TN: Six New Tercero Wines....(short/boring)

Tried these over the last week:

1. tercero ClairetteBlanche SantaBarbaraCnty (12.0%; Aged: SS & old Fr.oak; 1’st release; www.terceroWines.com) LarrySchaffer/Buellton 2020: Light gold color; quite pretty floral/carnations light mineral/perfumed talc slight herbal fairly fragrant almost Malvasia d’Istriana lively/lovely nose; quite tart/tangy bit citric/grapefruity quite dry light floral/carnations slight perfumed talc clean/brisk/citric/tangy flavor; long lightly floral/carnations/perfumed talc bit citric/tangy finish; quite an attractive brisk white that reminds some of Croatian Malvasia d’Istriani but not quite as complex/mineral; a bit on the neutral side compared to Roussanne/Viognier but quite a pretty white. $nc (LS)/$33.00

2. tercero TheOutlier GWT JoeCarrariVnyd/LosAlamos/SantaBarbaraCnty (13.5%; Aged: SS; RS < 0.3%) 2020: Light yellow/gold color; very fragrant rose petal/lychee/GWT/quite spicy/floral lovely perfumed nose; lightly tart some rich/lush bright/tangy strong rose petal/lychee/GWT/spicy/nutmeg light earthy/chalky very pretty flavor; very long lightly tart/brisk bright lychee/GWT/floral/spicy/rose petal light chalky finish; not at all heavy-handed/hair-oil Alsatian Gwt but more subtle akin to a lighter AltoAdige GWT or a Val d’Aosto Traminer; quite a pretty expression of GWT not at all bombastic like they can be; reminds a bit of Navarro GWT. $nc (LS)/$33.00

3. tercero Cinsault SantaBarbaraCnty (12.3%; 7 brls; 100% stem inclusion; 16 mo. in older Fr.oak) 2017: Med.light color; very fragrant/perfumed strawberry/cherry/Cinsault rather earthy/loamy/dusty bit rustic/coarse nose; bit soft rather earthy/loamy/dusty some rustic some strawberry/cherry/Cinsault/perfumed flavor w/ light tannic bite; very long bright strawberry/cherry/Cinsault rather earthy/dusty/loamy/rustic finish w/ light tannins; shows the pretty floral character of Cinsault w/ that loamy/earthy/rustic undertone; reminds a lot of Piemonte Freisa but not nearly as tannic & rough; a very pretty/drinkable fragrant red onestep above a glou-glou red. $nc (LS)/$38.00

4. tercero Carignane SantaBarbaraCnty (8 brls; 12.1%; 100% stem inclusion; 16 mo. in older Fr.oak) 2017: Med.color; strong cherry/Carignane/black cherry some earthy/dusty/loamy light pencilly/oak rather spicy/cinammon/pimenton slight appley very pretty nose; quite tart bright cherry/Carignane/spicy/black cherry some earthy/dusty light pencilly/oak bit rough/coarse flavor w/ light rough tannins; very long bright/cherry/Carignane/black cherry/black cherry cola some earthy/dusty finish w/ light tannins; reminds a lot of SouthernFrance Carignane w/ the earthy/dusty/bit rustic character but not as extracted, some of Ridge Carignane w/o all the oak; quite a pretty/drinkable expression of Carignane. $nc (LS)/$38.00

5. tercero Syrah LarnerVnyd/BallardCnyn (91% Syrah/9% Viog partly co-frmtd; 12.9%; 3 brls; 34 mo. in older Fr.oak) 2014: Dark color; very fragrant blackberry/Syrah/boysenberries/some peppery/quite spicy bit complex lovely nose; lightly tart/tangy very spicy/blackberry/Syrah/peppery/boysenberry fragrant very light pencilly/oak fairly smooth/round/balanced some complex flavor w/ modest tangy tannins; very long/lingering brisk/bright smooth/balanced very strong blackberry/Syrah/spicy/bit boysenberry light pencilly/oak bit complex finish w/ light chewey tannins; quite balanced & drinkable but could use another 2-5 yrs. $nc (LS)/$50.00

6. tercero Mourvedre SantaBarbaraCnty (14.2%; 100% whole-cluster; 11 brls; 34 mo. in old Fr.oak) 2014: Med.color; very strong plummy/Mourv/boysenberry/ripe slight licorice/chocolaty light pencilly/oak bit earthy/dusty/OV pretty classic Mourv bit Languedoc-like/complex nose; lightly tart/tangy fairly rich/lush very strong plummy/Mourv/blackberry/chocolaty fairly earthy/dusty light pencilly/oak smooth/balanced flavor w/ light ripe tannins; very long/lingering strong plummy/Mourv/blackberry/black cherry light pencilly/oak bit earthy/dusty finish w/ light brisk tannins; needs 2-5 yrs of age; reminds a bit of ContraCosta Mataro w/ the earthy/dusty character but not quite as rustic/loamy. $nc (LS)/$44.00

A wee BloodyPulpit:

