Nov. 11 is officially declared Veterans Day, a time when the entire nation honors the men and women who have given up years of their lives to protect and defend this nation.
C. Mondavi & Family has produced a wine aptly named Purple Heart, which honors the defenders of this country who have been wounded in action. It would be one thing to slap a patriotic label on a bottle of wine just to attract buyers and rake in the profits. The Mondavi family, however, makes a donation to the Purple Heart Foundation, an organization devoted to the needs and care of our wounded veterans annually. Also, the wine was made by a Vietnam veteran, Ray Coursen.
I’ve also selected two beverages under the Liberty School Wines and The Federalist Wines labels.
Purple Heart 2014 Napa Valley Red Wine ($20)
This beverage is a blend of four of the most popular red wine varieties, comprising 84 percent merlot, 7 percent cabernet sauvignon, 6 percent cabernet franc and 3 percent petit verdot. Typical of a Napa Valley wine, it displays a deep, almost opaque ruby color and the aroma of mulberries, plums and blackberries backed up by a noticeable under flavor of licorice. The flavor accentuates red and black fruits with cranberry and pomegranate being the most obvious. These flavors continue through to the full-flavored finish where they remain in the mouth for a long time - and even longer in the memory.
Liberty School 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon ($16)
The grapes for this wine were chosen from select vineyards in Paso Robles, California, and reflect the full fruit flavor for which the region is famous. This wine is not only a beautiful California cabernet sauvignon but also a contradiction of itself. While it does glorify the typical cab sav flavor of cranberries and blackberries, it does so by presenting these flavors in expansive amounts. This wine can best be called jammy because of the incredible display of its flavors. There is also enough tannin in this wine to assure its continued improvement over the next decade. The Liberty School 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon can accompany any traditional meat dishes normally reserved for the variety, but it also will fit with beef dishes prepared with spicy sauces at backyard barbecues.
Federalist 2014 Russian River Valley Chardonnay ($25)
The Russian River district is known for some of the finest chardonnay wines coming out of California. The Federalist 2014 Russian River Valley Chardonnay is a refreshing new take on an old standard. This wine presents an obvious full-fruit aroma stressing lemon, pineapple, pear and springtime flowers. These aromas carry over to the flavor where they mingle with tropical fruit, cinnamon and green apple. There is also a spicy, toasty under flavor that has just a slight hint of oak and vanilla. Here too the finish is incredibly long and fruity. It sets new standards for chardonnay wines that have become rather boring in the past few years.
Nixa resident Bennet Bodenstein is a wine columnist and manages ArticlesOnWine.com. He can be reached at ben@articlesonwine.com.
