I’m a blend girl. Okay, truth be known I am a varietal girl too. It is just that right now I have blends on my mind as many ideas for the September 18th BLEND event are swirling around in my head.
So I begin my annual pilgrimage to taste as many blends as I can prior to this event. You don’t have to twist my arm because I am naturally drawn to these wines. Here are three blends that top my list and rock my world.
I go back to these wines time and time again whether it is from my own cellar or from a wine list. I enjoy turning people on to these wines; secretly thought its kind of selfish! What does pilgrimage actually mean? A journey to a sacred place… that is where a good blend will take you. Try one of these and let me know where it takes you.
2007 Sparkman Cellars WILDERNESS Red Blend
Oh how I love a good red blend. There is just something about the complexity of the different juices. When a wine delivers like this one does, it goes to the top of my list. This is a wine I buy and order repeatedly. It is loaded with dark fruit and sweet oak. It is velvety on the palate with all sorts of rich chocolate and Asian spice.
I often lean toward blends that include Cabernet Franc because it adds a nice brightness. This blend combines Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Petite Verdot hailing from six different vineyard sites across the state. And you can feel good drinking it because a portion of the proceeds supports the Wilderness Society. With food – absolutely versatile.
Syncline Cellars 2009 Subduction Red
Every wine that James and Poppy Mantone have produced since the start of Syncline Cellars has had me at first sip. There is an elegant quality that kisses every bottle. Subduction Red is their answer to a Washington version of a Cotes-du-Rhone Villages wine. This Southern Rhone style blend includes 39% Mourvedre with a 16-19% even mix of Counoise, Syrah and Grenache and a hint of Cinsault and Carignan.
Close your eyes and you can taste each grape in its own glory, open them and experience wine that is now greater than the sum of its parts. You get that juicy dark fruit up front with that hint of plum to follow. This wine lingers on the palate and delivers its magic through the whole palate. The spices come through but in a subtle way and yet they are there in each sip. This wine is delicious by itself. The mouth feel of this wine completely seduces me. With food…I can’t even go there…
One of my all time favorite wines! I’ve been enjoying this wine blend for eleven years since its first vintage. This is definitely one of my “go to” wines. While the blend changes slightly each year, the quality is always consistent, so it doesn’t really matter to me what the blend proportions are. I saw winemaker/owner Ron Coleman at Wine World Warehouse last week where he was pouring his entire selection of wines.
Why is Firehouse Red so good? Its consistent – you can always count on it. It has an excellent mix of bright berry flavors, its juicy and soft on the palate with a lovely bit of spice. And it truly pairs with any food you put it with. What more can you ask for? I love this wine. The 2009 needs a little bit of time to open up. The 2008 – to die for. Okay, the Wine Spectator listed the 2008 in its Top 100 wines last year, but I have loved this blend for years. So there!
