This was the 14th bottling of Vintage Reserve since the inaugural vintage of 1977. The wine is a blend of 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 15% Petit Verdot, and 10% Malbec.
The grapes were hand harvested from select estate blocks in the Santa Ynez Valley. After destemming and light crushing, each lot was inoculated with a slow fermenting yeast for balanced extraction. Extended maceration was employed for a total of 28 days of skin contact to refine the
tannin profile. This wine was aged for 22 months in limited thin-staved French oak barrels.
Firestone vineyards was founded in 1972 by father and son, Leonard and Brooks Firestone. It is now owned by Bill Foley.
This wine was imported by MURAM International AB.
Colour : Dark red
Aroma : Cedar, blackcurrant, milk chocolate, mint, cherries
Taste : Initially all structure, tannins, and some cedar, devoid of fruit, closed, then after 30 minutes the fruit began to show and after 1 hour this wine really opened up. Structured, cedar, blackcurrant, tobacco, mint, milk chocolate, sour note on finish. This wine ended up as a nice copycat high-end Bordeaux.
Alcohol : 14.5%
Price : 293 SEK
Mark : B
Website : Firestone Vineyards
Website : MURAM International AB
Friday, 20 November 2009
TN : Vintage Reserve 2004, Firestone Vineyards, Santa Ynez Valley, California, USA
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2 comments:
Swedish wine isn't as good as other European wines. They don't have the tradition of turning grapes into wine so well preserved.
Interesting this wine fared relatively well! Santa Ynez is not known for Bordeaux-style wines, and Firestone is considered a very average quality producer in the region. $35 US (the price here) is comparable to pricing for decent Bordeaux. Seems like it does what it is supposed to do, imitate Bordeaux style with some skill and quality.
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