2022 Lindquist Family "X" Block Syrah
This wine is 100% Syrah from the X Block at Bien Nacido Vineyard. It is very much bittersweet bottling of this special vineyard block, as it is the last pure vintage that I’ve made of this wine. The X Block was planted to Riesling, on its own roots, in 1973, when the majority of the original vines were planted at Bien Nacido. In 1986, half of the block, 7 acres, were grafted over to Syrah for me in the early days of Qupé. It was grafted using the Estrella River clone of Syrah, which reportedly came originally from Chapoutier in Hermitage. The balance of the X Block was grafted over the following year for Randall Grahm at Bonny Doon. And for many years, Randall and I were the only winemakers working with the grapes from this block. I got the first grapes off of the block in 1987, and could tell right away that we had something special…I’ve been making wine from X Block every year since, until now…
About 10 years ago, the X Block started to show signs of red blotch virus, and by the 2021 vintage, the virus had really taken over the block. In 2020, the grapes were still able to ripen properly, but in the cool 2021 vintage they struggled and barely made it to 21° brix. In 2022, with this wine, they struggled even more, and even in the warmer vintage once again barely made it to 21°. In the cooler vintage of 2023 they struggled even more again, and I ended up blending the X Block with the riper Z Block (which so far is virus free!) to make the best wine possible.
So, this 2022 Syrah Bien Nacido X Block is the 36th and last vintage of this wine I will ever make. In 2024 I passed on taking the grapes from X Block, and after the vintage, the vines were torn out.
As mentioned, 2022 was a warmer than normal vintage. The grapes for this wine were harvested on October 20th, 2 full weeks after the Syrah grapes from the Z Block were harvested. Like most vintages of X Block, 100% whole clusters were used in the fermentation, with manual punch downs twice daily. After pressing, the wine was put into Ermitage French oak barrels, 2/3 of which were new. It was kept in these barrels for the first year before racking and then returned to neutral barrels for an additional 9 months, so about 21 months total time in barrel. The wine was lightly fined with organic egg whites and bottled without filtration in August 2024.
This is a very elegant expression of cool climate Syrah, with moderate 12.5% alcohol and silky spicy tannins. The aromas show a bouquet of herbs, spices and floral notes. The flavors are refreshing and elegant with a long finish. This wine should age well in the cellar for many years. I know I’ll be hanging onto some for my children and grandchildren to drink!
Cheers, Bob Lindquist - October 2025
