Gritty, grainy, and packed with dank fruit, 10YO with a sublime nose ripe and almost minty on its tertiary movements. Savory dried saliva and dark woodsy layers of ridiculous complexity, tight and taut on pour–lavish and overwhelming with a little air. In the mouth, a perfect bitter where east-side California slowly rises from bottom-land to gentle, hot foothills. Bread and butter and coffee and lardons of blackberry makes this something you really start understanding why the glaring torti-cat is on the label. Unpredictable but unapologetically focused, the rasp of structure a calming counter-point to elegant concentration. Drinking stupidly good rn with maybe another decade to go. I honestly don’t see it going anywhere soon. St. Amant GETS Portuguese varieties, and this is an example I hope you have laying around. A shocking 13-5 from this relatively cool vineyard location, and the acidity speaks tomes.

2014 @st.amant_wine#souzao#amadorcounty#california#lodiwine 13.5