based on a few comments here i picked up 3 bottles of this - after tasting one (fresh off the ups truck) i ordered the rest of my allocation. tannin was most definitely there but was manageable, the wine was all black, both in appearance and taste, but in no way hot or overripe. hint of smokiness, a touch of very dark chocolate (75+% dark chocolate). i will put the rest down for a while but was very impressed - highly recommended.
I picked up 3 bottles also, nice to hear good things. I was pretty impressed with the '06 Syrah and Grenache.
Where are these guys from?
John,
the sumo comes from Amador county, some of their other wines are from knights valley.
John, a little info on Helen:
Keplinger completed the Masters program in Enology at the University of California at Davis and worked with Paradigm Winery and Fiddlehead Cellars. She then moved to the Priorat to make the first three vintages of Cellers Melis, with Claude Gros consulting. Keplinger currently works as the winemaker for Kenzo Estate with vineyard manager, David Abreu, and consultant, Heidi Peterson Barrett. In addition, she is the winemaker for Scully Estates, which is also farmed by Abreu, and her own label, Keplinger Wines.
Me too. The Grenache is a lovely wine. She’s also making a Mourvedre/Counoise blend called Caldera. I picked a up a few of those as well from the fall offer.