2011 Anderson's Conn Valley Vineyards Right Bank

Happy Sunday!  I know with the long holiday weekend, everyone probably has some plans for gathering with friends and family and honoring those who have served and sacrificed in the military.  My Memorial Day weekend usually involved going home and planting flowers on my parents' and grandparents' graves and then trying to relax a bit, which is what I am doing today.  And what better way to relax than with a nice bottle of wine.  Tonight's wine is a bit of a departure for a Napa Valley wine, in that it's not a Cabernet, but rather an homage to the classic Right Bank Bordeaux, which typically rely more heavily on Merlot in blending.  The 2011 Anderson's Conn Valley Vineyards Right Bank is a blend of Merlot (78%) and Cabernet Franc (22%), so this one is comparable to a Saint-Emilion.  So let's see how this one tastes!

The wine is a deep ruby color in the glass with mild opacity.  The nose is a wonderful combination of green herbs, ripe red raspberry and currant, black licorice and a bit of rose petal, very similar to a nice right bank Bordeaux.  The taste is quite nice, with a nice bit of red fruit up front, raspberry, cherry and currant that transitions nicely to some wonderful mineral notes over some hints of tobacco midpalate.  The finish is elegant and subdued as the tannins are very well integrated such that the flavors just linger on the palate like a fine Bordeaux.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, it's certainly a great effort from a cool vintage that's just a pleasure to drink!  Of course, I have no idea where I got this bottle, it was just sitting in the wine rack, so I'll have to be thankful for such pleasant treasure finds!  This wine would be ideal with a variety of dishes, but as usually, I am enjoying this with a nice steak, in fact a big honkin' porterhouse grilled rare along with some nice grilled asparagus that just came in from Michigan.  Cheers!