2021 Lopai Grenache

Paso Robles, California | Willow Creek District | 15% ABV

Vineyard Lopai Vineyard

Elevage 30% whole cluster aged 20 months in twice used 265L French Oak barrels

Blend 100% Grenache

Cases 75

Harvest Notes

This vineyard select wine showcases the beauty of this site. The very last fruit harvested in the season (well into November), was 70% destemmed before being fermented in stainless steel tanks using specialized yeast for optimal extraction of flavors and textures.

This block of Grenache is at the lowest section of the vineyard directly down by Vineyard Dr. It faces southwest but is protected in the bowl of the hillside from the hot afternoon sun. This allowed for the fruit to achieve optimal ripeness at a very slow and steady pace, exactly what we want in order to craft greatness.

Accolades

Wine Enthusiast | 93 Points

Easygoing baked cherry, thyme and oak aromas come together on the nose of this bottling. Fluffy tannins float across the palate, where strawberry, cinnamon and pepper flavors work into a clean, quaffable combination. —M.K.

Owen Bargreen | 93 Points

The Lopai Vineyard is in the Willow Creek District off of Vineyard Drive. This 2021 Grenache comes off neatly textured and elegant as well as juicy and delicious, loaded with rich red fruits. The chalky soil character also shines through here, with herbal accents as this is already drinking beautifully. Drink 2024-2034

Somm Journal | 96 Points

I love the depth of character of the Lopai Vineyard,” Cairjn Wine Cellars winemaker and proprietor Andy Neja says. “It’s a combination of bright fruit, herbed spice, and wonderful cool-climate characteristics.” Surrounded by hibiscus, tobacco, and raspberry, notes of mocha and soil laced with Mediterranean scrub emerge on the palate of this wine aged 20 months in twice-used 265-liter French oak barrels.