River Rock Red (NV)
Rock Point
63% Syrah | 37% Cabernet Sauvignon
Oregon
This wine was brought to my attention by a customer I was talking with recently at
Western Reserve Wines. It was part of their "10 Under $10" feature for January and February, and having enjoyed Rock Point's Pinot Noir I thought I'd see how this red blend compared. As an added bonus since the blend isn't listed on the bottle I got to test myself and see if I could figure out what it was. Here are my notes:
Appearance: A clear red wine, ruby hedging garnet red in color, medium intensity - text is visible and mostly legible through glass.
Nose: Clean, with some development from oak aging. Intense non-fruit aromas of oak, tobacco, and earthiness paired with fresh dark fruit notes of plum and black cherry. Also some subtle hints of licorice and smoke.
Palate: Dry wine with medium acidity, body, and tannins. They grip on the tongue mostly, and roll away after a couple moments. More non-fruit flavors reminiscent of nuttiness, oak, and vegetation. Fruit is dark but softly spiced - blackberry, black cherry, and plum. Very smooth finish.
This was an amazing wine given the cost - much more complexity than I would expect from a $10 bottle certainly. A good example of using both old and new world styles, the fruit and earth tones are balanced very well on both the nose and palate. And while the wine is smooth enough to drink on its own I think it would be well paired to food as well. Definitely a great buy!
Cheers!
Hope everyone has a fantastic New Year. Though we've focused mostly on Pinot Noir this week, but never fear - I've got a bottle of Banear Prosecco chilling in the fridge for midnight (or 9pm PST if you're on the East coast!).
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