Powerful Syrah-Cabernet blend showcasing fruit grown in Sonoma County and Napa Valley. This wine label is Eleanor's personal design, expressing three of her life’s passions—wine, art, and textiles

Rating

Wine Spectator 93 points (Sep 19 2012) Ripe, layered and structured, with floral scents to the pure dark berry, spice and cedar notes, ending with a measure of elegance and grace amid fine-grained, minerally tannins. This has all the goods in all the right places, borrowing the best from Sonoma (72 percent) and Napa (28 percent). Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink now through 2025. From California.—J.L.

Wine maker notes

Crafted from the outstanding 2009 vintage, the fruit for our debut release was fermented in open-top fermenters and punched down 3-4 times daily. The wine then spent two years in French oak to achieve tannin refinement and integration. The sheer intensity of the fruit coupled with the wine’s density make Eleanor Red an ideal cellar selection that will reward additional aging. Boasting a deep, saturated color and intense bouquet of black cherry, cola, mocha, and vanilla oak, the palate explodes with rich, concentrated flavors of blackberry, boysenberry and cassis layered upon exotic notes of anise and minerals that build and broaden on a long, spicy finish. This wine offers just the right amount of polish and flair to make it a true beauty.

Technical notes

54% Syrah (36% Dry Creek Valley, 18% Rutherford); 46% Cabernet Sauvignon (36% Alexander Valley, 10% Rutherford) ABV 14.5%