2008 Molly's Melange,

Russian River Valley

We are very pleased and excited to introduce our second edition of this fun, tasty, easy-going wine that we call, "Molly's Melange". Like with the 2007, we wanted to make an easy-drinking wine that matched Molly's cheerful exuberance and enthusiasm yet possessed multiple facets and layers of depth and complexity. However, with our 2008, we were going for something a little deeper, bolder, and more complex in nature, similar to Molly's evolution and maturation.

 This year, we were fortunate enough to have fantastic harvests of Syrah and Merlot from the Bennett Ridge Vineyard in Healdsburg (Russian River Valley appellation), but not enough of either to warrant an individual bottling. The resulting blend, combined with a good dose of Mt. Veeder Cabernet and a modicum of Bennett Ridge Malbec to add depth, structure and complexity, is exactly what we were hoping for.

In the glass, the color is an alluring inky shade of reddish violet, with a rim of lavender around the edge, displaying terrific clarity. The nose at first is dominated by Syrah, with intriguing scents of red raspberries and Santa Rosa plum with some lavendar, white pepper, and herbal spice, gradually evolving to show more of the old-world characteristics of currants, bell pepper, leather and earth from the Bordelaise compenents. On the palate, the entry is mellow and medium-full bodied with a fleshy mouth-watering mid-palate exuding flavors of berries, anise, and a hint of dried cranberry, with pleasantly balanced acidity and tannins leading to a lengthy, satisfying finish.

A good food wine with ample versatility, it would pair nicely with a grilled, pepper-crusted pork tenderloin drizzled with a cherry glaze, but would equally complement a more refined preparation of Prime Rib w/ horseradish. Drink now and over the next 3-5 years.