Parducci Winery has been producing wines since the end of Prohibition, and their longevity is a testament to the quality of their products.
The Parducci theory of making wine is simple enough - make wines from grapes grown in different sections of their vineyards, in very small batches, and then blend them after fermentation and aging to produce elegant wines.
For want of a better name, Parducci calls these wines their "Small Lot Blend," and we just had an opportunity to sample their latest releases.
Parducci 2011 Mendocino Small Lot Blend Pinot Noir ($14)We will start with the pinot noir, mainly because we love the variety and it gives us an opportunity to vent our spleen when we encounter some of the inferior examples. This, however, isn't one of them.
Our experience with the variety began when we obtained a few bottles of the 1964 Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses. 1964 was an incredible year for burgundy - even the lesser wines of the district were nothing short of terrific. This wine became our touchstone, the pinot noir that we judge all others by.
The Parducci 2011 Mendocino Small Lot Blend Pinot Noir is one of the few wines that have come close to our touchstone.
The wine has an inky maroon color and a good body, a rarity among many current examples of the variety. The aroma is big and fruity, featuring raspberry, strawberry with a hint of cranberry and the unmistakable aroma of cedar. It is this core aroma, which also carries over to the flavor, that is the mark of an outstanding wine. The finish is long and complex, displaying berry fruit and that inescapable cedar.
We consider this wine to be a special treat and have several bottles put away for those equally special occasions.
Parducci 2011 Mendocino Small Lot Blend Cabernet Sauvignon ($14) The Parducci 2011 Mendocino Small Lot Blend Cabernet Sauvignon is a true California wine, stressing fruit flavors over the usually austere and stiff character of the variety.
The color is deep and dark, and the aroma showcases currant, plum and vanilla. These carry over to the flavor, where they mingle with a raspberry element, the very discernible flavor of chocolate and just a hint of oak. This wine has a wonderful softness about it and reflects many of the flavor and aromas that are found only in well-aged wines.
Rather than being relegated to be served only with the heaviest of meat dishes, this wine's expansive flavor spectrum allows it to be used with a much broader selection of meat and cheese dishes, as well as any pasta dish that comes with Italian-style tomato sauce.
Parducci 2011 Mendocino Small Lot Blend Merlot ($13)This wine raises the often uninspiring merlot to new levels of excellence. The variety has fallen from favor with the wine-drinking public because the wines rarely offer all of the true attributes a merlot is capable of displaying.
The Parducci 2011 Mendocino Small Lot Blend Merlot is a return to the style that originally made merlot wines so popular.
The aroma showcases cherries and allspice with fresh herbs, cedar and oak in the background. The flavor incorporates the same elements that are found in the aroma and are in perfect balance with the fruit acid and soft tannin. The finish is equally as impressive, as the aroma and flavor feature a host of summer berry flavors in abundance.
This very soft and enjoyable wine can elegantly grace any dinner table. If you are a true lover of merlot wines, this is definitely the wine for you. We believe that this wine is a great example of what all American merlots should be like.
Nixa resident Bennet Bodenstein is a wine columnist and helps manage ArticlesOnWine.com with his wife, Sheila. He can be reached at frojhe@suddenlink.net.[[In-content Ad]]
