Damn...this is good! First time with this one and a beaty it is. 76% Grenache/13% Mourvedre/11% Syrah. Big wine, no surprise, with a jammy fruit profile of blackberries, black raspberries, and red plums. Very floral on the nose with mid-palate notes of red licorice, spice, earth, and fresh herbs. Full bodied wine great balance, snappy acidity, and incredible long finish. This is crazy good that will go the distance.
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My first try at one of the Fingers Crossed wines. 4 hour decant. Maybe my expectations were too high? Split the bottle at dinner with three others - two of which are wine importers. The wine seemed to be in a dumb phase. Somewhat one dimensional. All four of us agreed that it was somewhat lackluster and not especially interesting. Maybe I should have waited a few more years? I will give it some time and come back to this in a year or two...
Ojai Food + Wine Festival; 10/26/2023-10/29/2023 (Ojai Valley Inn): Decanted for a little over an hour and this was absolutely singing! Way way more approachable than the Syrah which we had next to it. This was powerful but elegant, gorgeous red fruits and a silky mouthfeel. Lingered on the palette which was a welcome delight. Love this one. Significantly better than the bottle I tried about a year ago.
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Not my style but I respect the approach and found the wine quite drinkable, even at this early stage. No evident heat. Dense and concentrated, ripe and persistent, with (overly) dominant notes of vanilla alongside a touch of fennel and roasted herbs. Not much to connect this to the varietal. When first served to me, I assumed it was their Syrah in fact. Maybe the Syrah and Mourvèdre are just more prominent for now?
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Like WDCWINEGUYS, decided to check on one of these before new allocation next month. Such a treat. The color is brilliant purple ruby and pretty translucent. Gorgeous in the glass. At PNP some Grenache funk, but that blows off after 30 minutes and you get blackberry, blueberry, fig, wood spices, and light hints of baking spices. For 15.7% WDC nailed it, no noticeable heat. If anything the palate has a touch of acidity out of balance at the moment for me but I think that resolves with time. Easy to drink and pairs very nicely with heavier meals or lighter (like we did last night). I'm taking a point off the nose and a couple on the taste for now but could easily see this 98-100 with more age. Can't wait for next release!
I saved a bit for night 2 just to see and so the sneaky 15.7% didn't impact me going into Monday! ha!
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I know it’s young, but I wanted to try one before the next allocation. Pretty close to perfect. 2hr decant in the cellar. Enjoyed over 4-5 hours. While I’m sure this wine would develop even more on day 2, if you give it some air, it drinks incredibly well now.
Deep ruby, dark and saturated. Nose of blackberry, fig, some violet. The oak comes through a bit. Full bodied, long finish. Excellent balance and zero heat from the alcohol. Layers of depth. Such a well made wine.
Very good but very young. Significantly better day 2 than day 1 - to the point that made me think it may even survive to a third day (mine of course was long gone). More straightforward in the SQN Grenache style than the 2017, which I found to be a touch earthier. Day 1 was a wall of fruit, and on day 2 the wine became much more layered and even “pretty” which is a feat at the scale.
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Wow, this is one heck of a bottle! Drank over 24 hours and everytime I came back to this wine, it revealed more and more layers.
Black raspberry and blue fruits. Crushed gravel, purple flowers, sassafras, baking spices, and scorched earth. Savory notes of cured meat and shiitake mushrooms.
Unctuous palate with port-like concentration and tremendous percieved sweetness (despite fermented to dryness).
I'm giving this 97 because I dont have much experience with how high-octane grenaches like this evolve with time, but I can only hope and imagine that this bottle will approach perfection in due time. There is truly nothing missing here. Cannot wait to revisit my remaining bottles over the next decade(s).
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Tried this on pnp, after 4 hrs decant time, and with a 24 hr cellar temp decant. All three times it was approachable, smooth and delicious. But the 24 hour decant took it to another level. Candied plums and spice on the nose, bursting with ripe and sweet fresh red plum on the palate, plus various spices and a hint of capsaicin. Stunning.
Always have a love/hate relationship with Fingers Crossed. That said this bottle was phenomenal and as others have noted doesn’t really come around until the second day. Scorched earth on the first day gives way to juicy cherry, raspberry and vanilla the second. No heat noted either day.
