2001 Sonoma County "Three Birds" Red Wine
70% Dry Creek Valley Grenache
20% Contra Costa County Mourvèdre
10% Dry Creek Valley Syrah
What happens when three Pomona College Sagehens (Mike, Kendall, and Jay) get together to blend Grenache, Mourvèdre, and Syrah? "Three Birds" of course!!!
When Jay joined Carlisle in January of 2001, he proposed the idea of doing a Grenache blend. As a long time fan of the Grenache-based southern Rhone and Australian wines, I thought, "Sure! Why not?" The trick, however, was in finding some high quality Grenache. Luckily, our good friends Adam and Dianna Lee of Siduri/Novy suggested we contact George Unti in Dry Creek. Bam! Direct hit! He had both Grenache Tablas Creek clones A and B available that year. For Mourvèdre, we went to John Continente's 95 year-old vineyard in Contra Costa County. The final component, the Syrah, was sourced from Ray Teldeschi Ranch in Dry Creek Valley. Each of these varieties was fermented separately with the final blend of 70% Grenache, 20% Mourvèdre, and 10% Syrah assembled the following summer.
Tasting Note:
Medium-dark ruby. Bright, fragrant aromas of red fruits (cherry, pomegranate) with intriguing, darker notes of citrus, mace, and forest floor. Must be the funk-a-licious Mourvèdre wanting to make its presence known! On the palate, full-bodied but with a sense of grace, elegance. Lip smacking finish. Being our first GMS, it's hard to predict the optimum drinking window. Nevertheless, from release to 6 years from vintage date should be a safe bet. (MRO - 11/2/02)