Such a fun wine. The biggest issue I have is that I tend to drink this on (or near) Halloween as soon as I get it.
Earthy tannins leads to blackberry, blueberry, plum, and violets. Made from mainly Carménère and Cabernet Sauvignon, there are small amounts of Syrah, Petite Verdot and Cabernet Franc in the mix. This has always been a solid wine for a very reasonable price. It deviates from much oak treatment and instead promotes the raw, earthy flavors of its organic vineyards. The aging consisted of 66% of the wine placed in French oak for 18 months, therefore the oak is supporting and not dominate. Nicely balanced this is a great go-to everyday drinking wine. ORIGIN: Apalta, Chile. ALCOHOL: 13.5%
Kelly's Island is part of a group of islands in the south western section of Lake Erie just off the Ohio coast. Back in the mid-1800's this was one of the leading wine areas of the country. Now it is kind of a summer resort escape area. It is always difficult to make reds in Ohio due to late and early frosts and lots of thunderstorms and hail and very hot temperatures. Yields were apparently way down in 2022, but luckily a friend lives right next to the winery and was able to snag a bottle for us. This wine seems to be somewhere between a very serious rosé and a lighter red wine. 11.5
Cabernet Franc can be tricky to grow, making sure it is ripe enough to minimize the green flavors while still preserving the green pepper and tobacco notes that make this grape so delicious.
This offers nicely balanced red fruit with minimal oak, solid acidity and decent tannic structure. Not an easy thing to find in a Merlot, and a Merlot at this price. Black cherry, black berry, huckleberry, red currant, light cedar and vanilla notes dominate and this is a very comprehensive wine. Mainly Merlot, there are small percentages of Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Syrah and Malbec. It was aged for 14 months in French oak, only 40% of which was new, hence the light wood touch. What this ultimately offers is a robust Merlot that is well worth the price.
Detert makes some of the best Cabernet Franc in California. Purple in color with ruby swirls, mostly opaque and bright. The nose is great with black cherries, cassis, fresh tobacco, spice and slight mocha note. Full bodied. Wonderful lush texture. Great balance. On the palate, this is young with firm tannins. Loads of black cherry fruit (although certainly not a fruit bomb), along with some cassis and some underlying char. Long finish. Delicious. It really unwinds over a few hours. Drink over the next fifteen to twenty years. Great on its own, this will work well earthy dishes s
This showed better than the 1998 and at age 29, very nice. It is a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon and 45% Cabernet Franc. Purple in color, mostly opaque and bright. The nose has cassis, tobacco, black cherries, spice and slight herbal note. Full bodied. Light tannins. On the palate, this has juicy acidity. Black cherries, some cassis, spice, char and slight tobacco. Complex. Long finish. This is probably past peak, but really drinking well. Drink over the next few years but it might go longer. It will work well on its own, but will match well with roasted chicken.
A lovely blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Malbec, and 15% Cabernet Franc, the grapes were grown in selected old vineyards from the Uco Valley. The 2017 offers black cherry, blackberry, blueberry, and raspberry notes, with back notes of pomegranate, tea leaf and rhubarb. The expressive fruit is mitigated by mellow acidity and tannic structure. Aged in French oak for 20 months, this wine is a reminder of the value and quality that Argentina as a whole delivers. ORIGIN: Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina. ALCOHOL: 14%
Purple/ruby in color, mostly clear and bright. The nose has black cherries with a slight cough syrup notes. Medium bodied. On the palate, black cherries with slight underlying chalk and a hint of cigar tobacco. Great texture. This has a nice complexity that unwinds in the glass. Drinking well on its own, this would be better with food. It could probably stand up to a bit of spice such as tacos or even curry. Drink over the next eve to ten years.
This is 100% Cabernet Franc. Purple/ruby in color, mostly clear and bright. The nose has some Brettanomyces coming off as slight barnyard. It has an "old school" Chinon quality to it. Also some black cherries. On the palate, the black cherries come thru (not the barnyard). It does taste mature despite being relatively young. Most likely that is the Brett. This will work better with food such as stew or chili. Drink over the next seven to ten years.
