GSM Blend/Rhone Blend

This is a blend of 40% Mourvedre, 27% Syrah, 23% Grenache, and 10% Counoise.  It is Tablas Creek's version of a Chateauneuf du Pape.  Garnet in color with some purple swirls, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, black cherries, plums, spice and slight floral notes.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Great balance.  On the palate, this is still young but drinking well with air.  Flavors of black raspberries, plums with spice and char.  Lovely texture.  Long finish.  This should drink well for another ten to fifteen years.  It would be a great with with roasted fowl but also

A blend of 80% Grenache, 6% Syrah, and 4% Mourvedre plus another 10% in various permitted varietals.  Not the best vintage, but this wine rocked.  At age 13, it was close to peak.  Deep ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has black cherries, herbs (Garrique), slight black pepper and spices.  Great texture.  Light tannins.  On the palate, this is vibrant and complex.  Also delicious.  Cherries, black cherries and spices.  Deep.  Long finish.  Great on its own, this will work well with meat dishes.  Cassoulet is classic.  Drink over the next five to ten years.  

This rosé is a blend of 50% Grenache Noir, 25% Cinsault, 20% Syrah and 5% Mourvedre.  Light salmon pink in color, clear and bright.  The nose has light cherries and light strawberries.  Slightly viscous texture.  13.5% abv.  On the palate, this is clean with strawberries and a bit of spice.  Some minerality.  Moderate finish.  A pleasant wine that is nice on its own and certainly food friendly.  It would match well with a Niçoise salad.  Drink now.

The wines of Pegau can reach great heights, but they often have a lot of barnyard notes which are not for everyone.  I love them.  Purple in color with ruby swirls.  Most opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries, cigar, cedar and yes, barnyard.  Medium bodied.  Lower acidity.  On the palate, black cherries with some earthiness.  Complex.  Getting pretty close to peak.  Long finish.  This is great on its own, but probably better with food.  A nice beef stew would be classic but it would work with a bowl of chili, too.  Drink over the next five to ten years.  

SQN's Grenache are some of the most unique expressions of the varietal anywhere.  They are big and fruit forward, but they have depth and energy as well.  And, they can age better than most.

Found this lost in my cellar.  From an historically hot vintage, I had little hope for this wine, but opened it anyway.  I was wrong again.  What a lovely CdP.  This is not their luxury cuvée, so perhaps that helped get the less ripe grapes, but at age 21, this bottle was excellent.  Purple in color with some ruby swirls, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries, some black raspberries, "purple" flowers, slight barnyard and spice.  Medium to full bodied.  Wispy tannins.  lovely, juicy texture.  On the palate, black cherries with depth and complexity.  Good finish.  The bottle

This is a blend of 51% Syrah, 31% Grenache, and 18% Mourvedre from Paso Robles.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is lovely with black raspberries, black pepper, roasted meats and herbs.  Full bodied.  Plush but silky texture.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Some complexity but perhaps not as much as other bottlings from this vintage.  More powerful though.  Black raspberries, jammy with some blueberries.  Long finish.  This is drinking well and should continue to for another decade.  Better on its own than with food, but maybe some big roasted meat di

This is a blend of 41% Syrah, 13% Mourvèdre, 19% Grenache, 16% Petite Sirah, 8% Tempranillo and 3% Roussanne.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is big with black raspberries, black cherries, char, white pepper, floral notes and roasted meats.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Great energy.  On the palate, this has shed it baby fat but is still youthful.  it took a couple of hours to really open up.  Loads of black raspberry fruit with black pepper, black cherries, some blueberries and a bit of char.  Long finish.  This is delicious on its own but may overpower most foods.  I

This is a blend of Mourvedre, Carignan, Grenache and Syrah.  This is a quite good expression of Rhone varietals from California.  Deep ruby in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, plums, black pepper and slight nutmeg.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this is tasty with bright acidity.  Black raspberries and black cherries with some underlying char.  Black pepper note on the finish.  Drinking well now, this should go another seven to ten years.  Nice on its own, this will work nicely with a good (veggie) Burger.  Nice value.  

When I saw this being opened, I had no hope.  But, it showed well.  Past prime and this was never a great wine (not a good vintage), but a very enjoyable wine.  Garnet in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has dried raspberries but a touch of fresh with dried floral notes and spice.  Medium bodied.  Tannins resolved.  Good acidity.  On the palate, raspberry fruit with some depth and complexity.  No off notes.  Good finish.  Way to go!  Drink now if you have this, but at least give it a chance.  It went well with some pasta.