Benziger Sonoma Mountain Red 2003

The Sonoma Mountain Estate Red is a Demeter-certified Biodynamic® wine produced entirely from the Benziger Family Estate. Sonoma Mountain appellation is one of the smallest in California and is home for the moment to three Benziger labels: Tribute - the winery's flagship wine, Joaquin's Inferno Estate Zinfandel and Sonoma Mountain Red. The latter opens with an elegant spicy, smoky, cedar nose with black olive, black cherry, ginger bread, vanilla, and cassis jam notes. Rich, ripe, round, supple palate. Very warm with cedar bark, cherry jam, peppery, orange peel, vanilla, chocolate, mocha, cassis flavours. Nice elegance and suppleness. Certainly a more forward style but will improve over the next 1-3 years. Sonoma Mountain Red is a blend of 73% cabernet sauvignon, 14% petit verdot, 9% merlot and 4% cabernet franc. This wine is all hand made using traditonal methods. The grapes were hand sorted in the vineyard, fermented in small tanks. It was aged for 18 months in French oak - about 30% of the barrels were brand new - and bottled in May of 2005.