93 Points - Wine Enthusiast
92 Points - Jeb Dunnuck
92 Points - Vinous
Being so robust, moderate to heavy dishes are best paired with this GSM like fattier steaks, grilled sausage, duck risotto, mushrooms or dishes with Mediterranean spices.
This GSM blend from Thompson Vineyard from the Alisos Canyon corridor in Santa Barbara County is richly pleasing. Aged in large-format puncheons for 21 months, 29% of the French oak barrels being new. A big bold blend with great aging potential. Drink now through 2030.
Appellation: Santa Barbara County
Varietal Composition: 40% Grenache, 31% Syrah, 29% Mourvèdre
Vineyard Source: 100% Thompson Vineyard (Blocks 1E (Grenache), 1B (Syrah), 2A (Mourvèdre) located in the Alisos Canyon corridor in Santa Barbara County
Aging: 21 months in 100% French oak 500L puncheons, of which 29% were new
Cooperage: Mercurey, Ermitage
Harvest Brix: 22.5 - 25.5
Acid: 0.540 g/100mL
pH: 3.73
Alcohol: 14.1%
Production: 389 cases
Gold Medal
Generously packed with black cherry, cola, cassis, and plum that all intermingle together in a creamy, velvety texture with great layering, finishing with delightful notes of oak and spice. Persistent, well-defined structure, wonderfully balanced.
96 Point Vintage
Entices with aromas of Bing cherry, raspberry, and cedar spice. Indicative of the cool vintage, the wine carries a freshness throughout. The palate offers a harmonious balance between bright red fruit, spice, and nicely woven tannins.
94 Points
Opulent dark fruited with blackberry and ironstone mineral character, blue fruit notes, and violets with crushed cocoa nibs nuances and a long dark chocolate and mineral-scented finish. Ultra delicious and quite lengthy.
98 Points
Deep purple hue and an alluring aromatic profile of fresh blue fruits and delicate violets. On the palate, it delivers a seamless and layered texture, framed by supple, polished tannins and a refined sense of balance. Elegantly structured, it offers remarkable purity and finesse, finishing with graceful length and poise.
95 Points
This stellar Napa Valley Red Blend marries lush plum and cherry with Malbec's dark berry depth and Petit Verdot's structure and spice. Layered with notes of blackberry, violet, and cocoa, this silky wine finishes with smooth tannins and a whisper of toasted oak. Robust and mouth-filling, with spicy nuances, smooth tannins, firm structure, and a long lingering finish.
94 Points
Deep garnet-purple colored, it leaps from the glass with vibrant notes of fresh black currants, kirsch, and mulberries... Full-bodied, the palate delivers a firm line of grainy tannins with bold freshness to frame the muscular black fruit, finishing long and cedary.
Gold Medal
Light pink in color with aromas of watermelon, cranberry, orange rind, and fresh spring flowers that leap from the glass. The palate offers more peach, strawberry, and melon, with an intriguing note of rose and hibiscus. It's crisp with just the perfect hint of red fruit, and delicate whisper of strawberry that gives goosebumps.
