Halcon 2018 Equisto GSM, Estate, Mendocino (95 Points)

Vinous 93 Points: “Halcón’s 2018 Esquisto, 60% Grenache, 20% Mourvedre and 20% Syrah, is racy, savory and so expressive. I would give it a year or two in the bottle to allow some of the edges to soften, but there is so much going on here. Dried flowers, mint, sage, dried flowers and herbs open up with a bit of time in the glass, but the Esquisto really needs time in the bottle to be at its best, even if it’s pretty compelling today.”

WS 95 Points: “Arresting raspberry and rosemary aromas lead to lip-smacking, fresh crushed-berry flavors in this medium- to full-bodied wine made with an unusually high 40% of whole clusters. Its moderate tannins and good acidity lift the gorgeous fruit flavors nicely. Best from 2024.”

Winery  Notes: “We tweaked the Esquisto blend in 2018 – slightly increasing the Syrah component and decreasing the Grenache giving 60% Grenache, 20% Mourvedre and 20% Syrah all co-fermented. Whole-cluster was also slightly increased to 40%. Aging in neutral French oak puncheons. The extremely long hang-time – almost 50 days from full color to harvest – really smooth out those mountain tannins. We bottled 230 cases unfined, unfiltered”