Avis professionnels
James Suckling (98)
This is a wildly spicy and fragrant red, showing savory aromas of cardamom, sour cherries, seaweed, peaches, orange rind, juniper berries and white pepper on the nose. It’s medium- to full-bodied and incredibly peppery and spicy. Wakes you up. Like a slap in the face, in a good way. Around 70% whole-cluster fermentation. From biodynamically grown grapes.
Vinous (96)
The vineyards used in the 2022 Grenache Fiddleneck Vineyard have tight spacing (enough for the Belgian and Percheron draft horses to get through) and a fair amount of shade. The wines get less stem inclusion than in past years, averaging 60 to 70%. There’s a lot of freshness here beneath deliciously layered waves of white pepper and wild raspberry, with secondary elements of dark licorice, rose petal, crushed rock, and Asian spice providing a vivid experience of umami. Though powerful, the wine is balanced and ultimately elegant, with 20-25 years of aging potential ahead. Only 277 cases were made.
Jeb Dunnuck (98)
The vineyards used in the 2022 Grenache Fiddleneck Vineyard have tight spacing (enough for the Belgian and Percheron draft horses to get through) and a fair amount of shade. The wines get less stem inclusion than in past years, averaging 60 to 70%. There’s a lot of freshness here beneath deliciously layered waves of white pepper and wild raspberry, with secondary elements of dark licorice, rose petal, crushed rock, and Asian spice providing a vivid experience of umami. Though powerful, the wine is balanced and ultimately elegant, with 20-25 years of aging potential ahead. Only 277 cases were made.
Owen Bargreen (100)
A wonderful foil to the ‘Sur Echalas Vineyard’ Grenache, the 2022 ‘Fiddleneck Vineyard’ Grenache shows very different flavor and aromatic profiles — yet is clearly equal in overall quality. This Grenache was sourced from this stony site first planted back in 2015. Exuding class, this delivers a Chateau Rayas quality to this wine in terms of its purity of red fruits. The nose takes on hauntingly good range, offering pomegranate seed, kelp and blood orange zest tones alongside wet rock and hints of beef drippings. The aromatic range is mind-bending. The palate is liquid silk in its red fruit purity, showing dizzying underlying finesse and a generous mouthfeel. A total stunner, enjoy this beautiful wine now and over the next eight years to come.
