I have had this wine twice in the last year, so for the sake of keeping down score inflation, I have included both in the same note. The wine was tasted on 05/27 and 11/27 of this year.

05/27 - Pop and poured and followed over the course of 3 or so hours. Still youthful and vibrant, although there was not as much funk as I had anticipated coming from the Armada vineyard. No matter, this wine was killer. Medium to full bodied with notes of violet, blueberry compote, ripe blackberry, dark strawberry and moderate brambly complexity on the back end with just the faintest hint of meaty funk. It is still a bit unruly on the back with a bit of heat poking out, but it settled a bit by the last glass. If you have a few bottles open now with a moderate to long decant or wait a year or two. This wine will definitely improve and will be a stunner down the road. It is pretty damn close right now - 93.

11/27 - This was the best wine consumed all Thanksgiving weekend. Where the last bottle only showed glimpses of the famed 'rocks funk', for this bottle the funk was front and center with meat driven notes of smoked olive and liquid rock in addition to all of the fantastic fruit complexity highlighted in my previous note. It showed best after being open for hours and is on the early side of it's drinking window. I will be holding my other bottle a year, if I can keep my hands off - 93+.

This wine, coming from two vineyard sites in the famed Rocks region in WA, is fantastic and a killer value at $24. On the full side of medium/full bodied this wine was driven by red fruits with beautiful floral undertones and light notes of tobacco and cedar. There was also some undeniable briney/olive/savory notes that acted as a great counterbalance to the bright red fruit flavors and let you know you were drinking a wine from the Rocks. this is drinking fantastic right now with a couple hours of air and will likely only improve in the bottle.

This was very good and paired great with Thanksgiving dinner. Medium bodied, red fruit driven, med/high acidity, mildly complex and completely drinkable. For $12 this is a solid QPR and perfect for guzzling whenever you damn well please.

The general flavor profile of the wine seemed muted with a big mouthfeel and strong tannins on the back. This wine is totally disjointed at present. Watered down notes of dark red fruit with mild bramble and black pepper notes offer a sound sense of Gigondas on the attack, but totally falls off as the tannins take over on the finish. An odd showing. Maybe an off bottle? I was hoping for an old school styled Gigondas, this did not provide.

This was a real surprise and a fantastic QPR. Drinking absolutely deliciously right now with some air. Notes of black cherry, cassis, licorice, black tea and earthy tobacco are spread across the med/long finish. At first the tannins were a bit rough but they softened the longer it was open. A glass saved for day two showed improvement with no signs of letting up. Definitely modern leaning, this is a full bodied stunner and a wine to stock up on and drink while you let the rest of your 2010's rest.

I bought a few of these at closeout for $18. After drinking twice, with consistent notes each time, I wish I had bought them all. There was no flagship Graviere made in 2011 and all the high end juice meant for that bottling went into this. The results are fantastic. The cool 2011 vintage definitely is showing it's influence here as this is high acidity wine with red fruit dominating up front and the mouvedre providing dark, savory and lavender notes on the mid-palate and finish. It is the interplay and mingling of the bright red fruit up front and the savory herbal on the middle and finish that gives this wine a fascinating complexity leagues above the price point. If you can find some, stock up - 91+.