Last night I had an opportunity to try a 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon from Rios Wine Cellars. The name on their label is 'Solovino'. 'Solovino' means, 'he came alone'. I purchased the bottle the previous weekend up in Calistoga at the Rios Wine Tasting Room.
It was there that I spoke with Albert Rios, the youngest of the Rios brothers. Albert's two older brothers are Manuel and Rafael; Manuel being the oldest. The Rios family seem to all have their hands in the wine industry in one form or another. The pride they take as a family in grape growing, wine making and all round wine production is evident in the bottle I had last night. It was excellent!
Albert shared with me that there 2005 Cabernet is from a single vineyard and is strictly from the 2005 harvest. No blending from the previous year and no blending with fruit outside the particular vineyard. You'll see this approach most likely in the smaller wine producers, who are not out to make every year of any given wine the same as the year before. They focus on that year's fruit and focus on producing the best wine that specific fruit has to offer. The result is that each year you necessarily have a different wine and often that difference is noticeable if you were to conduct a vertical tasting.
Getting back to my personal tasting experience, I found this particular wine excellent!
The clarity and deep ruby color is the first thing that you will notice. When you put your nose to the glass you immediately pick up perhaps a tint of chocolate which is immediately replaced by ripe dark blackberry. When you take it into your mouth and coat your tongue, you will pick up not a sweet chocolate but more of a dark chocolate. As it lingers the fruity blackberry tones come forth. I didn't pick up oak but I was pleased with that. Why? I think the oak takes away from the pureness of the natural character the fruit has to offer which is different year after year when the winemaker believes in the single vineyard, single season approach.
I wonder if that's how the Rios family came up with the name 'Solovino'? I'll have to ask them.
If you have time I would encourage you to visit the Rios Wine Company web site at www.rioswinecompany.com .
No comments:
Post a Comment