Tried this last night w/ dinner:
1. VinumCllts RedDirtRed ElDoradoCnty (41% Syrah, 37% Mourvedre, 22% Grenache; 14.9%; http://www.VinumCellars.com) 2005: Very dark color; some peppery strong blackberry/strawberry/Syrah slight earthy/mushroomy/dusty/ElDorado terroir some smokey/pungent bit very ripe/jammy interesting nose; soft slightly hot/overripe/plummy some blackberry/Syrah/spicy/peppery light toasty/oak flavor; med.long some jammy/ripe/plummy quite blackberry/boysenberry/Syrah light oak fiish w/ some tannins; needs a yr or two. $29.00
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. The grapes for this wine were grown by RonMansfield, owner of GoldBudFarms, and who farms Wylie&Fenaughty vnyds. Not sure exactly which of the vnyds Ron manages that these grapes came from. Ron also farms the grapes that SteveEdmunds uses from ElDorado and is (as Steve tells) about the most highly regarded grower up there.
I've had a few of the Vinum wines over the yrs. They make one of the best Chenins in Calif. I've also liked their Pets quite a bit. This RDR was a good solid Rhone blend that spoke of ElDoradoCnty. I liked it quite a bit and thought it fairly priced.
Tom