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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Drinking window: Drink between 2014 and 2017 (based on 4 user opinions) |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 91 pts. and median of 91 pts. in 33 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Parnelli on 5/5/2023 & rated 91 points: Pretty amazing ... this bottle has held up well. Although a little cloudy, it was very tasty and well balanced. Muted dark fruit and some sediment. (319 views) | | | Tasted by rpenn77 on 3/14/2021 & rated 92 points: Mature Cabernet which benefits from the other varietals blended with it. (1020 views) | | | Tasted by Parnelli on 9/18/2020 & rated 89 points: This bottle had brick red around the edges of the glass and was tasting a little tired ... muted fruit, a little heat on the mid palate and a little out of balance. (1038 views) | | | Tasted by DbertCellar on 4/21/2018 & rated 93 points: Cherry chocolate aromas with serious depth of character. Soft with acidity and tanin still present. Very nice. (1827 views) | | | Tasted by Frank-H on 3/17/2017 & rated 90 points: Excellent wine!! (1423 views) | | | Tasted by Frank-H on 3/17/2017 & rated 91 points: Excellent wine. (1959 views) | | | Tasted by Frank-H on 3/17/2017 & rated 91 points: Error (2224 views) | | | Tasted by Marylieser on 11/7/2016: Consistently good (1521 views) | | | Tasted by Parnelli on 8/24/2016 & rated 93 points: What a difference a year makes! This drinking excellent right now and the dry tannins tells me there's still plenty of life left in it, so I won't be in a hurry to drink the other bottles. Dark ruby red in the glass, there's plenty of dark fruit on the nose and palate. I picked up earth and leather, too on both. Great balance of fruit, tannins and acidity. Rather big, so it's better with food ... I had a grilled filet and they matched perfectly! (1000 views) | | | Tasted by Jwd12 on 4/16/2016: Well past prime could not drink (951 views) | | | Tasted by Parnelli on 9/5/2015 & rated 89 points: As it was my wife's birthday, I thought it'd be nice to try a bottle. I was a little disappointed ... I was expecting more. It poured a nice dark purple after decanting and looked beautiful in the glass. The fruit was muted on both the nose and palate. Earth and leather were present and tannins just a tad 'tough'. I'm hoping that future bottles will be better. (1121 views) | | | Tasted by Dave75 on 5/29/2015 & rated 93 points: Excellent, but don't open it yet. The aroma is very strong and filled with dark fruit, berries and alcohol. But on the palate, it is very different- dry, "dirty" (in a good way) and tannic. The fruit is very subdued but you can catch cherries and chocolate. Great structure. I would say to leave it in the bottle 1-2 more years. (1342 views) | | | Tasted by jfaulk on 11/7/2014 & rated 92 points: Nice smooth Bordeaux blend. Beautiful aroma of dried fruit & mocha. Cassis, leather, pencil lead. Well integrated & layered. Medium finish. Could lay a bit longer. Nicely done! (1523 views) | | | Tasted by Parnelli on 5/24/2014 & rated 90 points: This wine will only get better. I'm not ready to go above 90 yet, but there's lots in this wine that says it'll improve. Dark fruit on the nose and palate with nice integration of tannins. I can hardly wait to taste the next bottle in 6 months. (1771 views) | | | Tasted by Halfeel on 2/28/2014 & rated 94 points: Just an excellent Sonoma County Bordeaux blend. (1691 views) | | | Tasted by Parnelli on 8/24/2013 & rated 89 points: It's not 'there' yet. It pours a beautiful dark red garnet and has medium plus legs. There's dark red and dark fruit (blackberries, black raspberries, dark plums on the nose and palate. The tannins are smooth but for me, there was just a hint of heat on the back end. There's quite a bit of potential yet and I look forward to the next bottle next year. (1812 views) | | | Tasted by td1836 on 11/13/2011 & rated 87 points: Brown/red color bordeaux blend. 19 months in French oak. Has a smooth finish, but not too exciting of a wine. (405 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| Benziger Family Winery Producer websiteRed Bordeaux BlendRed Bordeaux is generally made from a blend of grapes. Permitted grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and rarely Carménère.Today Carménère is rarely used, with Château Clerc Milon, a fifth growth Bordeaux, being one of the few to still retain Carménère vines. As of July 2019, Bordeaux wineries authorized the use of four new red grapes to combat temperature increases in Bordeaux. These newly approved grapes are Marselan, Touriga Nacional, Castets, and Arinarnoa.
Wineries all over the world aspire to making wines in a Bordeaux style. In 1988, a group of American vintners formed The Meritage Association to identify wines made in this way. Although most Meritage wines come from California, there are members of the Meritage Association in 18 states and five other countries, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Israel, and Mexico.USAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Sonoma CountyMendocino County |
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