Joyce Vineyards 'GSM' Grenache-Syrah-Mourvèdre, Arroyo Seco, Monterey, California 2022

This cool-climate take on a Southern Rhône blend comes from Joyce Wine Company’s home turf in Arroyo Seco, where wind, fog, and rocky soils produce wines of precision and aromatic depth. Russell Joyce’s GSM is all about freshness, texture, and lifted fruit—not your typical California heat-driven blend.

• WINEMAKER: Russell Joyce

• FARMING: Sustainable

• VARIETY: 56% Grenache, 22% Syrah, 22% Mourvèdre

• TERROIR: Sourced from the Ventana and Zabala vineyards in the Arroyo Seco AVA. This is one of California’s longest growing seasons, thanks to the intense cooling influence of the Monterey Bay submarine canyon, daily fog, and wind. Soils are extremely rocky, well-drained alluvium with a mix of sand, granite, and shale loam, helping to maintain freshness and minerality in the fruit.

• VINIFICATION: 25% whole cluster; cold soaked for 4–5 days before spontaneous fermentation in small open-top fermenters with native yeast. Fermentation lasted 12–14 days.

• AGING: Aged 10 months sur lie in 100% neutral French oak. Bottled unfined and unfiltered.

• TASTING NOTES: Aromas of blackberry, dried blueberry, rosewater, and clove lead to a palate of mixed berry jam, raspberry, kalamata olive, and spice. Medium-bodied with supple tannins and a mineral-driven finish.

• FOOD PAIRINGS: Grilled lamb, eggplant with tahini, duck tacos, or lentils with roasted root vegetables

• ALCOHOL: 13.8%

From Our 2025 Bottle Cult Notes:

Last month I was down in Carmel for a weekend getaway. I had no intention to visit any wineries, but as we were leaving town, the sunshine beckoned us to sit for just a few more hours. We decided to check out one of the Carmel Valley’s most beloved tasting rooms: Joyce Vineyards. 

When we first opened DECANTsf in 2019, this was actually one of the wineries we poured by the glass, and I always loved their outstanding quality and incredible value. But somehow the wines got lost in the shuffle, and before I knew it, I went nearly four and a half years without tasting them! So when I was able to taste the entire lineup this Spring, I immediately wanted to bring them back to our shelves for you. 

The knockout for me was their Greanche-Syrah-Mourvedre blend from Arroyo Seco AVA. Located east of Big Sur, Arroyo Seco is one of California’s earliest established AVA’s (1983). It’s lauded for its cool, coastal climate and well-draining soils that are made of gravel, sans and loam soils. Russell Joyce relies on the vineyards of Arroyo Seco because he truly admires the brightness that the terroir brings out in nearly any grape that grows there. 

In this bottling, Russell combines 56% Grenache, 22% Syrah and 22% Mourvèdre from the Zabala and Ventana vineyards that sit not far from his winery. It is both dense and fresh at the same time; notes of berry jam (blackberry, raspberry, blueberry) are highlighted by a herbal, briny note of kalamata olives and the spice of toasted cloves. It’s juicy and fruity, while still being savory and complex. 

Pair it with summer grilling - lamb, eggplant with tahini, duck tacos, or lentils with roasted root vegetables all would be delicious options. (Equally acceptable is a lazy night on the couch with a good movie!)  —Simi Grewal, DECANT Co-Founder