2017 Keplinger El Dorado
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Tasting notes
The 2017 Caldera, Helen Keplinger's Mourvèdre-based blend, is loaded with kirsch, leather, sweet tobacco, cedar, mint, licorice and dried herbs. Feral and wild, the 2017 is a heady, ripe wine that reflects the personality of this warm growing season.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
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Lots of cured meats, dried red and black fruits, and spice notes emerge from the 2017 Caldera, which is a Mourvèdre-dominated blend that includes 19% Grenache and 4% Counoise, all sourced from the Eldorado region of the Sierra Foothills. Medium-bodied and balanced, with silky tannins, it’s a complex, layered Mourvèdre to enjoy over the coming decade or more.
The 2017 Caldera comes from the Goldbud vineyard, farmed by Ron Mansfield, and is blended of 32% Mourvèdre , 41% Grenache and 27% Counoise, aged 16 months in neutral 600-liter French demi-muids. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, it gives up a beguiling perfume of cracked black pepper, cinnamon stick, cloves and potpourri with a core of kirsch and black raspberries plus a waft of garrigue. Full-bodied with a plush texture and tons of spiced red and black fruits, it finishes long and peppery. 150 cases produced.