(100 Points)
Issue 250 End of August 2020, The Wine Advocate
The 2016 Grenache Pajarito Del Amor is a single-vineyard wine—a barrel selection from the Eleven Confessions estate vineyard in Sta. Rita Hills. "This vineyard is by far our coolest," Manfred said. "Sometimes we don’t harvest this vineyard until November. The wines from here have a lot of structure and presence. The soil is a heavy clay, so the wines can be pretty muscular." I asked Manfred what he considers when he is looking to make a single-vineyard expression. "I pick out the wines that can have longer barrel aging," he replied. "The wine has to be meaningfully dense and balanced. I try to make the selection early on, when the wines go into barrel, to decide which barrels they will go into. I take thicker barrels from Seguin Moreau so that the wine evolves longer and slower." Indeed, this wine spent 38 months in barrel, which is amazing when you consider how vibrant and fresh this Grenache is, also knowing how easily Grenache can oxidize. Fifty-four percent of the wine was aged in large (600-liter) new French oak, while the remainder was aged in used vessels of various ages and sizes. Composed of 85.4% Grenache, 7.1% Petite Sirah, 6.9% Syrah and 0.6% Viognier, employing 56% whole cluster, the nose of this opaque, garnet-purple colored uber-Grenache completely explodes with a candied violets, mandarin peel and Indian spices perfume, giving way to a core of bursting-ripe red berries—redcurrants, Morello cherries and raspberries—with an undercurrent of earth, earth and more sweet, fragrant earth. The numbers are telling me this is a full-bodied wine (16.9% alcohol), but the palate is deceptively ethereal, possessing more of a medium to full-bodied feel, thanks in part to bags of well-integrated freshness and fantastic harmony, with soft, silt-like tannins, finishing with loads of savory layers and a fragrant, floral breeze. Yowza, that's good. 916 cases, 228 magnums and 30 double magnums were made. p.s. - I thought I had recognized the reference to "Pajarito del Amor", so I had a look in "The Art of Sine Qua Non", Manfred Krankl's book, and in the 2010 release section, there is this: "P.S.: Haven't given you a music recommendation for a long time. So maybe while you are placing your order you may want to have a little background music. Listen to the lovely Carla Morrison and her song, "Pajarito del Amor" (that little bird of love). For some reason it seems fitting."
List Price: $470.00
Your shopping cart is empty!
Thu, Apr 18, 2024
Only by wine one's heart is lit, only a poem calms a soul that's torn. You'd understand me, Tao Q...
Fri, Apr 19, 2024
"Good wine needs no bush." (from: As you like It) William Shakespear 1564-1616 English Dramatist &...
Sat, Apr 20, 2024
"At least once a day you should do something purely for enjoyment, and wine is my way of relaxing." - Yo...
Thu, Apr 25, 2024
What is better than to sit at the end of a day and drink wine with friends, or substitute for friends. -James Jo...
Fri, Apr 26, 2024
Wine is wonderful stuff. But so many people are put off by the snobbery of it. John Cleese Or they simply can&r...
Sat, Apr 27, 2024
Wine Bar Closed for Private Event- Fischetto
Sat, Apr 27, 2024
"Reality is an illusion that occurs due to a lack of wine." - Anonymous We d...
Wed, May 1, 2024
"Now wines are wonders; great wines are magical; and winemakers are mad. Like horse fanciers, they are always trying...
Wed, May 1, 2024
WINE CAVE IS AVAILABLE FOR A PRIVATE DINING EXPERIENCE Sunday, May 19, 2024 - 07:30 PM This Event h...
Fri, May 3, 2024
Wine hath drowned more men than the sea. THOMAS FULLER And if I drowned in wine, I ...