Wine of the Week: The Coalesce of Grape Fusion

"The Roman belief that wine was a daily necessity made the drink "democratic" and ubiquitous: wine was available to slaves, peasants and aristocrats alike.”

Have you ever wanted a wine which included most of your favorite varietals? Well this wine could quite possibly fit the bill. Some call this a Bordeaux Blend and true, but which bank? No I am not talking about the banks here looking for "bailout" money who want party it up in Vegas via taxpayer expense. 

Nope I am talking about the left and right bank in Bordeaux, which most of you reading this blog are most likely all too familiar with, so suffice to say this blend would be a "lefty" in terms of the type of blend used to produce this amazing effort from Girard Winery. But it's not a typical Bordeaux [style] blend. I say that because, it is more fruit forward, definitely more approachable, suited for an American palate [not a rustic note in sight]. Which is one of the dig's of American wine!

So here's the breakdown of the blend: With Cabernet Sauvignon leading the way at 63%, the balance is 13% Petit Verdot, 12% Malbec, 9% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc. You can find this small litany inscribed on the back label. While some back labels are sometimes just a vacuous wasteland, this one got right down to business of giving you a mini-education on the fruit used and where it came from [great job]. Also a phone number so you could call for more in case you ran out!

In the glass the 2004 vintage is a fully extracted regal colored throng of dark ruby wine spreading out to a lightly colored velvet rim. On the nose aromas of ripe cherries, red plum, cinnamon and allspice waft up out of the inky goodness. On the palate, this smooth-textured wine offers a full-mouth, medium (14.3% ALC.) bodied feel, while the firm tannins are very well integrated, making the wine courtly and approachable rewarding those who can't wait to imbibe. 

This wine like your favorite layer cake, which has a complex blend revealed through decanting. No wonder this wine is called Artistry. I do strongly recommend decanting this wine, one to reveal it's more subtle characteristics and two because this wine is not filtered!

Taking a look around the web, I see many sites offering this same wine for $39.99 or more. Tho that price is still worth the price of admission, I have to be honest, I scored this beauty at Costco for $30.99. They (Costco) are currently carrying the 2005 for the same price point as the 2004. I had purchased the 04 just about a year or so before popping the cork. It was well worth the wait. Until next time folks remember, life is short sip long and prosper cheers!