2017 “Twenty-One” Annadel Gap Vineyard Red Wine - Westwood EState Wines

Crunchy blackberry, smoked sea salt, barely-ripe dark plum. Tense black currant, cured bacon, blueberry skin. An incredibly deep and inky assemblage of dark cherry, fresh fig, and wild strawberry writhes with brooding yet vibrant concentration playfully bolstered in nuance by hints of thyme, camp fire, and cracked black pepper. Haunting impressions of charcoal, cast iron, applewood, and braised meat emerge to reveal an intricate savory and smoky edge further enhanced by notes of dry rub, cinnamon, and paprika in a blast of complex barbecue spice. Blooming violet, dried iris, and crushed lavender highlight expressive and intense purple floral tones that intertwine with sage, scrub brush, manzanita, and fragrant herbes de Provence. Extraordinarily dense and mysterious on the nose while remaining layered, muscular, and serious on the palate; exhibiting incredible pent-up energy and tension within a simultaneously feral and rugged yet polished presentation. Medium plus in body with pronounced tannin energetically backed by elevated acidity. This 2017 "Twenty-One" Annadel Gap Vineyard Red Wine by Westwood Estate Wines is a structured, scintillating, and seductive red blend from the Sonoma Valley. 

Located in south-eastern Sonoma County along the western foothills of the Mayacamas Mountains, the Sonoma Valley is a historic winegrowing region that sees its warm and sunny daytime temperatures combated daily by cool and foggy nights. This bottling, crafted by Westwood Estate Wines using a blend of Syrah/Mourvèdre/Grenache grown in their biodynamic estate vineyard within the Sonoma Valley, showcases the incredible juxtaposition of power and finesse this legendary winegrowing zone is capable of facilitating. While potently extracted with generously dense and opaque dark fruits this wine possesses an outstanding smoky, herbal, and savory edge that is already remarkably complex and just barely beginning to unfurl. It is massively full-throttle in style without coming off the slightest bit overblown, rather this remains perfectly in balance and wildly expressive. Extremely compelling and thought-provoking.