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90POINTS
16½/20
Ferdinand Tempranillo 2016
Amador County, Sierra Foothills, California, United StatesFrom Amador County's Shake Ridge Vineyard, around 530m, this tempranillo is grounded in rocky, red volcanic soils. Said footage, plus an early pick preserves freshness, as does a natural ferment in stainless. After three weeks this was moved to barrel to finish MLF, and then rest for 20 months in French oak (20% new) before bottling unfined and unfiltered, and with minimal SO2. Wild blackberries, cassis, dusky black plum, and waves of black pepper fill the plush palate. The full-bodied red is cloudy with authenticity, and tannins are lightly furry and cinnamon bark scented through to the warming 14.5 degree finish. There is certainly more than a nod to tempranillo's Spanish roots here, but this feels firmly Californian, somehow.Tasted: 26 September 2019Tasted by: Treve RingPrices:| BC | $45.00 | 750ml | private wine shops |
Grape: Tempranillo/Tinto Fino/Tinta del Toro/AragonezCSPC: 158108
