Well, it’s almost time to call this a 10-year-old wine. Pretty sure this might be a defunct label, but the inspiration this gentleman provided for the Central Coast over the last 30 or 40 years is hard to overstate. I’ve been up and down over the years–bottle by bottle–but this thing has to rank up with one of my favorites. Glossy and concentrated in the nose, its depth of woodsy fruit reaching pinnacle proportions in thin delivery and absolute perfection on the palate. Cold and shining, packed with a glorious amount of funky ire, it excels on levels difficult to explain, a juxtaposition of ripeness and complex clairvoyance exceeding expectations with just a bit of garnet tertiary creeping in. Of course my love for the variety helps with the wooing, but man oh man is this beautiful, and showing no signs of slowing down.

2014 @kennethvolkvineyards #blaufränkisch Pomar Junction Vyd #pasorobles 13.8