Sticks and Stones Vintage Notes

Grenache forward every year, this wine looks to highlight a varietal that is an integral part of our blending house. Feminine in nature, each year this blend sees some of our best barrels of Grenache and is balanced by Syrah and Mourvèdre. 

Wild chaparral, soft delicate rosewater, and bright peak of season strawberries pull in your olfactory senses and send a dizzy pleasure directly to the brain.  The tannins on this wine grab the front of the tongue, then slowly creep across the rest of the pallet, melting away at the lingering finish.  The fresh red fruit notes on the pallet are offset by a gentle salinity and soft cedar notes.  

Young the wine has a kinetic energy, the flavors exploding across your pallet reminiscent of a toddler running through a strawberry field.  To allow for better aromatic development and a softer more featherlike feel on the pallet, decant the wine for one to two hours.  Five to seven years of aging from vintage date allows for secondary characteristics to develop; earthy mushrooms and worn leather creating a perfect compliment to the now dried roses and ever present strawberries.  A short decant is still recommended at this time to allow for the wine to relax into life outside the bottle.  

Pairings:

Braised lamb with garden herbs, croque madame, crispy chicken thighs with creamy black garlic, crab toast

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2018

64% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 3% Graciano, 3% Mourvèdre

Sticks and Stones sparkles in the sunlight, its bright ruby hue instantly brings a smile to your face. The aromatics evoke a strawberry rhubarb pie topped with fresh whipped cream enjoyed in a grove of eucalyptus on the first warm day of Spring. The candied fruit pops across the palate, with undertones of California sagebrush and beef marinade hinting at many years of development ahead. As the wine ages the relaxation of acidity and tannin will transform the bright juicy pop to a gentle enveloping flow, releasing layers of earth, chaparral and brown sugar to the red fruit. Drunk young, it seems to pass its own excitement onto your tongue, impossible to not return for that next sip. Drink now through 2022 to enjoy the fresh strawberry energy, 2025-2032 for a more mellow and earthy enjoyment.

Pairings:
Morrocan spiced chicken and artichoke tagine, sweet or spicy barbecue, salad nicoise, aged manchego, sunset…

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2017

71% Grenache, 22% Syrah, 7% Mourvèdre

This is a gorgeous example of how great Grenache can be. Filled with aromas of apricot, cherries, violets and cedar, the wine is both robust and elegant. As you enjoy this wine you will begin to taste the complexities that make this wine both fun and nerdy. Filled with visions of its delicious grape driven existence yet earthy enough to say where it was grown. You can drink this wine now or it should cellar gracefully for the next 7-9 years.

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2016

74% Grenache, 19% Syrah, 7% Mourvèdre

A decadent Grenache-forward blend that screams, “Drink Me!” Rich, ripe and fragrantly hypnotic, the wine lures you into a trance as you discover that ah ha! moment. Black cherries, ripe raspberries, cinnamon and cocoa fill the olfactory senses as the wine slowly and seductively wraps around your tongue. It’s not a dream, this wine is that good! Sticks and Stones represents the best Grenache that we farm here at Linne Calodo.

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2015

68% Grenache, 17% Mourvèdre, 10% Syrah, 5% Cinsault

First made in 2001, Sticks and Stones invokes beautiful imagery of vines and soils, as well as the fighting spirit of Grenache. The 2015 vintage comes entirely from our west and north blocks of Grenache on the Linne Calodo Estate, fermented in concrete and stainless steel tanks with a touch of whole cluster fermentation. This vintage was aged in large format French oak puncheons and a 3000 liter French foudre. Bright red strawberries and raspberries are complemented by chewy tannins and vibrant acidity. Drink now through 2025.

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2014

71% Grenache, 12% Syrah, 9% Cinsault, 8% Mourvèdre

Bright vibrant red fruit. Raspberries, strawberries and candied orange peel. Playful gripping tannins. Buoyancy. Calcareous chalk on the finish. Aged in a 3000 liter foudre with some new French oak barriques. Drink now through 2022.

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2013

70% Grenache, 12% Mourvèdre, 10% Cinsault, 8% Syrah

What is there to say about this LC classic that hasn’t been said? Our premiere grenache blend utilizes fruit from unique blocks on our estate. Twenty-percent whole cluster fermentation and aged in concrete and 3000L French foudre. Grenache is great because it has wonderful acids that keep it refreshing. The inclusion of cinsault enhances the elegant, violet texture of the nose. Pairs well with wild-caught meats like boar and venison. Consume within the next 7 years to keep the fruit nice and fresh.

