Twisted Oak Calaveras County *%#&@! 2005
Region: Calaveras County
Winery: Twisted Oak
Variety: Rhone Blend, Mourvedre, Syrah, Grenache

Arrrr, ye scurvy dogs! Sailing the seas of cheese once again is everyone's favorite chumbucket. Sounds like Cluck, pairs with Duck...what more can we say without gettin' keelhauled and sent to walk the plank?? Well we can tell you that this year's wine is a blend of Mourvedre, Syrah and Grenache; a broadside of boysenberry and raspberry flavors. Just the thing to"splice the mainbrace", if you know what we mean....
This wine is a rich blend of 51% Mourvedre, 33% Syrah, and 16% Grenache - to learn more, scroll down!

Click here to review this wine or to read other reviews!
Geek Sheet Data for 2005 Calaveras County
(click here for printable PDF Geek Sheet) (learn more! check out our Geek Sheet Cheat Sheat)
Tasting Notes
The meaty and leathery characters and hints of Provençal herbs and spices might have you thinking this Rhône-style blend of Mourvedre, Syrah, and Grenache just fell out of a “California Cheese” commerical. Well, the name is the only cheesy thing about it! Those bright fruit flavors of boysenberry and raspberry sure ain’t no bull! (Note: No animals were harmed in the writing of these tasting notes.)
Production Notes
The 2005 edition of this tastelessly named red Rhône-style blend is the first vintage with grapes sourced almost entirely from Calaveras County. All of the vineyards were chosen for a particular attribute that makes those vineyards very special places. In some cases it is exposure, in some it is clonal or rootstalk applications. But most of all they were chosen because these growers are incredibly committed to producing the highest quality fruit possible.
The base for this wine is Mourvedre from two vineyards. The Mourvedre from the Dalton Vineyard is grown here in Calaveras not far from the Calaveras River. Vineyard manager Steve Collum planted these vines with the intention of growing top notch Rhône varietals. The second Mourvedre was grown by El Dorado County’s very own Rhône varietal specialist Ron Mansfield on a vineyard named Fodhli near Gold Hill. The Grenache as well was grown on two different ranches. The first is our own Estate Vineyard here in Vallecito, and the second was once again the Dalton Vineyard. The Syrah comes from the Tanner Vineyard here in Vallecito, owned and operated by Dick and Ron Tanner and their sister Judy.
The final make-up for this was based on the particular contributions that each grape could make to the blend. For Bright fruit flavors up front, we started with Grenache. For mid-palate fruit and elements of spice, as well as an overall base for the wine, we used Mourvedre. Finally, Syrah was added for dark fruit flavors and powerful structure. All lots were fermented in open top vessels over a period of 14 days. They were pressed off of the skins and allowed to settle for 3 days before being moved by gravity into the barrels for the ageing process. The wine spent 11 months in barrels in order to add more spice elements as well as round out the tannin structure.

Posted by thewinery on January 27th, 2008 at 3:24pm | report comment