Tuesday, January 1, 2008

Vineland 2005 Elevation Cabernet-Merlot - $25.00

Vineland has finally plugged that hole they had between their $16 and $40 bottles of wine with their new Elevation series. Elevation is vineyard specific … and, as the name suggests, from elevated vineyards; it also showcases “terroir” (soil type) in each bottle. This Elevation is a blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot, has lots of dark and red fruits on the nose making it a real pleasure to sink your nose into. In the mouth there’s more pleasure to come, with cherry, blackberry and a touch of dark chocolate. Good acidity and some pretty hefty tannins lead to a surprising yet excellent velvety soft finish … something I wouldn’t have expected with those weighty mid-palate tannins. If you like to lie your wine down there’s an ageing potential of 7 to 8 years, according to the winemaker Brian Schmidt, but I think you could safely round that up to 10 without a problem. Kudos to Vineland for not just filling a price gap with any old wine, but doing it with something worthy of the price tag. Look for more wines in the Elevation line coming soon.

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