Shatter, 2011
In 1998
some pretty memorable events occurred…my first daughter was born, Bill Clinton
denied he had “relations” with a certain someone, and Dave Phinney founded Orin
Swift Cellars. Orin Swift produced some amazing and rather famous wines
including The Prisoner, Saldo, Papillon, etc. He was looking for a new wine
project and when visiting Maury in the Roussillon region of France in 2008 he
quickly recognized the area’s potential. Dave eventually had a conversation
with Joel Gott, another force in wine, regarding the terroir in Maury. After
further investigation, these two powerhouses joined forces like Batman and
Superman to create a pretty commanding wine.
Sláinte!TCW
They
created a wine named Shatter and with it being 100% Grenache and 15.9% alcohol
content, I knew this would be big! At first aromas were ink, oak, spice and
smoke with flavors of fig, charred oak, and dark chocolate, finishing up with a
chalky mouth feel. Don’t let this wine fool you. You must decant and let this
breathe for at least 30 minutes, but I found if you letting it air almost an
hour is when it’s at its peak. It evolved into aromas of blueberry, while the
other aromas toned down and became softer, not so dominant. The flavors
softened up as well, noting blackberry and roasted coffee. Be forewarned, this
is a food wine through and through. Big hearty red meat dishes, sausages, or
lamb would be great accompaniments, or just noshing on some cheddar and gouda
cheeses would work with this wine as well.
Like you’d expect with Batman and Superman, Dave and
Joel prevailed in the end and won with this bottle. Shatter, 2011 was a pretty delicious wine and an experience in
itself. Sláinte!TCW
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