Kunin 2006 pape*star central coast CA GSM blend

This was recommended when I went to Schneider's on Capitol Hill (DC) seeking good reasonably prices grenache based wines. Got several Australians along with a Spanish and this Central Coast California take. 14.7% alcohol. 50% grenache, 25% mourvedre and syrah. I'm not sure what mourvedre is supposed to taste like; I think it gives the wine more body, tannin and acid as well as color than a pure grenache would have. The grenache and syrah components seem quite apparent. The grenache offers its very pleasant sweet cherry, strawberry and vanilla huckleberry pie nose, along with the syrah's contribution of briary/woodsy/spicy fruit. The finish is moderately long and alcoholic warm with soft tannins and a good acid backbone nicely balancing the fruit. I wouldn't call it complex but it's certainly a satisfying, undemanding, forthcoming drink. I doubt this wine will improve but it should be drinking well for 2-3 more years. This is surely the equal of most Aussie GSM's but not in the league of De Lisio Grenache and not quite on par with the best GSM's I've had recently from Australia. Give it 90 points.

Parker gives it 88 points and seeing this makes me want to downgrade it to 89 but his basic description is close to mine and writing in 2008, a year ago, says it'll be good for 3-4 years which synchronizes with my 2-3 year estimate now. I would note that tasting a day later, on Aug. 11 after preserving with gas, the wine was gone already. This suggests the WS is correct to see its lifespan as limited:

The bistro-styled 2006 Pape Star, a blend of 50% Grenache, 25% Mourvedre, and 25% Syrah, is a very good California interpretation of a well-made Chateauneuf du Pape. Pepper, spice, sweet cherry, currant, and earthy aromas jump from the glass of this delicious red. With terrific fruit, medium body, and no hard edges, it should provide plenty of pleasure over the next 3-4 years.

Wine Spectator also gives it 88 points but falls quite short on drinkability window since this bottle is certainly more than drinkable in August 2009 2 years after they predict it would be drinking well:

Fresh herb--almost minty--accents mingle with white pepper aromatics and the tasty plum, pomegranate and raspberry flavors. Smooth and polished, with intensity on the finish. Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah. Drink now through 2007.