Beauty of the Blend

Saturday, February 24th
4:30 - 7:00

The idea of labeling a bottle of wine by the grape name is a relatively new trend in the wine world.  Some areas, such as Alsace in France, have done so for years, but they were much in the minority.  The name that went on the label most often, the name thought to be most important, was the region, village, or vineyard the wine came from.  It was often the case for many of these classically known wines that they would also not necessarily be made of just a single grape, but were blends.  Many believed that blending a variety of grapes which prospered in a specific area would give a better sense of terroir, that the wine tastes of where it was grown.  In the Southern Rhone Valley Chateauneuf-du-Pape is king, and can be composed of up to 13 recognized grape varieties.  Red Bordeaux has thrived based for centuries on a classic collection of 5 noble grapes, and Tuscany's Chianti allows 4-5 other grapes to be blended with the mainstay Sangiovese grape.  Even in Californian wines, many people drink more blends than they realize, as a wine need only be 75% of a single grape to be listed as such, and they are not required to indicate if it is blended with other grapes (though the large majority do).  So this Saturday we are going to look at five of our current favorite blended wines, and investigate if the whole is truly more than the sum of its parts!

Domaine des Schistes 'Essencial' Blanc
Côtes du Roussillon, France, 2016
Vermentino, Grenache Gris, Maccabeu

Château Jouclary Rouge
Cabardès, France, 2015
Merlot, Grenache, Syrah

La Maialina 'Gertrude'
Tuscany, Italy, 2014
Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot

Red Heads Studio 'Yard Dog' Red
South Australia, 2016
Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Merlot

Andrew Rich 'Coup d'Etat' Red
Ciel du Cheval Vineyard, Columbia Valley, Washington, 2013
Grenache, Mourvedre, Syrah