2019 Cotes du Cruz Rouge

El Dorado

Tasting Notes

Mica’s newest vintage of his favorite Syrah based blend is a boastful wine with lots of fresh raspberry and light black tea characteristics. You’ll find aromas of bright fruit including cherry, cranberry, and back notes of cocoa. It is medium bodied, with velvety smooth tannins, and perfect to drink any time.

Updated Tasting Notes, June 2022: Another year has made this wine really ready to drink! The fruit notes have evolved to be a bit more subtle while the spice notes have come forward in the profile giving the wine a dark cherry cinnamon pie or chocolate covered blueberry flavor. This wine is still velvety smooth and perfect for a glass on its own, paired with a cheese and charcuterie board, or with dinner!

Winemaking Notes

We produced this wine as a cofermented Rhône-style field blend of Syrah, Mourvèdre and Grenache. We picked all three grape varieties at the same time, and each was at a slightly different level of ripeness, which lent greater complexity to the finishes wine. The Syrah was perfectly ripe while the Grenache was slightly overripe, creating the subtle sweet mouthfeel of the finished wine. The Mourvèdre was slightly underripe, lending the acidity level we were looking for to balance the wine.

Food Pairing

The bright fruit and mellow tannins beg to be paired with a sweeter meat such as pork, or duck. A black tea and spice rubbed pork loin with berry chutney would really showcase this wine. Beef Bourguignon is another great choice for pairing.

Aging

Aged in a mix of 100% new, heavy toast French and American Oak for 18 months.  

Accolades

92 Points, Wine Enthusiast

Silver Medal, Orange County Fair Commercial Wine Competition 2022

Wine Specs

40% Syrah, 40% Mourvèdre, and 20% Grenache.

263 cases produced