Herman Story 2021 Casual Encounter GSM  97 Points

FMW 97 Points: This is a very serious wine that is bold on the nose and inky colored, with intense aromas jumping out of the glass.  This gorgeous, mouth-filling 2021 Casual Encounters is a blend of 47% Mourvédre, 36% Syrah, 14% Grenache, and 3% Carignan.  The lush, full-bodied wine offers gobs of bold black stone fruits, a hint of Texas BBQ, with hints of white and black pepper, and a coated dark fruit-flavored palate.  This youngster is full-bodied, bold, and richly concentrated, yet it offers amazing elegance and beautifully balanced fruit from start to finish.  This is a very A-typical Russell From gem, laced with his signature robust, elegant, sultry character, that you drink from 2023 to 2032.

Jeb Dunnuck 96 Points: “The 2021 Casual Encounters checks in as a mix of 47% Mourvèdre, 36% Syrah, 14% Grenache, and 3% Carignan that was aged 24 months in 78% new French oak. It’s another rockingly good, exotic wine from winemaker Russell From that has gamey red and black fruits, cured meats, pepper, and sandalwood-like aromas and flavors. With full-bodied richness, a deep, layered mouthfeel, and sweet tannins, it’s another absolutely singular effort to enjoy over the coming 7-8 years.”

Winemaker Notes: “If you’d known your traveling companion was an international spy, you wouldn’t have ordered the eight-course tasting menu. But here you are, overlooking hills of blackberry bramble and mulberry trees in the warm Golden-hour glow. A spread of candied almonds, complex ciphers, marinated Niçoise olives, Omega wristwatches, white-ower bouquets, clandestine daggers, suits all around with hands to their ears, Herbs de Provence, red pepper glaze, and the electricity of her lace-gloved hand on your knee. Agents are closing in, but you’ll be damned if you miss this sunset.

Side Note: Casual Encounters takes its name from the orgiastic nature of its origins as a blend of small cofermented lots. By giving up control and embracing game-day decisions during harvest, Casual Encounters best captures the lengths Russell will go in setting orthodoxy aside and letting flavor take full stage.  The 2021 is a blend of 47% Mourvédre, 36% Syrah, 14% Grenache and 3% Carignan

Make sure to check out these other great Herman Story (family) wines:

Herman Story 2023 “Nuts and Bolts” Syrah Paso Robles 95 Points