2018 Grenache Eleven Confessions Vineyard

The 2018 Grenache Eleven Confessions Vineyard is a blend of 83.7% Grenache, 9.1% Syrah, 6% Petite Sirah, and 1.2% Viognier. Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, notes of black raspberries, stewed black and red plums, and boysenberry preserves waft effortlessly from the glass with an evocative undercurrent of garrigue, underbrush, wild sage, and rose oil. Full-bodied, the savory laced palate shimmers with energy, framed by very fine-grained, densely pixilated tannins and beautiful freshness, finishing with jaw-dropping length and minerality. This 2018 Grenache was made using 45% whole clusters, and 52% of the wine was aged in new French oak barrels, 51% of which were large demi-muids. The remaining 48% was aged in used oak (2-5 years old) or varying sizes. The total time in oak was around 38 months. 919 cases and 276 magnums were made. In 2001, the Krankls planted this first of their estate-owned vineyards in Sta. Rita Hills. “We named the vineyard ELEVEN CONFESSIONS,” Manfred said, “because 11 different scions are planted there, and all of them will at some point have to speak the truth. Confess, as it were. And you shall be their judge.” Today, Eleven Confessions has 33 acres planted. Eleven acres of Pinot Noir were already planted when they purchased the property, about half of which have been grafted over, and the Krankls planted a further 22 acres in 2001. To fully ripen Manfred’s preferred medium—mainly Rhône varieties—in this area, more commonly planted to cooler-climate grapes such as Pinot and Chardonnay, the Krankls need to go super low on the yields and long on the hang time. “This vineyard is by far the coolest of our vineyards,” Manfred explained. “Sometimes, we don’t harvest until November.” Punitive yields of 1.5 tons per acre or less are typical. In the years when it’s good and ready to sing, Eleven Confessions is used to make a single-vineyard wine under the Sine Qua Non label. “The wines have a lot of structure and presence,” Manfred commented. “The soil is mainly heavy clay, so the wines can be pretty muscular.”
100/100 Lisa Perrotti-Brown