Amador County

Medium

Cork

This is a blend of Grenache, Mourvèdre, and Syrah from three blocks that are picked ‘piecemeal,’ as Helen Keplinger puts it. The grapes are co-fermented, typically with 30–50% whole cluster, though less in 2023. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel, followed by ageing in 500- and 600-litre barrels, with the Syrah aged separately in a smaller neutral barrel. The wine is then assembled and aged for 17 months before bottling. With the inclusion of whole cluster, the wine is quite coiled at present, framed by wonderfully compact, tightly knit tannins. It’s incredibly fresh, showing very pure red and black berry fruit with hints of brown spice and violets. There’s a touch of white pepper, a chalky mineral edge, and even an ultra-fine, sandy texture, but the wine remains tightly wound and very much a sleeper. I’d wait to pull corks until around 2027, then enjoy it over at least a decade—certainly longer if you can.

Mourvèdre

Syrah / Shiraz

Grenache

Keplinger Wines, Lithic, Shake Ridge Vineyard, Amador County, California, USA, 2023

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This is a blend of Grenache, Mourvèdre, and Syrah from three blocks that are picked ‘piecemeal,’ as Helen Keplinger puts it. The

Keplinger Wines, Lithic, Shake Ridge Vineyard, Amador County, California USA 2023

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