2008 Debbie's Cuveé, Contra Costa County

Our 2008 Debbie's is our third incarnation of this Grenache-based Rhone blend. Since the first harvest in our Estate Vineyard in 2006, our Grenache has always been the base for the blend with percentages of local Syrah and Old Vine Mourvedre and Carignane added as determined during our extensive tasting bench trials. Each year the percentage of Grenache has increased as the vines matured, producing more intense, concentrated colors and aromas and greater complexity on the palate. This year, the Grenache was so beautiful and rich that we contemplated bottling it as a nearly 100% varietal wine, but during the bench tests, when we added small amounts of the our Estate Syrah and Mourvedre, with a touch of Evangelho Carignane, we experienced an amazing transition from a rich fruit-driven, but somewhat unidimensional wine into a full-throttle, broad spectrum crowd-pleasing Chateauneuf-du-Pape-like barn burner.

As usual, the color of this wine is a beautiful, deep ruby, almost magenta-like hue with a level of opacity that serves as a harbinger of the powerful aromatics and flavors yet to come. On the nose, the first whiff impresses with sweet, perfumed black cherry kirsch, but then unfolds layers of licorice, cedar, Herb de Provence spice, black pepper, accented by an element typical in the best Chateauneufs that is often described as tobacco leaf or 'green seaweed'. On the palate, the full-bodied ripe fruit expands to fill the senses – provocative, but with enough acidity to avoid being overly dense or viscous. The soft tannins on the back palate enhance the long-lasting, seductive finish which leaves an impression of toffee and vanilla.

This wine would pair fabulously with a grilled lamb tenderloin glazed with a pomegranate, aged balsamic and Herb de Provence reduction. It's a fun wine to drink now to enjoy its youthful seductiveness, and will probably peak in the next couple of years as it further mellows and integrates, and should drink divinely with proper cellaring for the 10 or more years.