#40 A Graciano from California

A Lodi California winery absolutely blowing its Spanish counterparts out of the water. Graciano is rarely seen standing alone. It is usually blended into Rioja. Even rarer is to find it in the United States standing alone. And since we are watching the Big Game (my lawyers have advised me against using the superlative descriptor) it is decided that we should indeed give these underdogs a chance.

The winery in question is Bokisch. These guys only do organically grown Spanish varietals. This is a lush vanilla toned graciously embracing wine. Even now a few days later the bottle smells gorgeously of vanilla and anise. I'm not a fan of overpowering oak but this wine seemed to find the vanilla from somewhere else. Case production is small at 242 and at $25 its a bit more expensive than most in our challenge but I am going to run back and buy a couple more bottles.