The January 2011 wine of the month is a 2007 Cabernet-Merlot!
The first wine to be released in 2011 is a special blend from winemaker Andres Basso. The 2007 vintage of Cabernet-Merlot is a blend of both California and Washington grapes. To begin we’ll breakdown the history of the grapevines.
Cabernet finds its grape history in the Bordeaux region of France. Cabernet Sauvignon is often regarded by the general public as the most distinguishable and aristocratic of all varietals and is also considered to be the Cadillac of grapes due to its extreme heartiness. In fact, the Cabernet vinecarries a nickname, termed as ‘vigne due’ or ‘hard vine’.
The history of the Merlot grape begins in the Bordeaux region of France, which is known for blending its wines. In fact, a true Bordeaux wine is made up of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petite Verdot, Malbec and Merlot. It is fabled that the Merlot grape is what gave the blackbird its name because the bird was known to always eat the Merlot grape first (which is properly known as Merlot Noir, henceforth, ‘blackbird’). Another possible reason for the name is that the color of the blackbird’s feathers is the same color of the grape!
The Merlot grape tends to be plum and blue in color, and ripens in early fall. Due to its thin skin, it offers less tannins to a wine; therefore, it does not have to age as long before it is luxurious enough to drink. In fact, most critics quote the wine as being a ‘real drinking wine’.
The wine of the month is a blend of 59% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Columbia Valley of Washington and 41% Merlot from the Lodi region of California. The wine was aged for 24 months in both French and American oak barrels after a few months of stainless steel aging.
Blending Washington & California grapes is something very unique to Lynfred. Most wineries don’t have the ability to blend such different fruit areas. The results in this case are spicy aromas and flavors from the Cab plus fruitiness from Merlot (especially blueberries).
Aroma: Soft and lush aromas of vanilla beans, hazelnuts, coconut and blueberries.
Palate: Medium-bodied. Bright and young red fruits, especially cherries, on the palate with toasty notes and a lingering, spicy finish.
Foods: Delicious when savored with pork chops, pork tenderloin, burgers and even brownies!
Coming up this month: Beef and Blue (which seems to be steak with blue cheese sauce) and we might even possibly get around to tagging all of our old posts to make searching easier.
