Got a case of the Mondays? Maybe the 2020s? Time to switch things up a bit. Move outside your comfort zone. Today we’re here to blow your Cabernet loving, Merlot drenched, red wine obsessed mind with a powerful, polished, and “straight-up delicious” (JD) Tempranillo.

Singular focus. That’s what Gather is about. Their solo mission is to make knockout Tempranillo. This winery is as mom & pop as you can get but don’t think they lack for experience. Co-owner / winemaker Jessica Tarpy Shaheen worked at Leviathan and Favia with Andy Erickson (of Screaming Eagle fame), before Klein Constantia in South Africa. She started Gather with a particular purpose - to create serious Tempranillo.

The magic starts with the vineyard - Shake Ridge Ranch has a super fascinating location sitting at 1,800 feet elevation in the Sierra Foothills. Ann Kraemer oversees the very deliberate planning, meticulous care, and thoughtful curation define this special site. It’s a masterclass in vineyard design, really. There’s a long waiting list to get fruit from here, while some big names including Keplinger, Turley and Edmunds St. John lay claim to various plots of what the San Francisco Chronicle calls, “the remote, peculiar vineyard behind Amador’s most acclaimed wines.”

Of all the wines on The French Laundry wine list, none have more representation than Shake Ridge, with nearly a dozen choices!

Anyways, about this wine. AH-mazing. At first you might guess it as a luxurious Napa Cabernet or a top-notch modern Rioja. This lush fruit-bomb delivers a load of red cherry and blackcurrant, plus tons of secondary nuances like roasted coffee beans, sandalwood, toasty cedar, and mocha. Simply divine.

Super small production, with just 6 barrels made. We can’t force you to buy this by the case, but for the lucky few who take the leap, congratulations in advance. You done good!

90 Points – Jeb Dunnuck

“The 2016 Tempranillo Shake Ridge Vineyard, which is 93% Tempranillo and 7% Graciano, comes all from the Shake Ridge Vineyard in Amador County and was brought up in mostly neutral oak. This beauty offers lots of spicy red and black fruits as well as medium body, a ripe, rounded texture, and complex notes of tobacco leaf, cedar, and dried herbs. It’s balanced and straight-up delicious. Drink it over the coming 4-6 years. Drink 2020-2026.”