THIRD TWIN "Nuestra Señora Del Tercer Gemelo"

VM: 95

The 2016 Nuestra Señora del Tercer Gemelo, from Sine Qua Non’s The Third Twin vineyard in Los Alamos, is dense, plush and packed to the core. Leather, smoke, licorice, mocha, chocolate, grilled herbs, menthol and tobacco give the 2016 a decidedly savory edge to play off the sumptuous fruit. Full-bodied and unapologetically rich, the 2016 shows the more potent side of these wines to great effect. This flamboyant red is long on richness and intensity.

WA: 98+

This is the second edition of this single-vineyard cuvée from The Third Twin estate in Los Alamos, as a follow-up to last year’s “Nuestra Senora Del Tercer Gemelo,” but this time the core of the blend is Grenache as opposed to Mourvèdre. Due to a possible trademark dispute, this wine may get a name change prior to release, potentially to be called, “The Other Lady.” The small proportion of Viognier in this blend was co-fermented with red grapes, but interestingly, because it ripens earlier than the reds, the white berries were frozen and added to the reds at the time of fermentation. As an added bonus, these frozen grapes help to cool and, therefore, slow the fermentation. This wine was recently bottled, on May 22, 2020, after spending 32 months in French oak, 12% new.

Composed of 42% Grenache, 17% Mourvèdre, 15% Petite Sirah, 12% Graciano, 11.5% Syrah and 2.5% Viognier, employing 18% whole clusters, the 2017 Nuestra Senora Del Tercer Gemelo sports a deep garnet-purple color. It springs from the glass with vibrant red and black cherries, raspberry coulis and pomegranate scents with suggestions of lilacs, crushed rocks and damp soil, giving way to a raw, savory, almost animal underbelly. The full-bodied, generously fruited palate is beautifully juxtaposed by impressive freshness and a firm, grainy texture, finishing with an amazing array of fragrant earth and black truffle-inspired layers. All the hints are there that this could warrant a higher score after a few years in bottle, but as usual, I've been conservative and called it as it is today. Score aside, this is a very exciting, unmistakably singular wine.

428 cases were made.

VM: (94-96)

An explosion of floral and spice notes lifts from the 2017 Nuestra Señora del Tercer Gemelo. Crushed red berries, flowers, mint and cinnamon give the 2017 striking aromatic intensity to match its mid-weight personality. Silky tannins and lifted aromatics add to a feeling of weightlessness in this very pretty, nuanced wine. The blend is 42% Grenache, 17% Mourvèdre, 15% Petite Sirah, 12% Graciano, 11.5% Syrah and 2.5% Viognier, using 18% whole clusters. Aging of around 32 months was done in mostly used oak, with 12% new wood.

WA: 98+

This is the third edition of this single-vineyard cuvée from The Third Twin estate in Los Alamos, as a follow-up to last year’s “Nuestra Senora Del Tercer Gemola,” but this time the core of the blend is Petite Sirah as opposed to Grenache and Mourvedre, “just to keep it fresh,” said Manfred Krankl. Purchased by Elaine and Manfred in 2010, The Third Twin is a medium-warm site. The soil is almost pure sand, and it is mainly planted to Syrah, Petite Sirah and Mourvedre, with smaller plantings of Graciano.

The 2018 Nuestra Senora Del Tercer Gemolo is a blend of 63% Petite Sirah, 22.1% Mourvèdre, 11.5% Graciano and 3.4% Viognier, employing 28% whole clusters. This wine was bottled on May 20, 2021, after spending 32 months in French oak, 42% new.

Deep purple-black colored, the glass needed a fair bit of swirling to unlock this wine’s wonderfully pure scents of baked black plums, blackberry pie and boysenberries, leading to an undercurrent of fruitcake, Indian spices, unsmoked cigars and cracked black pepper. The full-bodied palate is a powerhouse of fruit, bursting with black berry preserves and exotic spice layers, framed with a solid line of firm, ripe tannins and wonderful freshness, finishing with incredible persistence and purity. This beautiful monster of a wine should be pretty much indestructible, capable of cellaring for 40+ years.

449 cases were made, and it is due to be released in spring 2022.

VM: 98

The 2018 Nuestra Señora del Tercer Gemelo is based on Petite Sirah this year. Rich and ample and explosive, the 2018 is wonderfully exotic, dense and full-throttle. Blackberry jam, chocolate, spice, menthol and licorice are some of the notes that literally explode out of the glass. The 2018 was just bottled, but is already dazzling. In the 2018, the wine is far more Petite Sirah-dominant than it has been in the past.

WA: (97-99)

The 2019 Nuestra Senora Del Tercer Gemelo, entirely from The Third Twin estate vineyard, is composed of 33% Grenache, 23.5% Syrah, 19% Mourvèdre, 19% Petite Sirah, 4% Graciano and 1.5% Muskat. "I love Muskat in red wines, even better than Viognier," Manfred Krankl enthuses, and I have to agree—this barrel sample offers tremendous aromatic purity and complexity, as if the volume has been turned up and the camera has been focused. It boasts continually shifting, layered aromatics as it spends several hours in the glass: blueberry and blackberry jam, tar, coffee beans, thyme and botanicals, plus loads of floral nuances. Full-bodied yet light on its feet, its concentrated fruits are framed by abundant, super-fine tannins and seamless acidity, and it has a hauntingly long finish. It was made with 19% whole clusters, and matured about 33 months in 13% new French oak, with a large portion of the wine moved to cement tanks after about a year and a half in barrel. I tasted this on May 24, 2022, just before it was due to be bottled (in June 2022). 440 cases will be released in the spring of 2023.

VM: 97

The 2019 Nuestra Señora del Tercer Gemelo is the fourth vintage from estate vineyard in Los Alamos. Bright and punchy in the glass for such a big wine, the 2019 is so expressive today. Sandy soils lend aromatic presence to play off all that natural intensity. Rose petal, mint, lavender, sage and blood orange perk up a core of bright red/purplish berry fruit as this opulent, full-throttle Syrah-based blend shows off its allure.

WA: 98

I tasted the 2020 Nuestra Senora Del Tercer Gemelo on July 6, not long after it was bottled on April 27. It comes entirely from The Third Twin estate vineyard, where grapes are planted in pure sand. A blend of 54% Mourvèdre, 22% Grenache, 11% Syrah, 9.3% Petite Sirah, 3% Graciano and 0.7% Viognier, it was vinified using 30% whole clusters and matured around 31 months in 33% new French oak barrels. Its aromas are dense to begin, taking time to unfold from dark cherry fruit to savory tones of coffee beans and cocoa, shiitake and underbrush. Despite its aromatic reticence at this early stage, the full-bodied palate explodes with layers of black cherry candy, blueberry and violet. It's structurally seamless, with silty tannins and energetic acidity that balances its sheer concentration and gives an impression of etherealness and lift. It has a tremendously long, floral finish, and there's so much here still waiting to emerge. 425 cases will be released in January 2024.

VM: 97

The 2020 Nuestra Señora del Tercer Gemelo is a powerful, dense wine. Black cherry, leather, spice, tobacco and incense all saturate the palate as this racy, extroverted red shows off its alluring personality. The 30% whole clusters add tons of aromatic presence, while grippy, chocolaty tannins round out the finish. I would give this a few years to soften. It is undoubtedly impressive and compelling. The blend is 54% Mourvèdre, 22% Grenache, 11% Syrah, 9.3% Petite Sirah, 3% Graciano and 0.7% Viognier.