2016 Estate Red Wine Hedges Family Estate
If this Washington State red mountain blend were a painting, it would be an abstract. The wine maker must have wandered up and down the mountainside’s 6,000 ft. peak hunting grapes. Finally accumulating nine different varietals from five different vineyards. If this were a classic Renaissance, “Birth of Venus” by Sandro Botticelli, the wine would be a Cabernet Sauvignon. If it were an impressionist, “Soleil Levant” by Clause Monet, the wine would be a Pinot Noir. If it were surrealism, “Appareil et Main” by Salvador Dali, the wine would a Rioja. Or an American Western Artist, “Great Canyon of the Sierra” by Thomas Hill, the wine would be a Merlot. But none of these because it’s an abstract like Georgia O’Keeffe’s “Black Iris III”. This ’16 red blend is the winemaker’s art of tossing many kinds of grapes into one receipt= 38% Merlot; 29% Cabernet Sauvignon; 12% Syrah; 8% Cabernet Franc; 8% Malbec; 5% Petit Verdot; 1% Touriga Naccional; 1% Tinto Cao; and 1% Souzoa. I list these 9 varietals and ask, “Who has this much time to measure each?” Why not grab a bucket and toss them in by batches? To make matters more complicated, the wine maker 74% old oak coupled with 26% new oak for the barrel. Most vineyards put wine in French oak, steel, and even cement. Since this wine’s production is complicated, how does it taste? Well, it was fun and unique. It pours a deep red; there are silky clinging legs. Taking the first sip, there was bling and then something deeper. I was tasting fresh crushed raspberry over dark chocolate brownie. It was being served chilled, on a smooth cedar plank. This wine was meant to be chewed, and it has a smooth finish of plum. Red Mountain’s red blend is a “drink it now” wine. Or bottles in your wine cellar. Feel good in taking it as a house gift. Or match it with a hearty meal of Hungarian Goulash.
