WAY too cold :(

N: Floral with minerals?

P: Med body; Rndish entry with almost swtish frt mety by balancing acidy. Unless the temp has confused me, NOT going anywhere, though adequate for drinking into EARLY Winter '18. 91 pts WE @ $28, this vendor's reg price being $22.00

WAY too cold! :(

N: Slightly closed; some flowers?

P: Med, poss MF, body; DEFINITELY rndish entry with minimal frt, some mid-P harshness, & ult a somewhat honied, very slight bitter, reasonably LONG finish. Not my style, PARTICULARLY @ this vendor's regular $27.00.

WAY too cold! :( Supposedly 45% Viognier, 45% Roussanne, & 10% Clairette.

N: CLOSED; Some apples, flowers?

P: Med, poss MF, body; Rndish entry with almost swtish frt NICELY balanced by acidity, then fairly seamlessly morphing into a LONG, honied, very, VERY slightly bitter finish. NICELY balanced, & a quality product, but the QPR of this vendor's regular $24.00 [$20.50 had one ordered it the day of the tasting]?

WAY too cold! :(

N: CLOSED; earth, some minerals?

P: LM, poss Med, body; Rndish entry with bright, almost swtish frt & balancing acidity which, for the most part, comes across as harsh over the LONG finish. In short, there are better options out there -- whether @ this vendor's regular $21.00 OR even the tasting day $16.00 "special".

VERY small sample. :(

N: Floral

P: LM body; NICE frt with balancing structure; LONG (albeit very slightly faint), yet tasty finish. Drink up, & I'd DEFINITELY question the QPR of this vendor's regular $47.00, *particularly* when mid-May 2018 wine-searcher entries range from $27-$40 for the '15 vintage!

100% Grenache from Santa Barbara Highlands Vineyard Alta Mesa Block (Grenache Noir Clone) and Block J (Alban and 136 Clone); 20% whole cluster & 80% destemmed frt was fermented in open top fermentors, then aged 22 mos in FR oak, 7% new puncheons, 42% neutral puncheons, & 51% 2nd fill barriques; 14 Barrels produced; 15.5% ABV

N: Slightly closed; Smoky, toast, with some spice?

P: Med body; ALMOST swtish frt (with some heat?) met by tannic pucker which only somewhat resolves by the LONG, somewhat tannic, slightly bitter finish. NEEDS time, but then? 92 pts WA. [If anyone is interested, wine-searcher still shows one mid-May 2018 source @ $39.99.]

100% Grenache from the Alamo Creek, Bien Nacido, Chelle, Rolph, Shadow Canyon, Rancho Real, Spanish Springs, Santa Barbara Highlands, Stolpman, & Terra Bella Vyds, 50% whole cluster fermenated, & aged 16 mos in 65% New French Oak; 16.1% ABV; 1210 cases made

N: Attractively RIPE berries with oaky undertones

P: MF, poss Full, body; Rndish entry with ALMOST swtish frt met by somewhat tannic pucker (though with a swtish bent), this only somewhat resolving by the very LONG, BITTERswt choc finish. *Very* stylistic, & within that context I can "see" the 93 pts from WA & 92 from Vinous, even though it's NOTHING in which I'd be interested personally -- PARTICULARLY not in the $39-$55 mid-May 2018 price range wine-searcher shows for it.

N: POWERFULLY pungent berries with undertones of pyrazines

P: MF, poss Med, body; Almost swtish frt met by balancing acidity, this morphing into a fairly LONG, pleasant finish. Palate NOT up to N, & considering its age, I'm GUESSING one should drink this... soon? 89 pts Vinous. [As of mid-May 2018, wine-searcher still shows one source of this @ $56.95.]

67% Grenache & 33% Syrah; 14.4% ABV

N: Closed; smoke atop berries?

P: Med body; Almost swtish frt met by some firming structure, this morphing into a LONG, somewhat spicy, ult ALMOST swtish finish. LOVELY stuff for drinking through '20, poss longer. 90 pts WE. [In mid-May 2018 wine-searcher still shows this as being available @ the winery for $25.]

N: Fairly attractive earth, forest floor, & mushrooms

P: MF body; Rndish entry with still nice frt met by firming astringency which only somewhat resolves for most of the LONG finish, the ult sensation being pleasant with a very slight bitterswtness. I'm GUESSING this MIGHT still improve through '19, then drink for a couple of yrs more. VERY interesting! 93 pts WE @ $40, 92 Vinous, & 91 WS. 14.9% ABV

100% Grenache from Sardinia

N: Slightly closed; some crans, poss pyrazines?

P: Med, poss MF, body; Rndish entry with almost swtish frt met by sufficient acidity; Long, very slightly spicy, very, VERY slightly astringent finish. Decent enough for now & into '19, poss a TAD longer. [As of mid-May 2018 wine-searcher still shows a couple of listings in the $13-$14 range.]

47% Grenache, 38% Mourvedre, & 15% Syrah; 14.8% ABV

N: CLOSED; some earth?

P: Med body; NICE frt met by almost standoffish structure, which only SOMEWHAT modifies by the LONG, somewhat bitter finish. NEEDS time, but will the pushiness of this resolve while there's still frt? 91 pts ea WE (@$40) & Vinous, 90-92 WA, and Silver @ '16 S.F. Chronicle Wine Comp. [As of mid-May 2018 wine-searcher still shows 3 vendors with this in the $40-$43 range.]

N: SMOKY, toasty aromas

P: MF body; Almost swtish oak/frt with minimal structure, though the swtish bitterness of the barrels extends ALL the way through the LONG, slightly swt finish. ATYPICAL, & a like it or hate it style. 15.8% ABV.

Supposedly 100% Grenache from 80 yr old vines; 14% ABV

N: Ripe, PRUNISH

P: MF body; Almost swtish, port-like flavors beautifully bal by acidity & SOME sturcture. LONG, ELEGANT, very, VERY slightly bitter finish. Drink now & for as long as it holds, I would THINK through '19. LOVELY stuff! [On 2nd tasting, enough structure for improvement into early-mid '19.] [This vendor's day of tasting 'special" was $24.50.]