Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A Grenache-dominated blend that includes 24% Mourvedre and spent 22 months in 30% new large-format French and Hungarian oak puncheons, the 2013 Cuvee Jeanne Marie Williamson Dore Vineyard is fresh and focused, with medium to full-bodied aromas and flavors of black raspberries, licorice, tar, pepper spice and crushed flowers. Sweetly fruity, with good ripeness and notable tannin, it has outstanding potential and is an excellent example of Grenache from California.
Range: 89-91 -
Wine Enthusiast
Quite light in color, this energetic blend of 76% Grenache and 24% Mourvèdre offers cinnamon stick, star anise, cola, raspberry and strawberry on the juicy and bright nose. The palate shows a lighter but juicy cranberry-fruit profile, with fennel, coriander and white pepper. It's a great, lighter style of red wine.
With bold fruit flavors and accents of sweet spice, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre form the base of the classic Rhône Red Blend, while Carignan, Cinsault and Counoise often come in to play. Though they originated from France’s southern Rhône Valley, with some creative interpretation, Rhône blends have also become popular in other countries. Somm Secret—Putting their own local spin on the Rhône Red Blend, those from Priorat often include Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. In California, it is not uncommon to see Petite Sirah make an appearance.
Ranging from cool and foggy in the west to warm and dry in the east, the Santa Ynez Valley is a climatically diverse growing area. The most expansive AVA within the larger Santa Barbara County region, Santa Ynez is also home to a wide variety of soil types and geographical features. The appellation is further divided into four distinct sub-AVAs—Sta. Rita Hills, Ballard Canyon, Los Olivos District and Happy Canyon—each with its own defining characteristics.
A wide selection of grapes is planted here—more than sixty different varieties, and counting. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir dominate in the chilly west, while Zinfandel, Rhône blends, and Bordeaux blends rule the arid east. Syrah is successful at both ends of the valley, with a lean and peppery, Old-World sensibility closer to the coast and lush berry fruit further inland.