Blackstone – 142
Wednesday, August 17th, 2005
Blackstone Winery is one that is prevalent in grocery stores — at least their black label has been oft-seen by yours truly. Because of it, I was not necessarily looking forward to the visit, thinking I would be subjected to sub-standard grocery store plonk. However, there is a significantly larger production going on with a different label: Gold instead of Black.
While the winery produces the standards; Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, etc., I made a point of requesting tastings on those varietals not often seen in California tasting rooms. Looking back over my notes, the overwhelming factor that kept appearing is the "like factor" in that the Riesling was like a Sauvignon Blanc, the Viognier was like a Chardonnay, and the Dolcetto was like a Sangiovese. And I only tasted a small sampling of the wines which made me wonder how many of them were like other wines…
2003 Riesling, Cole Ranch, Mendocino County – Bone dry, supremely clean and crisp with a rich, citrus entry and more like a Sauvignon Blanc in its heightened acidity. $16.00
2002 Viognier, Russian River Valley – Mostly lemon up front in the nose but then showing some more integrated green fig aromas. Tangy entry, mineral mid-palate, and strident, stripped finish. $26.00
2003 Dolcetto, North Coast – Light in body and akin to a Sangiovese in its thin, cinnamon candy entry. The wine expands to show smoke but has a barely discernable cranberry finish. $18.00
2002 Malbec, Lake County – Inky black red color with a robust, meaty nose. Chewy entrance that dries a bit on the mid-palate. Overall a balanced wine. $18.00
Blackstone Winery ~ 8450 Sonoma Highway ~ Kenwood ~ CA ~ 95452 ~ 707-833-1999