2018 The Third Twin Nuestra Senora del Tercer Gemelo

The 2018 Nuestra Senora Del Tercer Gemelo checks in as a Petite Sirah-dominated blend that includes 22.1% Mourvèdre, 11.5% Graciano, and 3.4% Viognier. It’s the finest Petite Sirah to ever pass my lips and tops out my scale. Insanely good cassis, iron, bloody blue fruits, violets, graphite, and peppery herbs all emerge on the nose, and it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a deep, layered, incredibly seamless texture, no hard edges, and a brilliant finish. Hats off to Monsieur Krankl – I have no idea how he was able to make a Petite Sirah this good.

This is the third edition of this single-vineyard cuvée from The Third Twin estate in Los Alamos, as a follow-up to last year’s “Nuestra Senora Del Tercer Gemola,” but this time the core of the blend is Petite Sirah as opposed to Grenache and Mourvedre, “just to keep it fresh,” said Manfred Krankl. Purchased by Elaine and Manfred in 2010, The Third Twin is a medium-warm site. The soil is almost pure sand, and it is mainly planted to Syrah, Petite Sirah and Mourvedre, with smaller plantings of Graciano. The 2018 Nuestra Senora Del Tercer Gemolo is a blend of 63% Petite Sirah, 22.1% Mourvèdre, 11.5% Graciano and 3.4% Viognier, employing 28% whole clusters. This wine was bottled on May 20, 2021, after spending 32 months in French oak, 42% new. Deep purple-black colored, the glass needed a fair bit of swirling to unlock this wine’s wonderfully pure scents of baked black plums, blackberry pie and boysenberries, leading to an undercurrent of fruitcake, Indian spices, unsmoked cigars and cracked black pepper. The full-bodied palate is a powerhouse of fruit, bursting with black berry preserves and exotic spice layers, framed with a solid line of firm, ripe tannins and wonderful freshness, finishing with incredible persistence and purity. This beautiful monster of a wine should be pretty much indestructible, capable of cellaring for 40+ years. 449 cases were made, and it is due to be released in spring 2022.