2017 South Coast Winery Syrah Grenache Mourvedre Temecula Valley 750 ml

Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre: They form the bedrock of blends from the South of France and Châteauneuf-du-Pape. They play a huge role in the wines of Priorat and Northern Spain. And while the wines they make might be hard to summarize, there’s one thing we can say for sure: These grapes thrive in the sunshine. 

That’s why it’s no surprise that Temecula’s South Coast Winery—one of our favorite recent discoveries—knocks them out of the park. 

But wait—can we really “discover” a Southern California winery that has taken home Winery of the Year honors FIVE times at the California State Fair? Founded by Jim Carter in the mid-1990s, today the winery is also a thriving resort and spa boasting some of the most acclaimed wines in the underrated wine region of Temecula, about an hour north of San Diego. Temecula is an up-and-coming AVA, and South Coast is one of its benchmark producers. 

This 2017 blend, now softened by six years in the cellar, shows off the potential of these three sun-loving varieties, grown in the warmth of the Temecula Valley. The Grenache offers its famed red-berry ripeness and perfume, the Syrah brings superb structure and a dose of iron-inflected complexity, white the Mourvèdre tosses in a bit of dark-fruited depth. 

The sum is a ripe red wine showing blackberry jam and strawberry preserves all seasoned with smoked salt, bacon, cinnamon, and thyme. The silky tannins and soft texture support the fruit and make this dangerously easy to drink.

Pop this bottle the next time you’ve got pork ribs on the grill, or a mushroom-thyme ravioli simmering in a rich cream sauce. You’ll wonder where Temecula Valley GSM blends have been all your life.