2021 Âmevive, Ravie, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre, Santa Barbara County.
The 2021 Ravie by winemaker Alice Anderson, the youthful talent behind Âmevive label, is a bright and crunchy lighter style red wine with a core of cherry, strawberry and tangy plum fruits as well as having a spicy kick, natural acidity, sweet florals and silky tannins, making for a fun and easy wine to enjoy in its youthful form. This ruby/garnet Ravie is a Rhone blend of mainly Grenache, just over 50%, along with almost equal parts of Syrah and Mourvèdre that really speaks of Santa Barbara County with its ripe and expressive Grenache fruit, which Anderson kept in check with partial whole cluster savoriness and the natural earthy elements of the Syrah and Mourvèdre. As the wine opens it gains intensity and adds Pomegranate and a deeper sense of red currant fruit and exotic cinnamon and anise, putting some mineral and stoniness in the background, all smoothly and nicely rounded. This wine, very much impresses and its energy makes it feel pure and clean, making it excellent with a wide array of cuisine choices, in my case, it went great with a spicy sea food pasta that included Spanish sardines, red pepper flakes and racy tomato broth. That usually is a difficult for a lighter wine, but this wine rose to the occasion and provided good companionship, before and after. The packaging is beautiful and reflects the commitment to nature and the organic practices here at Âmevive.
Âmevive’s Ravie is a fresh blend of Grenache from Alisos Canyon, Syrah from a dry-farmed vineyard called Tres Hermanas, and Mourvèdre from Martian Ranch Vineyard in Alisos Canyon, all which make for a quality and concentration, without adding heaviness in this wine. Alice explains, the word ‘ravie’ translates to the feminine version of ‘delighted’ in French, which makes her giggle a little when she’s reminiscing on learning country or more rustic French during her time spent in France, which she hopes comes out in this wine. She smiles at memories of her cringy moments using her inappropriate French with friends parents, causing awkward smiles and a lot of laughter, which now she thinks broke down any pretense or barriers, and that seems to be the inspiration for her Ravie, a very delightful, wink, wink, GSM red. Anderson reveals that she made this wine from distinctly different sites with the Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre all harvested and fermented separately with different percentages of whole cluster, ending up with close to 80%. All of the musts, after gentle macerations, were pressed in a classic basket press and aged separately in neutral French oak, close to 8 months, until about a month before bottling. At that time, Alice decided on the final blend, that was then made, after which the Ravie was rested or about a month in tank before being bottled unfined and unfiltered, to promote its natural nuances. There’s a lot to like in these Âmevive wines, and as I’ve mentioned and recommended in prior reviews, this is a label to watch.
($30 Est.) 92 Points, grapelive