If you don’t know Hamel this family owned, estate grown winery has been producing very good wines for quite a while now. This blend is comprised of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc and a dash of Zinfandel. Stratum offers notes of plum, red raspberry, a little wild cherry, pomegranate and wild herbs. There’s also a nice acidity and fairly strong supportive tannins to make the wine as a whole a very good drinking experience. From the first sip, you notice a velvet, creamy texture. I had paired this with the classic French Jamon sandwich (baguette, fresh French butter, and Spanish ham) with an added layer of freshly made, and rather aggressive, pesto. The wine stood up remarkably well to the pungent basil and garlic. It’s not just the acidity that works with this wine, but that the composition of the grapes and how they were fermented in order to make a compelling wine. Of note, Hamel is both certified organic and Demeter, therefore the land and the grapes are treated with the utmost respect. 3,000 cases. ORIGIN: Sonoma County. ALCOHOL: 14.1%.
