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| Rob Williams - Cabernets and Blends | ||
Rob's "Wine of the Week" Archives So here is my wine review for the week of January 29th... COL SOLARE 2002
My Sincere, personal thanks to a listener who wishes to remain anonymous but was kind enough to secure me a bottle of this coveted red for my tasting. Description: This is another wine from one of my favorite wine families, the Ste. Michelle group out of Washington state. I have written extensively about their reds and chardonnay produced by Chateau Ste Michelle in this space as well as their incredibly affordable yet surprisingly great sparkling wines under the Domaine Ste Michelle label. This wine is a blend of reds, and is a joint venture between Ste Michelle and Italy's Antinori, designed to mimic a Tuscan meets Washington state meritage. How to Get it: Bevmo carries it locally and on their website. It is also available through a number of on-line sites and from the winery. How Much: About $70. My Thoughts: The blend is 60% cab, 30% merlot and 10% syrah, my three favorite red wine grapes which is a good start. I found the wine tight at first, but an hour after opening it, I had an entirely different opinion so I suggest letting this one breathe if you are going to drink it young. This is what I would call a medium to full bodied red, certainly not thin, with flavors of cherry and berry, though the fruit is not overwhelming. Somewhere in the finish, which lingers nicely, are some faint vanilla and tobacco notes. All in all, this is a very pleasant bottle of red wine that is a great way to try to segue yourself towards a European palate without taking the full plunge. Overall Score: At $70, this can't be considered an inexpensive wine and therefore must be judged appropriately against wines of similar price and structure. I find the wine to be on the same level of the similarly priced Flora Spring trilogy meritage, and better than the last few years of the St Supery Meritage which costs $50. This would make a fine wine on a Friday or Saturday night and would also be an interesting addition to a wine tasting party. My ratings are based entirely on value and $70 the wine must blow me away to get 4-5 vines. This wine comes close and is still above average to be sure. In a year it may blow me away, for now I recommend it and advise aging it. 3 ½ vines.
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