2022 Red Wine "Life and Death"

The 2022 Red Wine Life and Death is striking for its depth of red-toned fruit and penetrating aromatics. Syrah is clearly in the driver's seat, despite playing second fiddle to Grenache in the blend, bringing peppery smoked meat, underbrush and garrigue tones, while Mourvèdre adds a feral but measured edge. Broad yet focused, the 2022 is distinctive, complex and full of personality. The only slight drawback is a touch of ethanol heat on the finish. The blend is 43.5% Grenache, 22% Syrah, 13% Mourvèdre, 13% Graciano and 8.5% Petite Sirah. 
- Billy Norris (08/2025)

The 2022 Red Wine Life And Death is Grenache-dominated yet includes 22% Syrah, 13% each of Mourvèdre and Graciano, and 8.5% Petite Sirah, all of which was fermented with 25% whole clusters and brought up in 70% new oak. It offers a sensational perfume of black raspberry and black cherry fruits intermixed with camphor, lavender, white flowers, and peppery, almost garrigue-like nuances. With full-bodied richness, remarkable purity, and a massive, yet somehow elegant, seamless mouthfeel as well as incredible length, it's a masterpiece of a Rhône-like blend from California's Central Coast that could come from nowhere else. The fruit sourcing here is a mix of Bien Nacido, Stolpman, Alta Mesa, Sanger, and Rancho Boa Vista, and the marriage of richness, purity, and finesse is something to behold. This beauty will evolve for 15-20 years if well stored. Drink: 2025-2040. (04/2025)

The 2022 Life And Death Red Wine is a blend of 43.5% Grenache, 22% Syrah, 13% Mourvèdre, 13% Graciano, and 8.5% Petite Sirah. 25% whole clusters were included in the fermentation and it was aged for 21 months in French oak, 70% new. Deep garnet-purple, fresh blackberries, mulberries, and red cherries jump from the glass, followed by hints of dried Provence herbs, tilled soil, and pencil lead. The full-bodied palate is savory and structured with loads of mineral layers, finishing very long. The vineyard sources this year are Bien Nacido, Stolpman, Rancho Boa Vista, Sanger, and Alta Mesa. 563 cases were made. (08/2025)

Tasted as a final blend shortly before bottling, the 2022 Red Wine Life And Death is composed of 43.5% Grenache, 22% Syrah, 13% Mourvèdre, 13% Graciano and 8.5% Petite Sirah. It was fermented with 25% whole clusters and spent 21 months in 70% new French oak. The nose opens with aromas of muddled black and red fruits, bramble, cracked leather and traces of alcohol fumes, with woody, new oak aromas increasing in intensity after aeration. Typical of this lineup, the palate is plush, precise and focused. However, it concludes with a short finish that more prominently displays the alcoholic heat first hinted at on the nose. While I may have caught this in an awkward state before bottling, the obtrusive alcohol levels cause me to question its ultimate balance. 
- Matthew Luczy (08/2024)