2022 CULMINATION Proprietary Red Wine Blend
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Background
The word culmination is defined by the “end point or final stage of something you’ve been working toward or something that’s been building up”. Synonyms are apex, climax, peak, pinnacle, summit or zenith. Wood Family Vineyards, having made dozens upon dozens of award-winning wines, decided to launch a second label. The second label is the culmination of intense understanding of the vineyard management, grape harvesting, production techniques, barrel choices and wines their customers desired. Simply stated the culmination of decades of intense knowledge and experience was more than appropriate to call the new label CULMINATION!
So why this new label? Often a second label is the function of selecting grapes from a particular row in the vineyard, special barrels, pricing profiling or aging considerations. From conversations with Harrison Wood VP and Rhonda Wood the winemaker, the second label is much more than augmenting their current production. The CULMINATION label is reserved for completely different selections and techniques producing some of the same varieties they produce at Wood Family Vineyards. Their intention is to introduce an elevated experience beyond their current offering and tasting room enjoyment. The CULMINATION wines will be targeted at wine connoisseurs and those wanting a more intimate experience with possible food pairings. Many new and exciting announcements will be forthcoming.
The CULMINATION blend wine will be released in early April. This is the second release of the CULMINATION blend.
The Wine – “Wine is bottled Poetry” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Only occasionally one comes across an exquisitely smooth wine with just the right edginess of tannins, this is one of them! The Wood Family Vineyards has produced consistently very good Cabernet Sauvignon wines, but this is on a different stratosphere of quality. In tasting and reviewing this wine, this is the pinnacle of wine making with Livermore Valley grapes. This wine once reviewed, in my opinion, will rate between 95 and 98 points!
First on the eyes a deep almost purple/blackish coloring and with medium-heavy viscosity. On the nose juicy black and red fruits fill up the olfactory senses immediately with an ethereal aroma of blackberries and black cherries. Again, leaving this wine open for a good hour allowed the fruit profile on the palate to fully mature with blueberries and blackberries. The experience of intense fruit flavors of both red and blue fruits conjoined made this wine “melt” in the mouth with a robust taste. Clove and French oak were also noted with a faint tinge of vanilla. On the extremely long finish, oak and soft new leather rounded out the tasting experience with exquisite tannins. The tannins entered the palate with texture and some jaggedness, then once fully appreciated, became soft and embracing. It reminded me of the adage, Spring coming in as roaring lion and leaves like a docile lamb! This wine is for serious and discerning imbibers of Cabernet Sauvignon.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
For the 2022 Culmination Red Wine only 58 cases were produced. It is 70% Cabernet Sauvignon from two different vineyards, 20% Cabernet Franc and 10% Merlot. It will retail for $100/bottle and it came in at 14.4% alcohol. The barrel treatment was for 34 months in French oak barrels.
One of the unique characteristics of this wine will be its ability to be aged 15 years in my opinion with strong fruit and firm tannins. This wine will make my annual Best Wines tasted in 2026 without hesitation.
The Food and Wine Pairing – “Food without wine is a corpse; wine without food is a ghost. United and well matched, they are as body and soul: living partners” – Andre Simon
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Paired this evening with a seasoned and then seared filet mignon steak. The filet was barbequed to medium rare. Accompanied by a baked Yukon Gold potato, Brussel sprouts drizzled with Balsamic glaze and a fresh garden salad.
The food and wine pairing were spot on with the filet mignon meeting the fruit forward characteristics of wine and tannins.
Sláinte,
Michael