2017 Rocket Block James Berry Vineyard

Medium to deep ruby, the 2017 Rocket Block James Berry Vineyard is a blend of 78% Grenache, 14% Mataro and 8% Syrah. The nose offers lovely tricolored berry fruits with notes of aniseed, lavender and potpourri. Medium-bodied, it floods the mouth with juicy, super spicy fruits, softly framed and finishing uplifted.

Mostly Grenache blended with 14% Mataro and 8% Syrah, the 2017 James Berry Vineyard Rocket Block offers an exotic style in its kirsch and mulberry fruits as well as notes of candied orange, toasted spice, herbes de Provence, and white pepper aromas and flavors. Full-bodied and beautiful on the palate, with silky tannins, a fresher, elegant texture, and a fabulous finish, it will benefit from 2-3 years of bottle age and keep over a decade. I don't think it matches the 2015 and 2016, but it's still a stunning wine.

Shimmering violet color. A complex, explosively perfumed bouquet evokes ripe, spice-accented red and blue fruits, incense and floral oils, which are enlivened by a vibrant mineral quality that builds as the wine opens up. Sweet, seamless and energetic on the palate, offering densely packed black raspberry, boysenberry, candied lavender and spicecake flavors that show outstanding clarity and building power. The mineral and floral components drive an extremely long, sappy finish that's given shape by smooth, deftly woven tannins.