Part of the tasting lineup at Enkidu.
The wine world occasionally offers up a few treasures that seem to fly under the radar and offer great wines even though the winery is not well known. Enkidu is just one of those treasures.
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No one will dispute that Napa Valley is the region that put California wine (and all American wine for that matter) on the world wine map. And while Sonoma Valley sits just on the other side of the Mayacamas mountain range that divides the two wine regions, it has seemingly struggled with its identity. Napa is synonymous with making world-class Cabernet Sauvignon. Sonoma, on the other hand, has so much diversity amongst its 17 AVAs (American Viticultural Areas) it isn’t as easily defined by one grape varietal. For example, they make terrific Pinot Noir in the Russian River Valley, outstanding Zinfandel in the Dry Creek Valley and excellent Chardonnay in the Sonoma Coast AVA. As a result, Cabernet Sauvignon winemakers in Sonoma generally sit in the shadow of Napa Valley. Laurel Glen Vineyard is one winery in Sonoma that is putting the wine world on notice that not only do they have the ability to make Cabernet Sauvignon, they have the ability to make GREAT Cabernet Sauvignon.
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Some of the beautiful vineyards at St. Francis winery.
Sonoma County, the “Valley of the Moon”, truly is a bounty of riches: the long valley just 90 minutes north of San Francisco boasts spectacular scenery, a relaxed and laid back vibe, terrific restaurants and is producing top-rated wines from a diversity of micro-climates and grape varieties.
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2010 Darby The Swagger
This delicious blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot and 2% Malbec shows classic Darby style: ripe, plush fruit, soft tannins and a smooth mouthfeel—a joy to drink! At age 6 this is fully mature showing lots of secondary notes of cedar and mocha to go with the black cherry and currant fruit. Perfect match for braised short ribs on a wintery night. Could go longer but drinking so well now, why wait?
Excellent (2011 Vintage available at their Woodinville Tasting Room for US$50)
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2002 Delille Cellars Chaleur Estate
Deep red in colour you’d never guess it was a 14 year old wine. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, this wine is a shining example of why these grapes so work well together. The blackcurrant, earth and mint notes of the Cab pair beautifully with the plum notes and voluptuousness of the Merlot giving this wine a wonderful complexity and ultra-smooth mouth feel. One of our all-time favourite wines from Washington that is drinking at its peak.
Excellent+
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