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Method: Opened 2 hours in advance; started at cellar temp (55ish); red wine glass
Look: deep purple; tons of legs
Nose: bing cherry; prosciutto or jamon serrano; potting soil; baking spice, maybe faint black olive; great and super expressive nose
Palate: black cherry, black berry, baking spice, slight olive, graham cracker; long finish of dry herbs, baking spice, pepper, and potting soil; dry; full body; medium+ fine, velvety tannins; medium acidity
Overall thoughts: Grenache can be a bit hit or miss for me and as this was my first Fingers Crossed and it was so young, I admit I was a bit nervous it would be too much of a simple fruit bomb. Boy was a wrong. The nose is awesome -- expressive and complex with fruit, earth, spice, and even a bit of meat. I didn't get as much complexity on the palate, but it's not simple and shows wonderful concentration with deep fruit framed by spice from the oak. The mouth feel is already outstanding with such a full body and wonderful tannins. This is one of the very best Grenaches I've had. It's already showing wonderfully and I think it has some good upside as the fruit recedes a bit and the oak integrates a bit more so the earthy and savory notes can shine through a bit more. Excellent wine (95 - 96 points)!
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Surprisingly open out of the gate, great concentration, red and black fruits, sweet cocoa, cinnamon and cedar, dried roses, great velvety mouthfeel that just coated the palate. Was better after an hour being open, went way too fast. I love the bottle as well, what a great package.
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Couldn't resist. First time trying Fingerscrossed. Small taste on day 1, closed. No surprise. Back in cellar for 24 hrs. Day 2, wow. Much better integrated. layers of complexity. Full-bodied yet somehow restrained. Some much going on in this wine. Remaining 2 bottles of Grenache will rest for quite some time. Very well done by Nik Krankl.
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I too slow ox'd for about 10 hours. Fantastic grenache, dark but clear magenta in the glass, aromas of rasberries and dark cherries, some cedar and nuttiness, rich and chocolaty on the palate. Med-long finish, a stand out Grenache. quite balanced for the high alc %
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Decanted for three hours and then finished on day two. Red fruit medley, roobios tea, river rock, sappy raspberry, cranberry juice, sassafras and Chinese five spice. Very long and luxurious, with microfiber tannins and a full body, there’s agility and a vibrant strength. This will age quite well and is glorious today. Attractive and magnetic. There’s even more depth than the ‘17. Better on day two. Drink 2026 - 2038.
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Slow ox’s for 12 hours. This was exceptional, while the alcohol was present it wasn’t overbearing. I’d describe this as having liquor like qualities, viscous, fruity just so good.
Day 1 - Excited to try this and willing to open one since the case included 3 bottles of grenache and welp, I just couldn't help myself. Decanted and tasted over an hour. First impression was it's a beautiful wine, expectedly a little tight at first and needed more air. Though I dint' think this required a super long decant, I capped the decanter and let it rest for day 2. Day 2 - Wow. Integrated, pure and balanced, juicy, soft and pillowy mouthfeel, fruit driven but not fruit dominant. Clocking in at 15.7% I'd note it's not hot or overly massive. Smooth texture and uber silky tannins rounded out with a fresh medium acidity. They had me with the packaging but inside the bottle is a world class wine. Amazing, super sexy wine.
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12/5/2023 - brianofthevine Likes this wine: 94 Points
Damn...this is good! First time with this one and a beaty it is. 76% Grenache/13% Mourvedre/11% Syrah. Big wine, no surprise, with a jammy fruit profile of blackberries, black raspberries, and red plums. Very floral on the nose with mid-palate notes of red licorice, spice, earth, and fresh herbs. Full bodied wine great balance, snappy acidity, and incredible long finish. This is crazy good that will go the distance.
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11/5/2023 - Bob & Sue Atlanta wrote: 91 Points
My first try at one of the Fingers Crossed wines. 4 hour decant. Maybe my expectations were too high? Split the bottle at dinner with three others - two of which are wine importers. The wine seemed to be in a dumb phase. Somewhat one dimensional. All four of us agreed that it was somewhat lackluster and not especially interesting. Maybe I should have waited a few more years? I will give it some time and come back to this in a year or two...