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2012

63% Grenache, 19% Syrah, 18% Mourvèdre

This brilliant grenache dominated wine has ripe, naturally acid-driven fruit, providing a backbone of epic proportions. The mourvèdre and syrah help round out the acid and make the wine less of a fruit bomb and more of an experience.  Aged in 350L French barrels, the wood adds soft vanilla and smoke to an already delicious wine. Drink now or cellar for 8 years.

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2011

53% Grenache, 28% Syrah, 19% Mourvèdre

Grenache anyone? Repeat after me, “delicious, but not over-the-top gaudy.” Bright raspberries, black cherries and a clean line of acidity makes this wine a crowd pleaser. Partly fermented in concrete, aged in 500L (large format) barrels to impart smokey toast and soften tannins. A sense of new meets old. For 10 years I have produced Sticks and Stones from over-the-top opulence to firm and structured. This vintage is no different. A journey of time and place. A dance with mother nature.

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2010

71% Grenache, 19% Mourvèdre, 10% Syrah

A compilation of vineyard sites and the resounding desire to showcase grenache helps to create this wine. With vineyard sites at Booker, Denner, Caliza and Linne Calodo, I am able to assemble a wine that reflects my vision of Westside Paso Robles. First a brilliant dash of bright and explosive grenache from LC and Denner followed by the deep and brooding syrahs of Booker and Caliza. Combine with a couple barrels of mourvèdre and you have a wine that is pure genius.

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2009

64% Grenache, 29% Mourvèdre, 7% Syrah

Sitting in the dark corner of the upper deck, watching with a steady eye, Sticks and Stones studies the ring and finds that gracefulness is king. While young and exuberant, the bright grenache screams to be heard and contained. Not often do you see a wine so balanced that not even a heavyweight can knock it off its feet. Raspberries spill from the glass with quenching acidity and purity of focus. Drink now through 2016.

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2008

57% Grenache, 29% Mourvèdre, 14% Syrah

When I am preparing to blend Sticks, I look for solid and aromatically concentrated barrels of grenache that make your mouth water. On their own, these barrels are delicious but often lack finish and elegance. The introduction of specific mourvèdre barrels adds a subtle, earthy quality along with wonderful finishing tannins. A splash of syrah softens any acidic feeling and brings about a lush palate. Upon tasting, the 2008 Sticks and Stones starts off with rich aromatics of boysenberry and raspberry that lead to a mouthful of vine fruits with hints of roasted meat and tar. Ready to drink now, but can be held for three to five years.

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2007

63% Grenache, 25% Mourvèdre, 12% Syrah

The nose on this wine takes me straight to the fresh flowers stand at farmers market on Thursday evening, bright white flowers intermingled with notes of charcoal and graham. The mouthfeel is healthy and full with darker fruits than past vintages, lush stone fruits such as plum and cherry. Cellar this wine for 4-7 years to enjoy its full potential.

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2006

65% Grenache, 24% Mourvèdre, 11% Syrah

The first thing you will notice about this wine is the extremely fragrant bouquet of violets followed by explosive aromas of fresh raspberries. The wine possesses both a fruity edge and a wild, gamey mid-palate. The natural acidity keeps this wine alive in the mouth and an abundance of both grape and barrel tannins allow this wine to linger on your senses. This wine is still very young and should age for 5-8 years.

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2005

62% Grenache, 24% Mourvèdre, 14% Syrah

The 2005 Sticks and Stones represents our commitment to the production of Rhône-style blends. A grenache dominated wine. This wine starts with hand harvested fruit that is gently destemmed (whole berry) into 1.5 ton fermenters. Blended in April of 2006. The nose is bright and sweet, while the mouth is lush with copious amount of raspberry and currant fruits intermixed with tobacco. The finish is long, dusty and slightly mushroomed. The wine can be enjoyed now or over the next 3-6 years, maybe longer.

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2004

57% Grenache, 23% Syrah, 20% Mourvèdre

A gigantic fruit bomb that explodes in your mouth. For this wine I look for the most distinctive grenache barrels and then find complementary syrah and mourvèdre. The syrah adds a lushness to the wine, while the mourvèdre adds a subtle hint of rustic earthiness. Aged in French and Hungarian barrels, 30% new.

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2003

60% Grenache, 25% Syrah, 15% Mourvèdre

A grenache dominated wine that boasts sweet, ripe, and lush fruit. The syrah helps fill out the middle, while the mourvèdre adds finish and balance. Aggressive raspberry and black cherry flavors are met with cinnamon and flint aromas that linger in the mouth for over one minute. Cellar 5-7 years.

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