The d'Arenberg Stump Jump GSM 2014 is a blend of 38% Grenache, 32% Shiraz/Syrah, and 30% Mourvedre sourced from vineyards in the McLaren Vale region of South Australia. McLaren Vale is one of the premier winemaking regions in Australia, it is located near the city of Adelaide, near a bay on land that juts out into the Ocean. Inland Australia can get extremely hot and dry, but the proximity to the Ocean gives McLaren Vale a Mediterranean climate well suited for grape vines. Stump Jump (the name refers to a plow) is d'Arenberg's value priced line of wines. A GSM is one of France's 2 great Red wine blends. The Bordeaux blend, Cabernet Sauvignon plus Merlot, with a couple of other blending grapes is the best known, mainly since this blend is popular with winemakers in Northern California. The GSM blend is mage popular by the wines of the Southern Rhone Valley and especially in Chateauneuf-du-Pape. The grapes came from olde bush vines, the grapes were crushed with a basket press, which is the old way the crushing grapes, they now often use huge hydraulic presses, and was fermented in open-top vats. Again, open-top vats are an older method of grape fermentation, it runs the rick of allowing too much oxygen interact with the juice if not done right. But if performed correctly it gives the wine bright juicy flavors and allows the wine to come together in a shorter period of time. Tasting Notes The color is dark, but still see-thru raspberry jam red with black highlights. The nose is jammy berries, with savory aromas and mint, a little tea, a little spice, and a hint of baking fudge brownies. This is a flavorful smooth wine, with a bit of spice on the mid-palate. The current vintage of the Stump Jump GSM is 2016, these wines aren't made to last forever, so drink the 2014 before too long. It tastes of extracted blackberry, tart cranberry, licorice, tea, and herbs. The mid-palate adds a solid dose of spice, including orange zest, soft blueberry, and dusty chocolate powder. The acidity is nicely balanced and the finish vibrates in your mouth for quite some time. Summary * The d'Arenberg Stump Jump GSM is a very solid value priced red. The 3 grapes in the blend bring out the best in each other * If you are getting a little bored with the usual California red blends, try a GSM, it will jump start your palate, tons of flavors, texture and bright acidity * I found Jump Stump GSM on sale for $9.99 and it is a very satisfying, tasty ten buck Red * Here are a couple of links to Stump Jump wines that we have featured in the past: Stump Jump GSM 2011 and the Stump JumpShiraz 2010
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