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10/26/2023 - tcarter Likes this wine: 98 Points
Ojai Food + Wine Festival; 10/26/2023-10/29/2023 (Ojai Valley Inn): Decanted for a little over an hour and this was absolutely singing! Way way more approachable than the Syrah which we had next to it. This was powerful but elegant, gorgeous red fruits and a silky mouthfeel. Lingered on the palette which was a welcome delight. Love this one. Significantly better than the bottle I tried about a year ago.
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9/3/2023 - wdcwineguys Likes this wine: 97 Points
Similar to my previous note. 4hr decant in the cellar. Served around 65, enjoyed with BBQ. Fantastic. Drink now with air or hold.
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4/8/2023 - RMundell Likes this wine: 97 Points
Amazing Grenache. Power and finesse in this wine. Really impressive.
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10/8/2022 - rrasmuss Likes this wine: 97 Points
That score is probably harsh given the age.
A great bottle from fingers (the wine, not the shape, it’s a pain in the ass to store).
Baking spice, amarena cherry, fennel, and earth. 4 hour decant and that probably wasn’t enough. Continued to open and grow over the course of 5 hours.
Just a great wine. I wish the allocations were larger because I would love to taste them multiple times over the course of a decade or more.
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10/1/2022 - tcarter Likes this wine: 95 Points
Still very young. Will give this some more years.
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9/9/2022 - sbfireman wrote: 92 Points
@JonnyG is spot on.
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9/8/2022 - JonnyG wrote: 92 Points
Not my style but I respect the approach and found the wine quite drinkable, even at this early stage. No evident heat. Dense and concentrated, ripe and persistent, with (overly) dominant notes of vanilla alongside a touch of fennel and roasted herbs. Not much to connect this to the varietal. When first served to me, I assumed it was their Syrah in fact. Maybe the Syrah and Mourvèdre are just more prominent for now?
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7/25/2022 - TMOVino2 Likes this wine: 97 Points
Like WDCWINEGUYS, decided to check on one of these before new allocation next month. Such a treat. The color is brilliant purple ruby and pretty translucent. Gorgeous in the glass. At PNP some Grenache funk, but that blows off after 30 minutes and you get blackberry, blueberry, fig, wood spices, and light hints of baking spices. For 15.7% WDC nailed it, no noticeable heat. If anything the palate has a touch of acidity out of balance at the moment for me but I think that resolves with time. Easy to drink and pairs very nicely with heavier meals or lighter (like we did last night). I'm taking a point off the nose and a couple on the taste for now but could easily see this 98-100 with more age. Can't wait for next release!
I saved a bit for night 2 just to see and so the sneaky 15.7% didn't impact me going into Monday! ha!
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7/24/2022 - wdcwineguys Likes this wine: 97 Points
I know it’s young, but I wanted to try one before the next allocation. Pretty close to perfect. 2hr decant in the cellar. Enjoyed over 4-5 hours. While I’m sure this wine would develop even more on day 2, if you give it some air, it drinks incredibly well now.
Deep ruby, dark and saturated. Nose of blackberry, fig, some violet. The oak comes through a bit. Full bodied, long finish. Excellent balance and zero heat from the alcohol. Layers of depth. Such a well made wine.
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5/29/2022 - Jahull03 wrote:
Very good but very young. Significantly better day 2 than day 1 - to the point that made me think it may even survive to a third day (mine of course was long gone). More straightforward in the SQN Grenache style than the 2017, which I found to be a touch earthier. Day 1 was a wall of fruit, and on day 2 the wine became much more layered and even “pretty” which is a feat at the scale.
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5/14/2022 - pakabear Likes this wine:
Consistent to my previous bottles, this stuff is going too fast…
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4/11/2022 - deetz wrote: 97 Points
Wow, this is one heck of a bottle! Drank over 24 hours and everytime I came back to this wine, it revealed more and more layers.
Black raspberry and blue fruits. Crushed gravel, purple flowers, sassafras, baking spices, and scorched earth. Savory notes of cured meat and shiitake mushrooms.
Unctuous palate with port-like concentration and tremendous percieved sweetness (despite fermented to dryness).
I'm giving this 97 because I dont have much experience with how high-octane grenaches like this evolve with time, but I can only hope and imagine that this bottle will approach perfection in due time. There is truly nothing missing here. Cannot wait to revisit my remaining bottles over the next decade(s).
