Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2009 Finca Sandoval is a blend of 77% Syrah, 13% Monastrell and 10% Bobal raised in 50% new oak (the same ratio of French and American as before). The new wood lends it modern flair, with vanilla-tinged, ripe black cherry fruit as well as hints of violet emerging with time in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied, very well-balanced with fine, fleshy tannins. The oak is nicely judged here, just lending it a modern sheen without dominating the character or typicite of the wine. Excellent. Drink now-2020.
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Wine Spectator
This red shows good density, with plum, boysenberry, chocolate and mineral flavors mingling over firm, well-integrated tannins. Balanced and polished, in the modern style. Syrah, Monastrell, Bobal and Tempranillo. Drink now through 2019. 150 cases made.
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
The Moors gave it the name, ‘Manxa,’ which fittingly means ‘parched earth.’ La Mancha, the largest Spanish wine producing region in all of Spain, is one of its hottest and driest. Sturdy and drought-resistant white varieietes like Airen, Viura and Verdejo thrive in this environment.