Get This Exclusive 2022 GSM Blend While You Can
Dundee Hills, Ore. – March 25, 2024 – Sokol Blosser Winery, a pioneering family-owned and -operated winery, is introducing a limited-edition Grenache-Syrah-Mourvèdre that was created with a worst-case scenario in mind.
As Sokol Blosser President Alex Sokol Blosser explains, “The weather dealt us a hard frost on April 14 and 15 of 2022, and it just blasted first-growth buds. We all thought we were looking at a serious reduction in yields in our Estate vineyards by as much as 60%. So we made a back-up plan.
“This is when I learned to have more faith in Mother Nature, because the worst-case scenario was averted! Secondary buds came on after that frost! But we had to carry on with our contingency plan because high-quality fruit had already been sourced – and the result is this beautiful GSM made by our winemaker Robin Howell.”
Fruit was sourced from Horse Heaven Hills and Walla Walla AVAs in Washington’s Columbia Valley. Winemaker Robin Howell relished the opportunity to flex her winemaking muscles with varietals she rarely works with.
“This was an exciting project for me!” she says. “I loved vinifying this fruit and blending this wine and I think we’ve created something really unique and delicious – and something we’ll likely never offer again.”
The blend of 35% Grenache, 30% Syrah and 35% Mourvèdre offers aromas of dark cherry and current, clove and white pepper, while the palate rolls out with a rich cornucopia of dark fruit, fresh earth and a finish of baking spices with a hint of white pepper. Suggested food pairings include mushroom-dishes, grilled meats, Korean beef bulgogi and medium-sharp cheddar cheese.
Sokol Blosser’s 2022 Grenache-Syrah-Mourvèdre will be released on March 29, as a direct-to-consumer wine. It will be poured in the tasting room, included in wine club shipments and it can be purchased online while supplies last. The retail price is $38.
About Sokol Blosser Winery As one of the pioneering wineries of the Willamette Valley, Sokol Blosser has played a key role in developing and shaping the now-prominent Oregon wine industry. The winery remains family-owned and -operated, with the second generation now at the helm. Achieving B Corp certification in 2015, the winery crafts wines of world-class quality, produced in a sustainable manner, reflecting the distinctive flavors of the grapes, soil and climate. The winery produces Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Gamay, Riesling, sparkling wines, and small quantities of single block Pinot Noir under its Sokol Blosser brand, and white and red blends, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Riesling under the Evolution label. Visit https://www.sokolblosser.com/ and follow @sokolblosser on Instagram and Facebook.
