Produced only in the best vintages from 60-year-old vines, this blend of 65% Syrah, 23% Grenache with percentages of Carignan and Mourvèdre shows exceptionally well. Its color is an invitation of brick and garnet leading to a profile of powdered cocoa that coats the teeth. Silk and suede tannins caress violets and juicy purple plum with a dousing of generous black cherries. There’s a savory seam beneath the sun-warmed blackberry center – leather and cured meats – both rustic and refined.
This is proof that box wines have character. Powdered vanilla and crisp green apple, grapefruit, and honeysuckle are carried with grace along a clean path. Pleasant and easy drinking, with sweet basil on the refreshing finish.
Spending 20 months in French oak, the taste of barrel, soil, and sun is evident. Tightly wound tannins demonstrate structure and muscle. Blackberry and graphite form a bond, with black pepper sparkling a mid-palate celebration. Tension, and a flow of black cherry adds depth to the finish.
With 10% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot, this pin-pointed site sits on rocky, volcanic soils at an elevation of 2,200 feet. With a foundation of graphite, dried violets, and dark chocolate-covered blackberries, is a stunning velvet carpet mouthfeel. Chewy tannins connect with a mesmerizing finish of leather and rich blue fruit.
Aside from teeth-grabbing tannins and am inner tension, this elegant red owns up to its aromatic foundation of violets and blackberries. Soy sauce and mocha settle on mid-palate, with graphite adding a persistent, structured mouthfeel.
Minerality shows itself through an oyster shell lens. The wine’s herbal lift of grass and nettle leaves a lasting impression along with Key lime and barely ripened pineapple.
Violets are distinctive in aroma, flavor, and texture, accompanying dark chocolate, plum, and drying notes of graphite crossing the palate. Chewy tannins release a wash of sweet boysenberry.
Crisp, with searing acidity as its key player. Lemon zest and cedar possess starring roles.