Flock It To Me: Tasting Two Shepherds New Releases

My first stop prior to the official start of #WBC12 in Portland was to taste the new line up from Two Shepherds by William Allen. I sat down with William along with Chris Kern of @ForgottenGrapes  to sample the new releases. Here are verbatim, my live, unedited comments and extensive wine notes:

2011 Grenache Blanc –100% Grenache Blanc
“Mmmm. It’s so flocking good.” This wine put Mr. Allen on the map of the United States of Whatever.

2011 Viognier –100% Viognier
 “Oh Man! That’s nice!”  Straight up, fresh and forward--opening into a full-on Yum O'rama.

2011 Pastoral Blanc blend– 45% Roussanne, 25% Marsanne, 20% Viognier, 15% Grenache Blanc
I tell you, if Charlie Mason had access to this wine he never would have gone on a rampage. This is a wine that can soothe the savage beast. X marks the spot for balance and elegance.

Barrel Sample– 100% Grenache
To paraphrase Vincent Vega--“Godamn that’s a pretty fucking good barrel sample. I don’t know if it’s worth $5 dollars, but its pretty fucking good.”

2010 GSM --
Blastoff! Um yeah… take your protein pills and put your helmet on for this one. Ground control to Major Tom, er make that William, you’ve really made the grade here. Unfortunately the top-secret nature of this wine may have died along with Neil Armstrong that weekend. Well okay, here is the secret- 50% Grenache, 25% Syrah, 25% Mourvèdre • From two Vineyards: Saralee’s Vineyard, Russian River Valley. Mouvedre, Livermore.

2010 Syrah|Mourvedre--50% Syrah, 50% Mourvèdre
An 8.0 on the Richter scale of Grapeness--grab the mane on this little pony and hold or you might get bucked off from the powerful flavor.

You can find full notes and details on all the wines from Two Shepherds here.
http://twoshepherdsvineyards.com

In the meantime--Keep your dial tuned here for a flurry of new posts coming in, including all the wild wine action from #WBC12 and a full report on the Wonders of Carlton, Oregon! You don’t want to miss that. Also coming up--a peek into the deep heart of Texas wine at Messina-Hof winery.