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.
99 points, Jeb Dunnuck (Aug 2023)
The 2020 No. 9 is a blend of 89% Syrah, 9% Mourvèdre and 2% Viognier. Grapes come from Andremily's new Slide Hill estate, plus White Hawk, Larner, Harrison-Clarke, Kimsey and Alta Mesa Vineyards in Santa Barbara County. It was vinified with 50% whole clusters and matured for around 22 months in 65% new French barriques. It's powerful and ripe yet detailed, offering a soaring expression that begins with dark fruit and soft meaty tones and, with time, blossoms with nuances of coffee beans, garrigue, star anise, sagebrush and dark chocolate. The full-bodied palate explodes with layer after layer of spicy, über concentrated fruit. It has a support of powdery tannins and vibrant acidity that highlights flashes of floral perfume and spice, and it calls you back to the glass with its long, nuanced finish. It deserves plenty of time in bottle to unwind. 890 cases and a few magnums were made.
98+ points, Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate (Nov 2023)
Veins of char and singed vanilla beans lend sweet, spicy streaks here. While predominantly Syrah, small proportions of Mourvèdre and Viognier lend angularity and lift to roasted, ripe flavours of black plums and cherries. Half destemmed and matured for 22 months in 65% new French oak, it's a bruising, beefy Syrah gripped by a stern, sandpaper rash of tannins. Ready now with a decant but should meld further in the cellar.
97 points, Anna Lee Iijima, Decanter (Feb 2024)
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