WTN: Big-Ass Reds

[Jenise]

So last Friday night was the neighborhood tasting which I advertised as 'Big Ass Red Blends'. As the organizer and buyer, it was kind of liberating to not care a bit about what the blend was, and therefore be able to include unusual and interesting wines that would be hard to fill a category with. 69 tasters attended.

Roving pourers worked the crowd for the first hour with the following three wines, all poured blind.

2016 Bonny Doon Vineyard Vin Gris de Cigare California Rosé Blend
Blend of Carignan, Grenache, Grenache Blanc and several other grapes. Pleasantly drier than I remembered from early last summer; possibly bottle variation but hopefully the effect of eight additional months of integration. Provence-like in color, complexity and measured tone, with a clean refreshing finish.

2017 Cline Cellars Marsanne Roussanne North Coast White Rhone Blend
Golden color. Served in a tasting with a similar white blend from Washington wherein this was sweeter, riper and showed more of the bruised peach marsanne character. Borderline too ripe for me.

2015 Secret Squirrel White Walla Walla Valley White Rhone Blend
Pale, almost clear. Surprising nuanced quality and balance for $12, roussanne seemed prominent. Excellent.

Then the six blind reds were poured. Attendees voted on these. Point spread was pretty tight--89 for first place and 50 for last. Even the lowest scoring wine had 6 first place votes. No losers, no landslides:

2014 Secret Squirrel Columbia Valley Red Blend
This solid little $25 Bordeaux bad-ass wanna-be took 3rd place over three $50-plus wines. Inky color with black fruit, coffee, sage and cocoa--blend is not disclosed but it seems more cab franc dominant than previous vintages. 3rd place.

2014 Efeste Final-Final Columbia Valley Red Blend
2nd place for overall points but the most first place votes. All the wines were great, but that's just how good this wine is. Big blue and purple fruit with herb and cola notes, excellent body and mouthfeel. Neither this nor the wine above were in my top 3, but I nonetheless don't blame the crowd a bit for loving it (which is why I chose it for the tasting). Killer QPR at under $30.

2010 Force Majeure Collaboration Series VI Ciel du Cheval Vineyard Red Mountain Red Rhone Blend
56% Mourvedre, 38% Syrah, 6% Grenache. Sweet nose and entry, mostly red fruit, black pepper and some admirable garrique for a domestic wine. Lowest vote getter at 42 points because the softness of age wasn't as compelling as the younger, blacker fruited wines, but nonetheless it got six first place votes. Very good. Drinks well now; needs decanting to remove a few solids.

2013 Jonata Winery Todos Ballard Canyon Syrah Blend
78% syrah and 15% Sangiovese with minute amounts of 5 or 6 other grapes ('todos' means 'everything'). Highly aromatic and attractive nose of violets, raspberry, other red fruits, green olives and grilled meat. More red fruit on the palate with a charming, savory finish. Seamless tannins. Bought a case--am going to love watching these evolve. Tied for 4th at 50 points.

2014 Avennia Gravura Columbia Valley Red Bordeaux Blend
Big and dark with forceful, concentrated fruit and hefty tannins. About 46% each Cabernet and Merlot topped off with a bit of Cab Franc. A very bold wine of blackberries and dark chocolate that at present needs a few hours in a decanter to show off. Has everything needed for aging well. Only $40 at the tasting room, but a silly deal for $30 at Last Bottle. First place for the group with 89 points.

2015 Passing Time Red Wine Columbia Valley Red Bordeaux Blend
The winery name has to do with the fact that the owners were both NFL quarterbacks. Beautiful sweet nose of violets and cassis, creamy black and blue fruit on the palate. Velvet mouthfeel. Though sold as a red blend it is in fact 92% cabernet (the rest merlot). Very surprised that it didn't score higher at the tasting--my 2nd place wine, but for the group tied with the Jonata for fourth place.

This tasting gave me the chance to compare things I don't usually get to compare. Beauty pageant circumstances of an open tasting in which sweeter/bigger usually win (hence my consternation over the Passing Time not doing better), I can probably safely conclude that the group prefers cabernet to syrah, and black fruit to red.

As I read your tasting notes I thought that the title of your tasting was misleading!

Then I came to the reds...

All the same, three Bdx blends and two Rhone (ish). Are these CA takes really so Big Ass compared with the French ones?

BTB there is/was a Big Ass Red, a Zinfandel blend from Milano Family Winery in Hopland. I Googled to see if I could find it for you but the first results I got when searching for Big Ass Red made me hurriedly close the tab

[Jenise]

Pete, it's contextual. Here on the left coast and in Washington in particular, propriety red blends are often just the kitchen sink leftovers of conventional bottling practices centered on one variety at a time. They often includes grapes grown only for blending in the 25% of each variety that doesn't have to be disclosed, grapes that never appear under that label as a stand-alone variety. In fact, the Todos below (Jonata is the central California winery belonging to the owner of Screaming Eagle, which you no doubt no of) is exactly that kind of wine. But hey, it's Screaming Eagle kindof, and it costs $60 a bottle. It's a kitchen sink blend, but it's way above most kitchen sink blends. And all the rest are deliberate, proprietary blends made year in, year out by the winery in question. And for the most part they cost like it whereas the typical kitchen sink blend here would run you $15-20..

I have been buying and drinking Jonata Todos for 3 or 4 years now. I think it's a good value for the money. All the other Jonata wines are about $140 a bottle. Bought from the winery I've been getting it for $50.

[Jenise]

Glenn, I'm pleased to meet another fan. As for price, Wine.com has it for $50 or $55. I bought my first ones from them. But these came from Plum Market in Michigan--$35 ea. Of course, the shipping was absurd, but offset by no tax.

Screaming Eagle, which you no doubt know of)

No only, Jenise, but I've tasted it. I couldn't see what made people pay so much for it

[David M. Bueker]

Screaming Eagle, which you no doubt know of)

No only, Jenise, but I've tasted it. I couldn't see what made people pay so much for it

There was a time when Screagle was nearly unique.

Not anymore.

Screagle was nearly unique

In which way?

[Jenise]

Pete, Jonata wines aren't ridiculous in price like Screaming Eagle. But they are definitely way way way above average in quality.

I just opened a bottle of the Bonny Doon Vin Gris de Cigare last night. Delightful as always. It's a pity that they're discontinuing their "Cigare Volant" wines. I'll miss both the red and the vin gris.

-Paul W.

Yes, a shame. The vin gris could definitely pass for Southern French, unlike most American roses.

Pete, Jonata wines aren't ridiculous in price like Screaming Eagle. But they are definitely way way way above average in quality.

Hi Jenise

I used Winesearcher, not expecting it'd be available in the UK, but 2013 Todos Proprietary Red Wine is listed. The merchant doesn't mention Ballard Canyon but the cepage given - 78% Syrah, 15% Sangiovese, 2% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Viognier, 1% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot and 1% Merlot - seems to match.

However I'm going to pass, as I'd have to buy a case of 12 and pay a delivery charge which would make the price £68.80 per bottle, around $90