Wood Family Vineyards
Keeping with a baseball theme, Rhonda Wood hit 3 home runs at her “Extended Family Event” recently this summer and a grand slam! Some clarification is needed to appreciate this accomplishment. Rhonda introduced three new wines and this year’s release besides her consistently good Chardonnay, “Para Mas Amigas”. If that wasn’t enough she “hit” a grand slam, introducing their new vineyard wine dog/puppy appropriately named “Sauvy”.
The three new wines which she has never produced were the 2014 Malbec, 2014 Petit Verdot and the 2014 Bordeaux blend called “El Loco Rojo”. I will focus on two of these wines, the Malbec and her Bordeaux blend. The Malbec as a 100% standalone varietal came across as a seasoned veteran on her line up. The grapes come from Ghielmetti Vineyards in the North East Hills of Livermore Valley aligned with elevation and soil conditions to match similar soil and micro weather conditions from Bordeaux. This wine comes across with a deep purple hue, with “aromatics as Mission fig and blackberry preserves” along with “burnt sugar creating a smoky undercurrent”. This was paired at the event with a black bean tostada from Posada Catering which provided a standing ovation with a winning “walk off home run”. With only 65 cases produced it will sell out quickly.
The second wine that was introduced was her “El Loco Rojo” or crazy redhead. I don’t want to “steal any base running secrets”, so best to ask Rhonda or her crew about the background – a fun family story. This Bordeaux style wine uses two of her new releases Petit Verdot (5%), Malbec (5%) along with her annual favorites of Cabernet Sauvignon (58%), Cabernet Franc (22%) and Merlot (10%). There is nothing “loco/crazy” about this wine! It is a very flavorful and complex wine to drink today. Rhonda picks up “Morello cherries glazed in brown sugar sauce” and the fresh fruit tastes provide a “straight up, lip-smacking delicious wine”. This wine was aged in 98% French oak with 45% being new. Again only a small quantity of 170 cases were produced.
So get off the bench and into Rhonda’s new lineup!
Slainte,
http://woodfamilyvineyards.com/
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