Ridiculous tertiary, this drinks like wine from my cellar a decade older. Smooth and velvety and polished and a bit chubby, ripe and round and bringing gobs of dusty theater seats and loamy detritus to bear. But not too much earthiness, and I would have loved to see a bit more earthiness, sharp and astringent on the palette, a glimpse of tannin rarely seen in this variety, and especially this vineyard, except from certain sources like Sawyers. This wine bridges a gap between the ethereal beauty of Qupe and the Paso also-rans sourcing here who pick at 27. One of my favorite vineyards on the planet, and this just feels like a thin version of potential. Tired way too soon, in the mouth the beautiful vision comes alive, but it is watered down with a sort of safe meaninglessness neither extravagant or compelling. Lush while acidic, it’s a bit disjointed at this juncture and the prospectus isn’t great. Don’t get me wrong: this is a rather pretty wine, it just raises many questions of why on several levels. The chalky, drying finish negates most gains where you might expect solitude with Grenache.

2017 @dunites #grenache Slide Hill Vyd #ednavalley #centralcoastwine #slocoastwine San Luis Obispo Co. 14.2