3 Spells Blend GHK Red Wine

We’re going slightly over our typical price limit today, but I have a good excuse.  We’re checking out a new wine from Spelletich Family Wine Company, one of my favorite small producers.  I’ve just come across them this year and previously reviewed their SPELLwine Sangiovese, Severed Head Red, Spelonu Red and SPELLwine Syrah, all of which were pretty darn tasty.

This is a new brand they’ve created, called 3 Spells.  My understanding is that the name represents the fact that it’s the third generation of wines to come from the company—the others being Spelletich Cellars and SPELLwine.  3 Spells will be their mid-tier wine, priced between the other two brands.

3 Spells Blend GHK is a blend of 57% merlot, 28% sangiovese and 15% cabernet sauvignon.  Like their other wines, the quantity of production is fairly small with only 300 cases being produced for the 2007 vintage.  The other thing you may have noticed right there is the vintage.  Although it’s a new release this year, the vintage is a 2007… so this wine has a touch of age on it.

Wowee, this is an interesting wine.  The nose is loaded with powerful spicy aromas, like nutmeg, caramel and chocolate.  It also shows some fruit, like cherry and currant.  There’s nothing subtle about this wine on the palate.  It’s overflowing with ripe cherry, blueberry and currant flavors evolving into caramel in the midpalate and into a long finish.  The mouthfeel is good, although I’d prefer a touch more tannin to give it more texture.  The acidity is great.  This is a rich, powerful and exciting wine.  It’s good stuff, although perhaps a little heavy for some folks.  But if you like a big wine you’ll want to check this one out.

Wine: 3 Spells Blend GHK
Variety: Red blend
Vintage: 2007
Alcohol: 14.2%
Rating: 88
Price: $26.00

Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.