In 1995, Clay Shannon discovered a magnificent piece of property in the hills overlooking Clear Lake in Lake County, thirty-five miles north of Napa’s famed vineyards. He quickly set out to develop vineyards, Clay’s vision was simple: "We wanted to grow the best fruit in the world,” says Clay, “but we wanted to do it in a way that made us happy living there... The landscape is rugged and wild, and so are our neighbors – we’re surrounded by wildlife. We’ve got ducks, geese, deer, raccoons, quail, golden eagles, bald eagles, wild turkey, chipmunks and bobcats that visit us regularly. We are also visited commonly by bears, mountain lions and elk."
Shannon Ridge is passionate about preserving their land, not only for great vineyard sites, but for the wild creatures which share the property. Their sustainability practices integrate a flock of sheep that clean the vineyards, remove the excess canopy, and reduce the need for chemicals, while providing natural fertilizer. “Sustainability wasn’t some philosophical concept;" says Clay, "it is the way we live our lives.”
All of October is dedicated to Shannon Ridge! This is review #4 of 8, and you can read all of the reviews I've done so far by clicking here.
Vigilance wines are crafted from fruit harvested on their 250 acre Rolling Knolls Vineyard in the volcanic soils of Red Hills AVA. I have almost no information on the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon, other than it spent twelve months in oak and has an ABV of 13%.
The color of the wine is a deep and dark garnet. Hey, girl... are you a bar of Andes Chocolate Mint? Because you're lookin' fresh and sweet! Seriously though, it smells like an Andes was melted and dumped into the wine. There's also aromas of black cherries, dried tea leaves, cedar, and clay. It's medium bodied with a bit of a watery mouthfeel, high acidity, and sweet tannin. There's flavors of black cherries, plums, dark chocolate, and French vanilla. It finishes with black cherries, French vanilla, and mint.
For a $14 Cabernet it's good. My go-to suggestions for Cab at that price (that I carry at work) are Broadside and Matchbook; Broadside being a big and burly tannin bomb and Matchbook being a text-book Cabernet done right. This is a lighter, tarter Cabernet, and I will keep it in my arsenal for suggestions when it's apparent through conversation that they're looking for something like that. Because there's a bunch of them out there that are garbage, and this one is not one of them.
Shannon Ridge is passionate about preserving their land, not only for great vineyard sites, but for the wild creatures which share the property. Their sustainability practices integrate a flock of sheep that clean the vineyards, remove the excess canopy, and reduce the need for chemicals, while providing natural fertilizer. “Sustainability wasn’t some philosophical concept;" says Clay, "it is the way we live our lives.”
All of October is dedicated to Shannon Ridge! This is review #4 of 8, and you can read all of the reviews I've done so far by clicking here.
Vigilance wines are crafted from fruit harvested on their 250 acre Rolling Knolls Vineyard in the volcanic soils of Red Hills AVA. I have almost no information on the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon, other than it spent twelve months in oak and has an ABV of 13%.
The color of the wine is a deep and dark garnet. Hey, girl... are you a bar of Andes Chocolate Mint? Because you're lookin' fresh and sweet! Seriously though, it smells like an Andes was melted and dumped into the wine. There's also aromas of black cherries, dried tea leaves, cedar, and clay. It's medium bodied with a bit of a watery mouthfeel, high acidity, and sweet tannin. There's flavors of black cherries, plums, dark chocolate, and French vanilla. It finishes with black cherries, French vanilla, and mint.
For a $14 Cabernet it's good. My go-to suggestions for Cab at that price (that I carry at work) are Broadside and Matchbook; Broadside being a big and burly tannin bomb and Matchbook being a text-book Cabernet done right. This is a lighter, tarter Cabernet, and I will keep it in my arsenal for suggestions when it's apparent through conversation that they're looking for something like that. Because there's a bunch of them out there that are garbage, and this one is not one of them.
QUALITY VS PRICE RATING
Price: $14
Rating: 3/5 = Satisfying (what does that mean?)
The bottle used was supplied free of charge by Trio Wine Company for the purpose of this unpaid review. To have your wine reviewed follow this link.
The bottle used was supplied free of charge by Trio Wine Company for the purpose of this unpaid review. To have your wine reviewed follow this link.
0 comments:
Post a Comment