Each grape adds its own nuance: Grenache adds rich raspberry flavors; Mourvèdre brings notes of blueberry; Syrah, flavors of blackberry and ripe tannins and a touch of Cinsaut’s dusty berry notes. These layers of flavor enable this wine to pair with a wide variety of foods from mushroom pizza to rosemary crusted leg of lamb. You can enjoy this wine now or cellar for the next five to seven years.

Review

25 Best Wines for Summer -- Pair with Burgers, Sausages and Spicy Rubs and Sauces -- 2004 Zaca Mesa Z Cuvee ($18) "From one of the first wineries founded in California's Santa Ynez Valley, this Grenache-dominated blend (which also has percentages of Mourvedre, Syrah and Cinsaut) starts off oaky and firmly structured until the lush raspberry-blackberry fruit kicks in." Food & Wine Magazine, June 2007.

Rating

"A Chateauneuf-style blend of Grenache, Mourvedre, Syrah and Cinsaut, coopered in some new French oak; this is a richly drinkable red wine. Soft and dry, it shows complex cherry, berry and spice flavors and an intricate structure, and will play beautifully against a grilled steak." 87 points Wine Enthusiast, July 2007

Wine maker notes

This unique combination of Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah and Cinsaut is inspired by the Chateauneuf-de-Pape’s where they have been blending these wines together for centuries, creating wines that are greater than the sum of their parts. After hand harvesting, the grapes were gently de-stemmed, fermented and barrel aged separately for seven months, then combined and aged for an additional nine months in French oak barrels.