The wine shows exceptionally pure notes of poached pears, ripe peaches, and Golden apples. Although made without oak, it is more complex than many oaked Chardonnays at this price because the fruit’s nuances aren’t smothered beneath wood-based notes.
The wine shows exceptionally pure notes of poached pears, ripe peaches, and Golden apples. Although made without oak, it is more complex than many oaked Chardonnays at this price because the fruit’s nuances aren’t smothered beneath wood-based notes.
With a base of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, Rhapsody is composed of all five Bordeaux varieties. Fruit is sourced from the winery’s Quinn West Estate and its newest high-elevation plantings from its contiguous, calcareous-driven soils of its To the Moon Vineyard. Aged 19 months in (44% new) French oak, a dash of white pepper excites notes of black cherry, sweet tobacco, black olive, and dark chocolate. Well-structured with grainy tannins and a juicy, amiable persona.
The nose beckons with toasted oak, a hint of saline alongside fragrant, white flowers and fresh rain. Bright and balanced on the palate, the mineral cornerstone lends structure to the plush notes of fresh apple skins and beeswax.
The palate is lifted with a lovely contrast of fruity plushness and mouth-watering tension. Savory elements of cedar and fresh earth marry playfully with richer tones of vanilla and dark red fruit reduction.
Racy acidity augments the high-toned, bright notes of white-peppered cranberry and red tea. Italian herbs season raspberry and tomato leaf. Its food pairing abilities are superb. What a charmer.
Austere and introspective, with a tension that relates to graphite, soil, and blackberry skin tannins. Intense, 100% Tempranillo, with searing acidity that freshens each sip.
Violets and sweet red berries maintain a lively perfume. On the palate, the tone is moody, with tobacco, new leather, and cured meats. Blue fruit rises to the fore and leaves a lasting impression of coffee cedar.
A brooding, dramatic beast, with cocoa teeth-grabbing tannins. Graphite, espresso, cedar, and black olives co-mingle in this savory sipper. Blackberry and plum are heroic, lengthening the flavors and intensity of the wine’s inherent ripeness on the finish.