1. Larry sent me about a month ago these new releases that he wanted me to try. Does that make me one of these so-called influencers?? Doubt it…I haven’t had any influence over anyone since my daughter became a teen-ager!!
   I’ve always like Larry’s wines. They’re not as big/extracted Rhones like many from SantaBarbaraCnty and usually show a sort of sensible/balanced/old-world restraint, whilst still showing a lot of varietal character. They tend much more towards the TablasCreek style than the Ojai/Jaffurs mold. I tend to prefer the whites because of their aromatics, yet not as bombastic/intense as many. His GWT has always been one of my favorites from Calif because of its more subtle/restrained style & avoids the Zind-Humbrecht excesses.
   All of these wines pretty much fit in withe Larry’s winemaking style. Consistently good Rhones.
   Tom

Nice notes Tom. Like you I’m probably more drawn to the whites for the aromatics. Funny enough I wasn’t really into Rhone whites before trying Larry’s wines, but they’ve really intrigued me.

Excellent tasting notes, Tom!! The Clairette Blanche sounds lovely.

Tom,
Very nice notes. I’ve generally not been a fan of his reds (some exceptions). But I have loved his whites and think he does a fantastic job with them. I should get more but I’ve been trying to reduce the cellar a bit at the moment.

I’m looking forward to that Larner Syrah with Viognier. His Larner wines are my favorite and IMO quite a bargain.

Tom,

Thanks for taking the time to write up some of my newer releases. I did not hit you with ALL of my latest releases - I have to keep you wanting more, right?

Here are a few notes for you:

The Clairette Blanche is my first take at the variety, one of the varieties that Tablas brought in, had quarantined, and then propogated and released to other vineyards and nurseries. I see a lot of potential with this very versatile variety - my intent with this wine was to make a crisp, clean white that has a nice acidic kick to it to pair it, in general, with Spring and Summer. I am curious to see where it goes development-wise - some have described it as muscadet-like and I can certainly see that. But it was made in a style to set it apart from the other white Rhone varieities that I work with, including Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Marsanne and Viognier.

The Outlier is simply a fun wine to make and share. This is the driest version of Gewurztraminer that I’ve ever produced at .1% RS or 1g/l, and it also has the highest alcohol at about 14%. The additional alcohol gives this wine a nice lift in body and texture and many comment about the nice lingering finish the wine has, which I’m ecstatic about as this was only bottled in early February. The wine needs that ‘body’ to come from someone, and usually with GZ it comes from RS.

I call my Cinsault my ‘MTV-unplugged’ wine - in the face of big and bold reds, it’s like my child Davis playing their ukelele without any amplification. For those who have enjoyed my ‘larger structured’ wines in the past, this is one I highly recommend, especially as I see many on this board enjoying the variety produced by others.

Carignane is a variety that I used to work with at Fess Parker, but we’d always bring it in really ripe and just blend it away in our Frontier Red wine. 2017 marks my second vintage working with the variety, and like all of my reds since 2013, this one was foot stomped aggressively and then fermented 100% whole cluster. It was then aged for 16 months in 5+ year old French oak barrels. This wine has a nice rusticity that reminds some of a lighter take on a Northern Italian red. Again, a ‘different style’ than what I’ve done in the past and worth checking out if you enjoy the variety (just like with the Cinsault, there are not a lot of us doing 100% versions . . .).

The 2014 Larner Vyd Syrah has the lowest alcohol level of any syrah I had produced up to that time - 12.9% - because, well, the grapes just tasted and looked great and it was ready to get them off the vine! This was cofermented with Viognier from an adjacent block and I could not be happier with the ‘elegant’ quality of this wine both aromatically and in the mouth. I was drinking a sip of this wine today that had been opened two days ago and it was showing a beautiful high tones blackberry/dark cherry quality to go along with a touch of meatiness and some garrigue. I’m really excited about this wine and excited to see where it goes.

I think you nailed the Mourvedre, my friend. It is earthy and loamy and ‘rustic’, but is anchored with some nice brambly fruit to balance things off. This has always been one of my favorite wines to make, blending components from different vineyards throughout SB County to try to come up with a wine that shows off both the brambly fruit quality of the variety and the ‘earthy’ quality as well.

Thanks again, Tom.

Cheers!

Thanks for filling in all the blanks about your wines, Larry. It was fun to taste thru them all and share them with my friends down at Pig+Fig restaurant the next day.
I am generally not much of a fan of Carignane, finding it a bit too rough & coarse for my tastes. But I thought you nailed it pretty good.
Tom

Thanks Tom. And impressions on how they changed or evolved the next day when you shared them?

Cheers

I take them in the morning for Laura’s breakfast wine. Then Dustin tries them when he comes in late afternoon. And I retrieve them the next morning when I take in another batch of breakfast wines, then try them again when I get back home.
I didn’t find a whole lot of change in any of them. They all held up quite well. Of course, the serving temperature at home varies all over the map & whites are at room temp. I only se much change in the older wines I take down there… generally not for the better.
Tom