2008 Los Olivos Cuvée
This wine is 53% syrah, 25% grenache, and 22% mourvedre. The syrah and mourvedre
come from the Ibarra-Young Vineyard just outside Los Olivos in the Santa Ynez Valley. The grenache comes from the Purisima Mountain Vineyard, also in the Los Olivos area. The Ibarra-Young grapes were grown organically while the Purisima Mountain grapes were grown biodynamically. This is our 21st vintage of this iconic blend so it is now old enough to legally drink! The various lots were fermented separately in small open top fermenters. Aging in barrel was separate for the first 9 months, then blended and aged an additional 4 months (13 months total – all neutral French oak). 726 cases were bottled in November 2009. This 2008 is elegant and racy with pretty, wild cherry aromas. The grenache sort of dominates this year’s offering in a good way. I love that fact that this wine is barely 13% alcohol…two people can share a bottle without getting hammered! This wine is always one of my favorite wines we produce. Rich without being heavy, fruity without being cloying, and structured without being tannic. Though it’s tempting to drink it now, put some away for 10-15 years if you can.