Mega Focus
Named after the impressive 24ft tall Dale Evers sculpture at the front of Sculpterra Winery’s sculpture garden in sunny Paso Robles, California, Mega Focus is a blend of Rhone grape varieties. Inspired by the wines of Chateauneuf du Pape, France, it combines Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre, and tends to be a wine that can be enjoyed with or without food.
Consistent winner
With each vintage of Mega Focus, the percentages of each grape used varies. Paul, Winemaker at Sculpterra, decides on the final blend after each lot has completed barrel ageing.
Because of this, the blend is always ensured of being the best it can be, and this is borne out with a string of medals, and excellent scores from publications such as Wine Enthusiast Magazine. The 2017 vintage did the best yet, with a double-gold medal win and ‘best in class’ award at the Central Coast Wine Competition. Wine Enthusiast awarded it 92/100 and was the ‘Editor’s Choice’ too.
Vertical Tasting
With the latest release doing so well, it seemed like a good time to not only try the wine in isolation but also compare it to some older vintages. Let’s try the 2017, plus the 2013 and 2016 wines to see how they stack up, and how they’ve developed with time in the bottle.
2013
47% Grenache, 39% Mourvèdre, 14% Syrah
Medium+ garnet centre, brick red at the edge
Dried cherry fruit on the nose along with cherry tomato and a tomato leaf earthiness. French oak barrels add in some suede leather and vanilla.
Medium-bodied, dry mouthfeel. Flavours of dried cherry and blackberry. Well developed tannic structure with balanced acidity. Dry finish.
2016
59% Grenache, 26% Mourvèdre, 15% Syrah
Medium ruby-garnet colour
Aromas of red cherry and strawberry jam, rose petals, and butterscotch cookies. A few swirls of the glass brought out some vanilla and suede influence.
Smooth, jammy fruit flavours dominate at first. It’s not as tannic as the 2013. The super-smooth finish has a hit of butterscotch that develops into vanilla.
2017
60% Syrah, 20% Grenache, 20% Mourvèdre
Vibrant, medium ruby
Complex, fruit-forward nose. Ripe blackberry, red cherry, pomegranate fruit. Some peppery notes and hints of rose petals, along with sweet vanilla.
Bold, ripe flavours are more intense than the other two vintages, thanks to the youthful acidity. Dry, but sweet-tasting. Low tannin.
Conclusions
For me, the 2016 was the star of the show, at least for drinking now. That butterscotch on the finish really appeals, and would definitely have me coming back for more.
That’s not to discredit the other two, though. 2013 was a more earthy and tannic year over-all and turned out some very age-worthy wines. The Mega Focus from this year has developed extremely well and would make a fantastic food wine, especially for those with a taste for wines with some earthy flavours. Pair with rosemary roasted pork loin for a winning combination.
The 2017 has the vibrancy and intensity of youth and is sure to get better and better. I wouldn’t say no to this one right now, but the 2016 has been allowed the time to reach its perfect drinking window. Decant this one for an hour or two if you’re drinking it soon.
At the time of writing, all three of these vintages are available at the tasting room (less than a case of the 2013 remains, only for pick-up, and the 2017 you’ll have to request). Maybe you could get all three and do your own vertical tasting. Call the tasting room on (805) 226-8881 to check availability. For online orders, 2016 is the current vintage.
If you want to know what I thought of the 2014 vintage when I tasted that, click here.
For a host of other wine reviews, head to my blog home page.
Darren.
*As an employee of Sculpterra I get paid to promote their wines, however, all opinions expressed herein came from my brain.
Focus, by Dale Evers
Chateauneuf Du Pape, in the Rhone Valley, France.