99 Points - Jeb Dunnuck:  Inkier colored, the 2017 Syrah Il Padrino comes from the Bien Nacido Vineyard, which is a hillside vineyard located just outside of Santa Maria. Completely destemmed and aged 20 months in new French oak, it reveals a textbook bouquet of crème de cassis, blueberries, lavender, crushed rocks, pepper, iodine, and assorted meaty nuances. This gives way to an ultra-fine, full-bodied, concentrated Syrah that has no hard edges, heavenly purity of fruit, and a blockbuster finish, and despite being a big rich wine, it stays fresh, weightless, and elegant. It will probably merit a triple-digit score in 3-4 years and is undoubtedly one of the wines of this vintage. Bravo!

96 Points - Vinous:  The 2017 Syrah Il Padrino is a positively stunning, riveting wine. Powerful and yet also medium in body, the 2017 is super-expressive today. A whole range of game, smoke, licorice, leather, menthol and black pepper notes wrap around a core of inky blue/purplish fruit. Stated simple, the Padrino is a wine of pure and total class. I loved it.