Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Coming from Manfred and Elaine Krankl’s The Third Twin vineyard located just outside of Los Alamos, in Santa Barbara County, the 2015 Graciano The Third Twin Vineyard is the inaugural release and includes 10% Mourvèdre, all of which spent 27 months in older oak barrels. There’s only 1.3 acres of Graciano planted in the vineyard, and Manfred commented that he thought this variety shared lots of similarities with Rhône varieties, and I have to agree with him (not that I have much experience with Graciano).This inky colored beauty is reminiscent of a Hermitage from Bessards blended with a modern styled Chateauneuf du Pape. Black fruits, charcoal, spice, pepper and hints of violets all flow to a seriously concentrated, textured, opulent and layered beauty that has ripe, yet present tannin and a sensational finish. It’s a big wine, no doubt, but like all of Manfred’s wines, stays light, graceful and balanced on the palate.
There are hundreds of white grape varieties grown throughout the world. Some are indigenous specialties capable of producing excellent single varietal wines. Each has its own distinct viticultural characteristics, as well as aroma and flavor profiles.
The largest and perhaps most varied of California’s wine-growing regions, the Central Coast produces a good majority of the state's wine. This vast California wine district stretches from San Francisco all the way to Santa Barbara along the coast, and reaches inland nearly all the way to the Central Valley.
Encompassing an extremely diverse array of climates, soil types and wine styles, it contains many smaller sub-AVAs, including San Francisco Bay, Monterey, the Santa Cruz Mountains, Paso Robles, Edna Valley, Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Maria Valley.
While the Central Coast California wine region could probably support almost any major grape varietiy, it is famous for a few Central Coast reds and whites. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel are among the major ones. The Central Coast is home to many of the state's small, artisanal wineries crafting unique, high-quality wines, as well as larger producers also making exceptional wines.