We enjoy the same kinds of wines at home as we look for when we travel: small-production wines sourced from interesting sites made by dedicated winemakers. We enjoy supporting small wineries, I guess we’re always rooting for the underdog, but also small-production wines are often the most unique and interesting. Sosie Wines fits into this category nicely and we are happy to share their delightful red blend with you today. We received this wine as a tasting sample.
Sosie Wines proprietors, Regina Bustamante and Scott MacFiggen, are self-described Francophiles. Before they became winemakers they traveled through France extensively. The French way of crafting wines to enjoy with local fare deeply impressed them. They fell in love with the wines of the Loire, the Rhône, Bordeaux and Burgundy. Every vintage they strive to craft an elegant style of wine for your dinner table.
Scott and Regina source grapes from a handful of interesting vineyards in Sonoma County and Napa Valley. Many are farmed organically, some are certified organic by COOF and some are farmed sustainably. All are chosen for their unique sites and several are located at higher elevations.
The uniting character among all of these vineyards is the care with which they are farmed. That care in the vineyard yields grapes that are physiologically balanced and require few to no additions during the winemaking process. Native yeast fermentations are employed.
This red blend is sourced from the Cavedale Vineyard located at 2000 feet in Sonoma’s Moon Mountain District. This is the first wine made by Scott and Regina from this high-elevation site. The mountainside vineyard, which is farmed sustainably, is located above the fog line where Bay breezes are nearly constant. Scott and Regina are clearly taken by the vineyard’s location judging from their description of the site:
Soils are largely fractured basalt and volcanic ash, which produce a gravelly loam. Bordeaux varieties do best here. Cab Sauvignon is hauntingly intense at this elevation. Cab Franc loses its tooty fruity valley floor profile and becomes much more complex. Petit Verdot turns into the kind of pixie dust every vintner seeks.
2017 Sosie Wines Red Blend Cavedale Vineyard, Moon Mountain District Sonoma County — medium ruby in the glass with delicate aromas of blackberries, plums, earth, alfalfa hay and hints of black pepper. Layers of flavors begin with tart blackberries, cherries and plums along with dusty earth, baking spices, black pepper and dried tobacco. Fine, drying, almost gauzy tannins support the complex flavor profile. Aromas of alfalfa hay remain in the empty glass. 14.5% abv. SRP $45. Only 10 barrels made.
The delicate aromas might lead you to expect a simple wine. That is not the case and the longer this wine remains in the glass the more complex the aromas and flavors become. Give this wine time to unwind itself and you will be rewarded with an elegant wine with layers of flavors.
The blend is 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45 Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc. All varieties were harvested on September 12, 2017 and vinified separately. Native yeast fermentation, 7-day cold soak, 36 days on the skins, no amendments. Aged 21 months in 50% new oak. All of this information is right on the label. Nothing to hide in the wine.
Regular readers of our blog will be familiar with the Sosie name. We have reviewed several Sosie wines and every time we have been impressed by their quality, complexity and uniqueness. This red blend is no exception. Check the Sosie Wines website to order.
Thanks to Sosie Wines and Calhoun & Company Communications for this delicious taste.
Cheers!
