2004 Estancia Meritage

Good Morning Gentle Readers,

We were out of town over Labor Day and came back to some cooked wine courtesy of a brown out or an outright power failure. See if SCE would focus on generating electricity instead of pushing the negawatt agenda using expensive, timber consuming, four color, glossy brochures that show up in the mailbox every three weeks all summer long, well, maybe the grid wouldn't collapse on scorching summer afternoons.

The cork was pushed out a good third of an inch leaving a sticky residue on the neck of the bottle when the baked wine was forced out of the bottle by the pressure of the heat. I mean, it was 95 in the house when we got home. Had to drink it. Now.

Okay, on the TWC scale, it was a great wine. That might be subjective because I was worried it was ruined. Nonetheless, this is an excellent wine and you should be able to find it for $20.00-$40.00, although on the menu of one of TWC's favorite establishments* it is $70.00. If I were Parker, I might part with a 91 or 92.

What? I Can't just say the wine exceeded my expectations? That it was a delight? That I was really sad when it was gone? Fine.

The wine is deep purple, very dry, very much in keeping with what we've come to expect from a California Meritage. Dark ripe black cherries, other black fruit, herbs, with nicely integrated oak. It is a rich Bordeaux-style blend of 61 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 30 percent Merlot and 9 percent Petit Verdot. Drinkable now but could easily be cellared for a few years.

It was just dam good.

As Ever,

TWC

*the one in Dana Point is actually at or near Salt Creek