2017 Faethm Fingers Crossed Grenache
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Tasting notes
The 2017 Grenache Fingers Crossed is composed of 79% Grenache, 10% Mourvèdre and 11% Syrah coming from Bien Nacido vineyard and Manfred and Elaine Krankl’s Third Twin vineyard, employing 50% whole cluster (on the Grenache only). It was aged for 21 months in French oak, 35% new, and was bottled in July 2019. Medium to deep garnet-purple, it bursts from the glass with a fantastically flamboyant, fragrant nose of dried lavender, Morello cherries, black raspberries and dried mulberries with hints of potpourri and spice cake. Full-bodied, the refreshing acidity lends tons of energy to the palate with a nice combination of grainy and velvety tannins to support the generous red berry preserves flavors, finishing long and perfumed. It is absolutely delicious now, but I'll be excited to see this with a few years under its belt, when I suspect some of the underlying savory nuances will get pushed to the forefront.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jeb Dunnuck
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Moving to the reds, the 2017 Grenache Fingers Crossed is close to 80% Grenache with the balance Syrah and Mourvèdre, that was 50% destemmed and brought up in just 35% new French oak. Rocking levels of cassis, black raspberries, cured meats, and ground pepper all emerge from the glass, and it’s full-bodied and ethereal, with incredible purity of fruit. Hat off to this young winemaker for a world-class example of Grenache! There’s nothing liking starting out with a bang, and that’s exactly what Nicolas and Julia Krankl have done with their inaugural release under the Faethm label. The son of Manfred Krankl at Sine Qua Non, Nicolas, along with his wife Julia, created Faethm in 2017, and their first release, which immediately sold out, went live in 2019. I can’t recall a new estate that has impressed me as much right out of the gate and these 2017 and 2018s are truly brilliant wines. And while Nicolas trained with his father at Sine Qua Non and has certainly followed in those footsteps, these are not carbon copy wines, and they have their own distinctive characters. The focus is on Rhône varieties and fruit sources include a who’s who list of great sites and include Cumulus Vineyard, White Hawk, The Third Twin, and Bien Nacido. Unfortunately, production is a tiny 250 cases, and I would assume it will grow slowly, so if you want some these wines, get on the mailing list ASAP.
The 2017 Grenache Fingers Crossed is another gorgeous wine in this range from Nikolas and Julia Krankl. Deep, pliant and super-expressive, the Grenache is a sumptuous, incredibly inviting wine. Succulent red cherry, spice, leather, tobacco and cedar all meld together in this striking, elegant Grenache. The 2017 is 79% Grenache, 11% Mourvèdre and 10% Syrah from The Third Twin and Bien Nacido vineyards. The 50% whole clusters aren't especially evident. What a gorgeous wine this is. (sold as a 4-pack with two bottles of Grenache and 2 of Syrah for $480)