2014 Griffin Griffin Creek Vineyards

This notation is a personal gripe, rather than a regular write-up. Griffin Creek Vineyards is one of my Oregon favorites. I have ordered cases of their fine products since the mid-1990’s; heck, that’s almost twenty years of drinking their wine! Their Cab Franc is some of the best, and I always keep a least 10 bottles in my cellar. This vineyard produces very good Syrah, Merlot and Grenache. Their stuff is good library level, estate wines at affordable prices. Naturally, I wanted to try their ’14 Griffin, a red blend. The winemaker combined the vineyards’ Syrah, Merlot, Grenache, plus Malbec…. Any of their single varietals earns high marks. For me, this quadruple red blend was like a bad dance. Each partner keeps stepping on the other’s feet. In tasting, the nose is sort of musty, the color is as it should be: dark red, its legs cling to the glass, but the taste melts into just another red wine. Well, maybe my expectations were too great. But what I tasted lacked those deep, compelling flavors, the vineyards’ mystical nuances, and a distinctive nose. Let me be clear. Their ’14 Griffin is a very good red blend. And yes, I am going to drink this and every bottle. It’s doesn’t have the gravitas as their individual varietals. It’s can be a “drink-it-now” or keep some in your cellar.