September 24, 2018 |
Denner Krewe
2016 Wines receive top ratings from Vinous
Vinous | Josh Raynolds
Paso Robles 2016 & 2015 New Releases (Sep 2018)
"Winemaker Anthony Yount walked me through these 2016s, which provide compelling evidence that he’s succeeding in his aim to move the Denner wines toward greater detail and finesse “without sacrificing the flavor intensity” for which Paso Robles has become known. Attention and care in farming is the biggest factor, he told me, “because you can try all you want to make an elegant wine, but it doesn’t mean anything if you start off with fruit that is not in balance.” I always find myself surprised (pleasantly) by the combination of alcohol content and pH and acidity numbers compared to the energy and freshness that the Denner wines show here, so I gave up guessing a long time ago. Here’s an address where the numbers are just that – numbers." - Josh Raynolds
The Scores
| Wine | Tasting Notes | Score | Drinking Window | Release Date |
| 2016 Syrah | (raised for 20 months in new and neutral French oak barriques) Inky purple. Aromas of ripe dark berries, olive paste and pungent flowers are sharpened by smoky mineral and cracked pepper flourishes. Sweet and fleshy on the palate, offering intense blackberry liqueur and violet pastille flavors and salty olive and bitter chocolate nuances. Puts on weight with air while maintaining vivacity, and finishes smooth and impressively long, displaying excellent clarity, harmonious tannins and lingering dark fruit preserve character. | 93 | 2022-2030 | Spring 2019 |
| 2016 Theresa | (aged for 15 months in a combination of concrete eggs, stainless steel barrels and neutral French oak) Pale yellow. High-pitched aromas of orange pith, apple and honeysuckle, along with a smoky mineral overtone. Dry, chewy and focused on the palate, offering concentrated citrus fruit and pear nectar flavors and a subtle touch of succulent herbs. Finishes long and sappy, with excellent clarity, an echo of pear nectar and a lingering floral quality. | 92 | 2018-2023 | Fall 2018 |
| 2016 Grenache | (aged in large, neutral oak casks and new French oak "cigars" for 16 months) Saturated ruby. A highly perfumed bouquet evokes ripe berries, candied flowers and incense, and a smoky mineral overtone gains strength with air. Supple and expansive on the palate, offering sappy raspberry and boysenberry flavors that become spicier and more energetic on the back half. The extremely long, mineral-accented finish features harmonious tannins and outstanding clarity and spicy lift. | 93 | 2023-2031 | Fall 2018 |
| 2016 Dirt Worshipper | (aged in new and used oak barriques for 20 months) Inky purple. An expansive, impressively complex bouquet evokes cherry compote, dark berry liqueur, incense, olive paste and candied flowers, along with a smoky mineral nuance that builds steadily in the background. Shows outstanding depth as well as energy to the black and blue fruit, violet pastille and spicecake flavors, which gain sweetness with aeration. Closes on a powerful blue fruit note, with rounded, polished tannins and an emphatic jolt of spiciness. | 95 | 2024-2033 | Fall 2018 |
| 2016 Ditch Digger | (raised in large, neutral oak barrels for 16 months) Inky, bright-rimmed ruby. Ripe, smoke-tinged raspberry, blueberry and floral pastille aromas show outstanding clarity, and a peppery element adds lively, spicy lift. Juicy and broad on the palate, offering densely packed yet lively red and blue fruit, candied lavender flavors and a hint of five-spice powder. Displays superb energy on a broad, seamless, strikingly long finish firmed by supple tannins and sharpened by a late jolt of juicy acidity. | 95 | 2022 - 2030 | Fall 2018 |
| 2016 Viognier | (aged for 15 months in a combination of neutral and new oak barrels of varying size and stainless steel tanks) Green-tinged yellow. Mineral-tinged orchard and citrus fruit and violet aromas are sharpened by a spicy ginger flourish. Intense pear, tangerine and honey flavors show a suave blend of richness and delicacy thanks to a vibrant, chalky mineral nuance. Closes minerally, taut and very long, leaving a sexy floral note behind. | 92 | 2018 - 2022 | Fall 2018 |
| 2016 Sacred Burro | (50% whole clusters; aged in large, used French oak barrels for 20 months) Opaque ruby. Heady aromas of ripe dark berry liqueur, incense and cola, along with a suave floral nuance that builds in the glass. Smoky and seamless on the palate, offering powerful, sweet and surprisingly energetic black and blue fruit, vanilla, spicecake and candied licorice flavors braced by a spine of juicy acidity. Closes with outstanding clarity, smooth tannins and superb persistence, leaving sexy floral pastille and star anise notes behind. The pH here, 3.92, is quite high, but the total acidity checks in at 5.2 g/l, which is no doubt the reason for the wine's freshness. Numbers don’t always tell the whole story. | 94 | 2023 - 2032 | Fall 2018 |