole process from vineyard to winery at Andremily is very hands-on:   They monitor each fermentation closely, and work to optimize extraction at every point in the process.  After the fermentation is complete the finished wine goes into French oak barrels of which 60%-70% are new.   Andremily wines usually spend 22- 28 months in barrel before bottling but every vintage demands a slightly different regime at the winery.