2022 Fingers Crossed Red Wine Life & Death
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The 2022 Red Wine Life And Death is Grenache-dominated yet includes 22% Syrah, 13% each of Mourvèdre and Graciano, and 8.5% Petite Sirah, all of which was fermented with 25% whole clusters and brought up in 70% new oak. It offers a sensational perfume of black raspberry and black cherry fruits intermixed with camphor, lavender, white flowers, and peppery, almost garrigue-like nuances. With full-bodied richness, remarkable purity, and a massive, yet somehow elegant, seamless mouthfeel as well as incredible length, it's a masterpiece of a Rhône-like blend from California's Central Coast that could come from nowhere else. The fruit sourcing here is a mix of Bien Nacido, Stolpman, Alta Mesa, Sanger, and Rancho Boa Vista, and the marriage of richness, purity, and finesse is something to behold. This beauty will evolve for 15-20 years if well stored. Drink: 2025-2040. Run by Nicolas and Julia Krankl (Nicolas is the son of Sine Qua Non's Manfred Krankl), Fingers Crossed continues to establish itself as one of California's top estates. It's important to realize that these are not Sine Qua Non copycats. They have their own style, which leans slightly more Old World, with notable stem influence and elegance, while still delivering serious California fruit. The lineup includes two whites and two reds, with the names changing each year. The Brain Teaser wines are barrel samples (2023s) that should be bottled soon, while the Life and Death wines are the finished 2022s. Both the white and red blends incorporate Rhône varieties, with the white blend now largely driven by Chardonnay, alongside Roussanne and Marsanne. The goal is to produce the finest white possible, not match some predetermined blend. Fruit sources include Bien Nacido, Stolpman, Alta Mesa, Sanger, and Rancho Boa Vista, and they've also acquired some old Sine Qua Non parcels. Production remains tiny, though they've been able to pick up additional parcels in top vineyards, so I expect modest growth going forward. These are consistently world-class wines that show remarkable balance between richness and elegance. If you want them, get on the mailing list.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Jeb Dunnuck
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Spiced red and black berry fruits, ground pepper, herbes de Provence, and savory flower notes all emerge from the 2022 Red Wine Life & Death, an incredibly textured, full-bodied red blend that has velvety tannins, a round, layered mouthfeel, and a great finish. It's a perfect example of a wine bringing incredible richness and depth without any sensation of weight or heaviness.
Tasted as a final blend shortly before bottling, the 2022 Red Wine Life And Death is composed of 43.5% Grenache, 22% Syrah, 13% Mourvèdre, 13% Graciano and 8.5% Petite Sirah. It was fermented with 25% whole clusters and spent 21 months in 70% new French oak. The nose opens with aromas of muddled black and red fruits, bramble, cracked leather and traces of alcohol fumes, with woody, new oak aromas increasing in intensity after aeration. Typical of this lineup, the palate is plush, precise and focused. However, it concludes with a short finish that more prominently displays the alcoholic heat first hinted at on the nose. While I may have caught this in an awkward state before bottling, the obtrusive alcohol levels cause me to question its ultimate balance.
The 2022 Red Wine Life and Death is a potent, deeply layered wine. Plum, black cherry, lavender, spice and crushed rocks are all amplified in this intense, dense red. The 2022 is quite brooding in bearing today. I am curious to see how things shake out. This fruit was all picked after the heat, and there’s a bit of resulting edginess here. Shatter resulted in reduced yields for the Grenache, which is why the 2022 will be labeled Red Wine rather than Grenache.