Each year winemaker Jarrod Boyle teams up with a different Rockstar in the wine industry to sit down together and come up with a unique blend of Syrah, Grenache, and Mourvedre. This year’s Rockstar was local wine writer and judge Ken Robertson who was nice enough to not only help us put together a blend but also wrote our tasting notes for us.
“The opening riff proclaims this is a wine with some swash behind its buckle. It’s a complex tale of three red Rhone varietals — beginning with some funky notes of cured meat, leather, blackberry, and plum from its 51% Destiny Ridge Vineyard Syrah, then revealing Mediterranean herbal aromas. On the palate, there’s a refreshing splash of pomegranate, brambleberry, and more plum, with its lush 29% Grenache lingering from front to back, bulwarked by the tannins of its 20% Mourvèdre. Toward the end, a squirt of red currant sneaks out along with dusty, graphite-laden pencil shavings, a reminder of its Horse Heaven Hills origins. Serve it with venison seared to medium rare and topped with coarse ground black pepper and kosher salt. No venison handy? Try lamb or lean, grass-fed sirloin.”