2015 God Only Knows Grenache
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Tasting notes
The 2015 Grenache God Only Knows comes from the high-density (1,815 vines per acre) Armada Vineyard, planted in 2001. Matured for 21 months in used French demi-muids and foudres, it opens with soaring raspberry and strawberry perfume plus pure accents of iodine, olive tapenade and desiccated wildflowers. The medium-bodied palate is just as generous, offering highly concentrated flavors without weight. It’s structured by luxuriously powdery tannins and fireworks of fresh acidity and has a very long, layered finish. It’s complex and crunchy despite the hot growing season and is just entering its peak drinking window. 519 cases were made.
Critic scores
Average Score
William Kelley, Wine Advocate
Eric Guido, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2015 God Only Knows has found a very happy place in its maturity. Six years since release and direct from the cellar, this bursts from the glass with a seductive mix of wild strawberry, licorice and sweet spice, complicated by more savory notes of white pepper, olive and seared meat. It's juicy to the core and soothingly round with hints of vividly ripe wild berry fruit, mineral stone and earth tones. A core of vibrant acidity maintains fabulous freshness. The 2015 still possesses a tug of adolescent tannins, yet they don't get in the way. This finishes long and savory with an almost salty tinge that lingers on. Fantastic. The 2015 was fermented with 50% whole clusters and matured for 20 months in neutral French oak, demi muids and foudres.
A grenache with tar, dust and dried-strawberry character. Medium to full body, silky tannins and a flavorful finish. Shows focus and reality. The decadent and earthy edge to this brings you back. Drink now.
The 2015 Grenache God Only Knows Armada Vineyard is superb, wafting from the glass with a bouquet of kaleidoscopic complexity that features aromas of rose hips and peony, ripe cherries and orange rind, mingled with savory bass notes of garrigue, licorice and bay leaf. On the palate, it's full-bodied, layered and expansive, with a deep core of fruit framed by very fine-grained, velvety tannins, concluding with a sapid, even saline finish. Its concentration without weight, as well as its striking aromatic amplitude, mark it out as one of the finest expressions of Grenache to be found in the United States. The 2015 was cropped at 1.2 tons per acre and saw a saignee of 8% to 15%, and it was fermented with 70% to 80% whole cluster, attaining 14.2% alcohol. Jun 2018, www.robertparker.com