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It's a tricky business trying to fashion a blended red wine when the components in the blend come from widely disparate growing conditions, soils, exposures, etc. The trick is to find a point of focus so that the seams stitching the Grenache to the Syrah to the Mourvedre, and back again all disappear, AND that the terroir differences, likewise, dissolve to create a unified whole. I'm an impatient guy when it comes to being analytic about tasting wine; I tend to go with the energy. If something grabs me in a strong way, I can hone in on it; if not, I wait for that magic to happen. We've had some exciting vintages of Rocks and Gravel over the years; the 2000 and 2001 were both pretty good to have around if you were out of Gigondas. The 2005 may be the best one yet. If the 2000 was Otis Redding, and the '01 was B.B. King, the '05 might just be Mose Allison...

FRUIT SOURCE:

Vineyard Sources: Rozet Vineyard (Grenache) Fenaughty Vineyard (Grenache and Syrah) Eaglepoint Ranch (Grenache and Syrah) Parmelee-Hill Vineyard (Syrah) Capelli Vineyard (Syrah) Hearthstone Vineyard (Syrah) David Girard Vineyard (Syrah, Mourvedre, Grenache, Counoise) Camatta Hills Vineyard (Mourvedre) Wylie Vineyard (Syrah)

WINEMAKING NOTES:

Winemaking Notes: All lots were hand picked, destemmed, and fermented in open top fermenters. Average cuvaison was 12-15 days. Fermentations all began on native yeasts. Each lot pressed direct to old French puncheons (average age 18-22 years). First racking late Spring '06, when blend was made. Racked again late August '06, prior to bottling.

WINEMAKER'S TASTING NOTES:

Winemakers' Tasting notes: Lovely dark ruby red with a little blue. Deep, very fresh nose of strawberry, sassafras, and underbrush, and the slightest whiff of menthol: very spicy. Beautifully satiny texture on entry, focussed and energetic, with vivid inner-mouth perfume. Suave tannins frame a deep core of gorgeous fruit. Finish is long and seductive. The balance here makes the 14.2% alcohol seem impossible. If I could make this wine every year I'd be happy.

• Production: 1340 cases produced
• Suggested Retail: Suggested Retail $18.00
• Release Date: RELEASE DATE: September 1, 2007

Produced And Bottled By Thirsty Pagans With Big Ideas, under the direction of Steve Edmunds, Winemaker