Complicated Wines spotlight
2020 Complicated Red Wine Monterey County, USA
Amanda Ingram's Monterey Grenache-Syrah, raspberry and rocky earth, a 2020 you can open at fifteen dollars.
The 2020 is 69 percent Grenache and 31 percent Syrah from Monterey County: crisp raspberry, potpourri, red currant, and sumac, now $15.
A Monterey red that stays bright on purpose
Complicated is a Trinchero Family Estates brand with a straight brief: Monterey fruit, food-friendly wines, no theater. Amanda Ingram joined in March 2020 and blended this Grenache-Syrah. Matt Kettmann at Wine Enthusiast scored it 92 and called it a great everyday sipper. Fifteen dollars against a $25 typical retail is the point.
The house
Complicated bottles Monterey County wines meant to over-deliver. Amanda Ingram, after harvests in California, New Zealand, Australia, and Texas, took the cellar in 2020.
The wine
69% Grenache, 31% Syrah. Cool-climate Monterey fruit, French and American oak, 14.1% ABV. Built for the table.
The scores
Wine Enthusiast 92, Editors' Choice. Raspberry, potpourri, rocky earth, red currant, sumac.
The drinker
Serve 58 to 62 F. A short splash of air. Grilled lamb chops or a weeknight pasta.
Raspberry first, then flower and rock
Kettmann's note is the tasting profile: crisp raspberry, potpourri, and rocky earth on the nose, then a tight, bright sip of red currant, sumac, and red flower. The house sheet adds black cherry, plum, and a hint of vanilla.
A cool-climate red year that kept Grenache lifted. Syrah adds color and spice. Drink it now. This is not a cellar project.
Raspberry, red currant, potpourri, violet, rocky earth, a hint of hazelnut.
Medium to light body, 14.1% ABV, bright acidity, polite tannin.
Sumac, red flower, a little vanilla. Serve 58 to 62 F.
Grenache for perfume, Syrah for spice
Amanda Ingram treats Monterey like a blank canvas with a coastal clock. Grenache keeps the bouquet. Syrah deepens color and spice. The 2020 is 69/31, aged in French and American oak so the fruit stays in front.
Monterey's long, cool season is the point: dark flavors without heaviness. The blend is built to drink, not to wait.
Serve slightly cool. A splash of air is enough. Lamb and tomato-herb pasta are the language.
Uncomplicated wine from a complicated resume
The brand joke is on the label. The winemaking is not a joke. Ingram came to Trinchero in 2020 after 14 years and two hemispheres.
Complicated sits inside Trinchero Family Estates as a Monterey-focused line: Chardonnay, Pinot, and this red blend.
Ingram started in finance, switched to Fresno State enology, then worked harvests in Paso, New Zealand, Australia, and Texas before coming home.
The 2020 red is her first Complicated vintage in the chair: Grenache-Syrah, coastal fruit, a Tuesday number.
Lamb chops and a simple grill
Bright Grenache and spicy Syrah want char and herbs, not a heavy stew. Grilled lamb chops are the live pairing.
Two plates. One simple grilled lamb chop. One garlic-herb chop. Both can take Monterey acidity.
Serve 58 to 62 F. No long decant. A splash of air is enough.
Simple Grilled Lamb Chops
Salt, pepper, a hot grill, the weeknight plate for this blend.
Why it works: Char and lamb fat meet raspberry and sumac. The wine's acidity keeps the plate fresh.
View Recipe for simple grilled lamb chops (opens in a new tab)
Garlic Herb Grilled Lamb Chops
Garlic, herbs, and a chop with enough perfume for Syrah spice.
Why it works: Herbs echo potpourri and red flower. Fat softens the tannin.
View Recipe for garlic herb lamb chops (opens in a new tab)Put this Monterey red in the cart
Wine Enthusiast 92. Amanda Ingram. Fifteen dollars.
Put it in the cart. This is the Complicated bottle for grilled lamb and a weeknight table.
