Wine Article
2012 Kevin White Winery La Fraternité
Last edited on 7/2/2014 by ob2s
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FP
This is a blend of 41% Grenache (Upland Vineyard), 40% Mourvedre (Olsen), and 19% Syrah (Olsen and Wallula), and Kevin expects the Frat to hew close to those 40/40/20 proportions going forward. It was raised in 20% new French oak for just shy of a year and clocks in at 14.5% listed alc.
After seeing the cool 2010 and 2011 vintages as his first two, it's encouraging to see Kevin take a more middle-of-the-road vintage like 2012 and knock it out of the park. This begins with a seriously expressive nose, soaring florals (lilac, magnolia) lofted above a core of raspberry pastille. The nose is all springtime. And then the palate, a rich mouthful of brambly berry fruit mixed with savory notes of braised beef and roasted herb. A total palate-coater, this doesn't lack for richness at all in this warmer vintage, and yet still manages to convey a live-wire sense of energy and a sneaky sense of wildness (the Mourvedre perhaps). Balanced, polished, expressive.
This is a blend of 41% Grenache (Upland Vineyard), 40% Mourvedre (Olsen), and 19% Syrah (Olsen and Wallula), and Kevin expects the Frat to hew close to those 40/40/20 proportions going forward. It was raised in 20% new French oak for just shy of a year and clocks in at 14.5% listed alc.
After seeing the cool 2010 and 2011 vintages as his first two, it's encouraging to see Kevin take a more middle-of-the-road vintage like 2012 and knock it out of the park. This begins with a seriously expressive nose, soaring florals (lilac, magnolia) lofted above a core of raspberry pastille. The nose is all springtime. And then the palate, a rich mouthful of brambly berry fruit mixed with savory notes of braised beef and roasted herb. A total palate-coater, this doesn't lack for richness at all in this warmer vintage, and yet still manages to convey a live-wire sense of energy and a sneaky sense of wildness (the Mourvedre perhaps). Balanced, polished, expressive.