A cuvée made for winemaker Brennen Leighton's wife and a field blend of 70% Mourvèdre, 25% Grenache, and 5% Syrah, the 2017 Gratitude ranks with the finest Mourvèdres to come from the state. Awesome notes of black raspberry liqueur, incense, ground pepper, and forest floor give way to a medium to full-bodied, ripe, powerful yet weightless 2017 that does everything right. It's already just about impossible to resist, yet my money is on it evolving for a solid decade.

Dark red. Musky aromas of redcurrant and strawberry, plus a sexy floral quality. Densely packed, fine-grained and quite firm, with fresh red berry, floral and olive tapenade flavors displaying serious intensity. This energetic, concentrated blend finishes with firm, dusty tannins that avoid dryness. Brennon Leighton thins the shoulders of the Mourvèdre clusters and harvests this fruit in late October. Should evolve slowly. There are a thousand cases of this beauty. (14.5% alcohol)