Reviews
- Jeb Dunnuck -
Technical Details
- 87% Syrah, 10% Grenache, and a splash of Viognier
- Jeremy Weintraub
- US
- California
- Central Coast
- Santa Ynez Valley
- Larner Vineyard
- 14.5%
SITE Red Blend Larner Vineyard Ballard Canyon 2019
You’ll see SITE wines at the likes of The French Laundry in Yountville, PRESS in St. Helena, SingleThread Farms in Healdsburg, Blackberry Farm in Tennessee, and many more upscale, Michelin-star restaurants across the country. These are wines built to stand up next to excellent meals and complement the rich flavors of fine dining, though if you know anything about restaurant pricing, you’d be likely to get your hands on ONE of these bottles for $180, at least...whereas, here at First Bottle, you can get a 3-pack for the very same price. Bring the fine dining experience home, make a favorite meal, and savor these gorgeous, high-flying wines, without the white tablecloths and more silverware than you know what to do with.
The 2019 Larner Grenache and Larner Red Blend both come from – you guessed it – Larner Vineyard in Ballard Canyon, the nation’s smallest AVA tucked into the Santa Ynez Valley known for producing predominantly syrah and grenache grapes with thick skins, well-concentrated tannins, mature acidity, and rich flavors. The 96 point grenache drips with blue and black berries, purple flowers, orange zest, and a tinge of iron, with great acidity, spice, body, and intensity almost akin to a syrah. Meanwhile, the exquisite 97 point red blend is composed of 87% syrah, 10% grenache, and 3% viognier for a juicy berry explosion followed by spicy peppercorn, meaty sensations, and violet petals – an all-around full, mouth-filling wine with exceptional smoothness and bodacious flavors.