93pts Wine Advocate
Medium garnet-purple colored, the 2014 Grenache Larner Vineyard has vibrant kirsch, warm cranberries and rose petal notes with touches of baking spices, pepper and chargrill. Full-bodied, richly fruited and packed with exuberant red berry and spice box layers, it has beautifully ripe, velvety tannins and plenty of freshness to balance the richness, finishing long. Now this is proper Grenache!
93pts Vinous
SAMsARA's 2014 Grenache Larner Vineyard is bright, focused and pulsating with energy. Early picking and the inclusion of 100% stems seems to bring out an especially translucent, focused expression of this Ballard Canyon site. The long, saline finish only adds to the wine's considerable appeal.
93pts Wine Enthusiast
Made from the same five rows each year of clone 362, this bottling starts with red-spice aromas of mace and cinnamon and then shows the underlying fresh raspberry and white-pepper tones. The sip starts very peppery, and then offers red currant, carnation, hibiscus and even a flash of red melon.
90pts Jeb Dunnuck
The 2014 Grenache Larner Vineyard from Chad is a pretty, elegant Grenache. Rose petal, strawberries, sappy herbs and hints of spice give way to a medium-bodied, silky, polished beauty that has solid length.
History
SAMsARA produces limited releases of Pinot Noir, Syrah, and Grenache from carefully selected micro-sites within Sta. Rita Hill’s most distinctive vineyards. The resulting wines are an interpretation of the tenuous balance between the power of natural elements beyond our control and the human desire to reach perfection.
New England natives, Dave and Joan Szkutak, share a fundamental love of travel and all things enological. They help guide SAMsARA as vintners and work closely with winemaker Matt Brady, supporting his creative decisions in both the vineyard and the cellar.