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3/28/2022 - Decanting Queen Likes this wine: 96 Points
Tried this on pnp, after 4 hrs decant time, and with a 24 hr cellar temp decant. All three times it was approachable, smooth and delicious. But the 24 hour decant took it to another level. Candied plums and spice on the nose, bursting with ripe and sweet fresh red plum on the palate, plus various spices and a hint of capsaicin. Stunning.
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3/22/2022 - MAXIMUM SATISFACTION wrote: 97 Points
Always have a love/hate relationship with Fingers Crossed. That said this bottle was phenomenal and as others have noted doesn’t really come around until the second day. Scorched earth on the first day gives way to juicy cherry, raspberry and vanilla the second. No heat noted either day.
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3/20/2022 - JRockEsq Likes this wine: 95 Points
Method: Opened 2 hours in advance; started at cellar temp (55ish); red wine glass
Look: deep purple; tons of legs
Nose: bing cherry; prosciutto or jamon serrano; potting soil; baking spice, maybe faint black olive; great and super expressive nose
Palate: black cherry, black berry, baking spice, slight olive, graham cracker; long finish of dry herbs, baking spice, pepper, and potting soil; dry; full body; medium+ fine, velvety tannins; medium acidity
Overall thoughts: Grenache can be a bit hit or miss for me and as this was my first Fingers Crossed and it was so young, I admit I was a bit nervous it would be too much of a simple fruit bomb. Boy was a wrong. The nose is awesome -- expressive and complex with fruit, earth, spice, and even a bit of meat. I didn't get as much complexity on the palate, but it's not simple and shows wonderful concentration with deep fruit framed by spice from the oak. The mouth feel is already outstanding with such a full body and wonderful tannins. This is one of the very best Grenaches I've had. It's already showing wonderfully and I think it has some good upside as the fruit recedes a bit and the oak integrates a bit more so the earthy and savory notes can shine through a bit more. Excellent wine (95 - 96 points)!
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3/13/2022 - pakabear Likes this wine: 97 Points
Surprisingly open out of the gate, great concentration, red and black fruits, sweet cocoa, cinnamon and cedar, dried roses, great velvety mouthfeel that just coated the palate. Was better after an hour being open, went way too fast. I love the bottle as well, what a great package.
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3/12/2022 - Super Dave AZ Likes this wine: 97 Points
Couldn't resist. First time trying Fingerscrossed. Small taste on day 1, closed. No surprise. Back in cellar for 24 hrs. Day 2, wow. Much better integrated. layers of complexity. Full-bodied yet somehow restrained. Some much going on in this wine. Remaining 2 bottles of Grenache will rest for quite some time. Very well done by Nik Krankl.
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3/7/2022 - Wine G Likes this wine: 96 Points
I too slow ox'd for about 10 hours. Fantastic grenache, dark but clear magenta in the glass, aromas of rasberries and dark cherries, some cedar and nuttiness, rich and chocolaty on the palate. Med-long finish, a stand out Grenache. quite balanced for the high alc %
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3/5/2022 - Matt Scott Likes this wine: 97 Points
Decanted for three hours and then finished on day two. Red fruit medley, roobios tea, river rock, sappy raspberry, cranberry juice, sassafras and Chinese five spice. Very long and luxurious, with microfiber tannins and a full body, there’s agility and a vibrant strength. This will age quite well and is glorious today. Attractive and magnetic. There’s even more depth than the ‘17. Better on day two. Drink 2026 - 2038.
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2/20/2022 - eschuldt wrote: 98 Points
Slow ox’s for 12 hours. This was exceptional, while the alcohol was present it wasn’t overbearing. I’d describe this as having liquor like qualities, viscous, fruity just so good.
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2/17/2022 - winefloat Likes this wine:
Day 1 - Excited to try this and willing to open one since the case included 3 bottles of grenache and welp, I just couldn't help myself. Decanted and tasted over an hour. First impression was it's a beautiful wine, expectedly a little tight at first and needed more air. Though I dint' think this required a super long decant, I capped the decanter and let it rest for day 2.
Day 2 - Wow. Integrated, pure and balanced, juicy, soft and pillowy mouthfeel, fruit driven but not fruit dominant. Clocking in at 15.7% I'd note it's not hot or overly massive. Smooth texture and uber silky tannins rounded out with a fresh medium acidity. They had me with the packaging but inside the bottle is a world class wine. Amazing, super sexy wine.
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