2022 Understory
The 2022 Understory is everything you want and more. For the first time, Grenache steps aside as the lead, allowing Carignan to take center stage. A blend of 43% Carignan, 36% Grenache, and 21% Mourvèdre, it was aged for 22 months in 30% new French oak. It has a complex profile that is sprinkled with fruit and savory notes. The nose is all bramble fruits, tar, and plum, and is gracefully complemented by a palate that combines limestone with charcoal, juicy red fruits, and Mediterranean spices. Graceful and expressive, this is a wine to share and enjoy now or rest in the cellar for a few years. Drink 2025–2035
“The 2022 Understory is a blend of 43% Carignan, 36% Grenache and 21% Mourvèdre. It leads with a pure, floral nose of crushed raspberries and purple flowers, framed by damp earth tinges and remarkable poise overall. It is quenching and succulent on the palate, balancing clear-cut polish with deft, elegantly ripe fruits. The finish is balanced and refreshing with a subtle, lingering stoniness that melds with faintly powdery tannins and luscious fruits. Even in its infancy, this is a vibrantly transparent expression of the Maha estate vineyard, and I look forward to reacquainting with it after another year or so in bottle.”
95+ pts, The Wine Advocate
“Savory red and black fruits, leather, dried underbrush, and spice give the 2022 Understory a classic Carignan character. Based on 43% Carignan, 36% Grenache, and 21% Mourvèdre, aged 22 months in 30% new French oak, it's medium to full-bodied with a pure, complex profile, ripe tannins, and an excellent finish. Drink 2025-2035.”
95 pts, Jeb Dunnuck
“The 2022 Understory entices with a delicate bouquet that blends baking spice with cinnamon sticks, dried violets and strawberries. It smooths over the palate with silken textures while maintaining a cool-toned and lifted feel, as crisp red berry fruits slowly drench the senses in primary concentration. Grippy and long, the 2022 finishes structured, leaving hints of exotic spice and blackcurrant that linger on and on. The Understory is a blend of 43% Carignan, 36% Grenache and 21% Mourvèdre. This understated beauty is simply stunning.”
94+ pts, Vinous Media
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