|
Highly
Recommended Black Stallion Winery
2008 Rosé, Napa Valley
$22
If you've never heard of Black Stallion Winery, you are not alone.
Black Stallion is a new winery at the southern end of Napa Valley on the Silverado Trail that sells only through
its tasting room, wine club, and direct sales online. So you won't find the label in restaurants or your local wine
shop. But it is well worth seeking out just for their amazing 2008 Rosé.
"Rosé,
you say?" I know, I can hear it now. You don't like Rosé wine. But trust me, this one will make a convert out
of you. Made from 99% Syrah with 1% Petit Sirah added for color, this thoroughly enchanting wine has playful, coy, and
downright sensuous all wrapped up in one. Beautiful in the glass, it has strawberry and peach with floral notes on the
nose, and a delicious creamy palate with a bit more weight than a typical Rosé. But it is still light and refreshing,
the perfect wine to relax with on the porch on a warm summer evening. Try it with grilled salmon for a great pairing.
The Black Stallion 2008 Rosé is something you'll savor over the summer months. If you want to surprise your
friends with something they've never heard of and won't have in their cellar, visit
Black Stallion Winery and order up a half a case or more. No matter how much you order, you'll probably wish you
had ordered more.
|
Owen Roe Winery
2007 Abbot's Table,
Yakima Valley, Washington
$21 If
you like to play "Stump the Sommelier," this one's a lot of fun. No expert could possibly guess what's in it. The
reason is that this rich, yet easy to drink full bodied red wine is a blend of a whopping ten different varietals. I know
I know. It sounds disgusting. But against all conventional wisdom it actually works. Normally a kitchen sink blend of many
varietals results in a "lowest common denominator" wine of marginal value. Especially a blend as outrageous as Owen
Roe's Abbot's Table--whoever heard of Zinfandel and Pinot Noir appearing in the same bottle? Blends like this are typically
created to make a few bucks off substandard juice that doesn't make it into finer wines. In case you want to try to make an
inferior reproduction of Abbot's Table, the recipe is 22% Sangiovese, 20% Merlot, 20% Zinfandel, 15% Cabernet Franc, 7% Grenache,
6% Syrah, 3% Petite Sirah, 3% Cinsault, 3% Malbec, 1% Pinot Noir. I'm not sure what
inspired the folks at Owen Roe to create Abbot's Table. Whatever it was, it certainly works. It opens with a big blast of
berry, and mellows into a harmonious blend of oak, fruit, and soft pepper. The vanilla from the oak provides balance and support,
but does not overpower. Soft tannins and good acidity make it food friendly, but easy to drink on its own. A great value.
The 2007 vintage is sold out at the winery, but if you google it you can find in at several online resellers.
|
Ceja Vineyards 2005 Syrah, Sonoma Coast $34
You can’t spend more than ten minutes in Napa Valley
without someone saying you just have to go to Ceja Vineyards. Ceja (pronounced say-ha), hasn’t quite attained cult stature
by Napa Valley standards, but it certainly has a vociferous and enthusiastic fan club. Thus it was with eager anticipation
that I recently visited their winery in the Carneros district, west of Napa. At the tasting room, I started with the whites. Contrary to expectations, they were
unremarkable. The Sauvignon Blanc wasn't bad, but memorable only for being an overpriced $26 affair that could not begin
to compete with the $20 Elizabeth Spencer SB I had just tasted that morning. Something was wrong here, I thought. Moving to
the reds, I had the same feeling. The Pinot Noir was not badly made, but for $42, it was nothing exceptional--just another
California style Pinot. What was everyone so excited about? However, my disillusionment abated when I got the 2005 Syrah into my glass. I bought a couple
bottles thinking this was a wine I'd want to spend more time with. That was two months ago. Last week I opened one of those
bottles to see if it could match my recollection. After
a pour and a swirl, there erupted from the glass a sultry, smoldering, dense, brooding nose of smoke, pepper, and well-balanced
classic barnyard aromas that rocked the senses. Following on the palate was a delicious medium-bodied wine with mouthwatering
fruit, soft tannins, and refreshing acid that couldn’t have been in better harmony. And the sensations on the nose and
palate remained as vibrant and captivating after an hour in the open air as they had at the first pour. The Ceja 2005 Syrah
is a truly sensuous wine for the money. (Tasting date: 2/20/09) Next time
you visit Napa Valley, think about stopping at Ceja, which is somewhat of a mini-legend in the making. If you think some of
their wines are overpriced, you won’t be the first. But don’t miss the amazing 2005 Syrah, which is alone worth
the trip. If you aren’t going to Napa soon, you
can visit Ceja online, and order the Syrah to be shipped direct to you while it is still available.
|
