2021 Wood Family Vineyards GSM – Does it stand for Great, Spicy and Meaty?
The Background on GSM
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Before I answer the question raised in the title, GSM in the wine world stands for Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre – three important grapes grown in the Côtes du Rhône region of France. Today, it is universally produced around the world. Why blend these three wines? The blend produces a great complex red fruit flavors and is age worthy. Typically GSM wines are bright, with in your face aromas of ripe fruit, sage, herbs and can range from smooth to having edgy tannins. By changing the percentages of each varietal in the GSM, a winemaker can significantly change the flavor profile. By adding more Grenache, the lighter of the three grapes, the outcome will be a lighter wine. Adding more Syrah, the outcome is a stronger and bolder wine. Mourvèdre a strong grape varietal, is typically added in small amounts. The end result of each winemakers’ blend, when a bright and fruity Grenache is blended with deep and peppery Syrah and Mourvèdre, is like an artist creating a master piece to their liking. GSM, with three distinctly different grapes, can run the gamut of coloring and flavor profiles.
Admittedly, many have only tasted a weak GSM, while desiring more flavor and written off the entire classification of GSM wines. One size does not fit all with GSM percentages varying from winery to winery.
The Winery and Winemaker
I have written many stories on Wood Family Vineyards and will direct you to click on the links to find out more about this prominent winemaker. Located in eastern Livermore Valley, Rhonda Wood owner & winemaker, has been producing award winning wines for over two decades at Wood Family Vineyards. You can read more on her background from airline pilot to award winning winemaker at:
https://californiawinesandwineries.com/2016/02/10/wood-family-vineyards-2/
and
Here is just a “partial listing” of her current winning wines:
- 2021 “Pink Pearl” Rose – Best of Class – SF Chronicle Wine Competition
- 2021 Albariño – Best of Class – SF Chronicle Wine Competition
- 2021 Chardonnay – 91 points Wine Enthusiast
- 2020 “The Captain” Red Blend – 94 points Wine Enthusiast + Editor’s Choice
- 2020 GSM – 93 points Wine Enthusiast + Editor’s Choice
- 2020 Petite Sirah – 93 points Wine Enthusiast
- 2019 Cabernet Franc – Double Gold – SF Chronicle Wine Competition
- 2019 LVVC – Double Gold – SF Chronicle Wine Competition
The Wine 2021 Wood Family Vineyards GSM “Wine is bottled poetry” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Immediately pouring the wine you are taken back with a magenta coloring with traces of purple and violet coloring and a medium viscosity. On the nose and palate is where you are awakened to something beautiful and appealing. On the nose, pepper, strawberry, and blackberry waft into the senses. On the palate is where the “masterpiece is painted” with the soft berry notes from the Grenache, the dark fruit of the Syrah and intense coloring, tannins and earthy notes of the Mourvèdre. All of these components provide beautiful and compatible flavors of strawberry, blackberry, dark plum and still providing a bright fruit on the palate. The finish is long and satisfying with gripping tannins which was surprisingly welcomed after the fruit, adding structure and complexity to a robust conclusion. One of the best GSM’s tasted in recent memory. This 2021 GSM will be available in August and will sell for $40/bottle. Her blend is 54% Grenache, 35% Syrah and 11% Mourvèdre with 465 cases being produced.
The Food and Wine Pairing “Food without wine is a corpse; wine without food is a ghost. United and well matched, they are as body and soul: living partners” – Andre Simon
Photo ©Michael Kelly
GSM’s are known to pair well with fatter steaks like a ribeye. Yet this paired wonderfully with the meal of flank steak marinated in a light Chaka sauce. The acidity in the wine along with the tannins, helped tenderize the meat and imparted subtle flavors to the meat. The meal included BBQ’ed Portabella mushrooms and quartered red potatoes. Additional vegetables were grilled on the BBQ including summer squash, zucchini, red onions and bell peppers.
So to answer the questions poised at the beginning of the story, “does GSM stand for Great, Spicy and Meaty? The answer for Wood Family Vineyards is a resounding YES!
Sláinte,
Michael