Oonapais, Sonoma Mountain Red by Benziger Family Winery

Sometimes when I talk to my friends about wine, they confess that they have some hesitation about trying a higher price point wine. The fear, uncertainty and doubt creeps in. “What if I buy an expensive bottle and I don’t like it.” “I don’t know what I’m doing in here.” “If I ask the owner, he’ll take me for a ride.” “What if I find out that this was the worst vintage in the history of Bordeaux?”

Buying wine is not about impressing the staff, showing off how much you know or throwing big chunks of money around because you got tired of lighting cigars with it. No, it’s about learning about you. What do you like, what don’t you like. How do you perceive the wine.

Start out with an on-line wine course that you can do in your own home. You will be instructed what style to buy, what price point to pick and how to do the tasting. The course we did instructed us to purchase wines in a good price point and what to look for so we would have a positive experience.

If you are ready to try a wine in a $50.00 price point, here is a sure bet.

As you know by now, we are big fans of Benziger Family Winery. If you are skittish about trying a luxury wine, I would suggest you try Oonapais. This is a big red wine that will appeal to just about anyone with a pulse.

Oonapais is estate grown and bottled from the Sonoma Mountain subappellation . This tiny region is on the western edge of the Sonoma Valley AVA. It has poor, rocky soil, gets lots of sun and cool temperatures at night. This is perfect for growing top notch grapes. Sonoma Mountain is home of Benziger’s flagship wines; Tribute, Joaquin’s Inferno Zinfandel and Oonapais.

Oonapais is a good introduction to high end wine. It is smooth, balanced, complex and just plain good. If you are comfortable at this price point, you will recognize the value. Buy this bottle to drink today or buy a case and lay it down for a decade.

Oonapais
Benziger Family Winery
Sonoma Mountain Red
Vintage: 2005
Blend: 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 11% Petit Verdot, 4% Cabernet Franc
Alcohol: 14.5%
Total Acidity: 0.68
pH 3.82
Retail Price: $50.00

Color: Purple
Intensity: Dark
Aromas: Jam, raisin, current, mint, black pepper, smoked meat, chocolate
Flavors: Strawberry, blackberry, cherry, plum, current, mint, earth, struck flint, anise, black pepper, cedar, chocolate.
Body: Full
Acidity: Moderate
Sweetness: Off-dry
Tannins: Silky
Finish: Long

Summary:
This is a very well crafted wine, well balanced and expressive. The tannins are silky smooth. Think of this wine as you would think of Barbara Stanwick in the Big Valley. Bright, intelligent, balanced, strong yet soft and very classy. You have great fruit notes, earth, spice, cedar, chocolate, everything you want in a Cab blend. But the key here is Barbara Stanwick, classy and a pleasure to be with.

Serve with Yankee pot roast, Moroccan, Lamb, Red Deer Wellington, or game.



Dear Diary,

I sit here tonight listening to blues guitar, eating roasted chicken and working on that bottle of Lamoreaux Landing Chardonnay I opened over the weekend. I’m writing about Sonoma and Benziger, living the dream. It’s time I gave these poor presbyopic eyes a break and go to bed. I got my day job in the morning. Maybe I’ll get to that posting for the Super Tuscan I cracked open the other night while I was redesigning the blog’s layout.

Biodynamic Vineyards

There seems to be a movement toward Biodynamic practices in many vineyards. This is a sustainable system that works with the life forces of materials and plants to create a system that is healthy, profitable and high quality without the use of chemicals or destructive practices. But Biodynamics goes beyond the concept of not using chemicals. It is a holistic approach that requires growers to pay close attention to the forces of nature in the vineyard.

The Biodynamic system combines the life force, the cycles of nature, preparations of organic teas and sprays, the nutrient system (consisting of composts and native yeasts and bacteria), the self regulating systems (use of diversified habitat of plants, animals and micro-organisms), traditional farming and stewardship of the land.

We learned about Benziger Family Winery and their Biodynamic practices before our recent trip to Sonoma placed them on our “must visit” list. It would be noble of us take the position that we should buy their wines because of their sustainable practices. The plain truth is that they make some very wonderful wines. It should be noted that Bonny Doon Vineyard also is a Biodynamic producer.

The Biodynamic principles may seem strange to some. As for me, I was trained in the science that created the atomic bomb and does not acknowledge the spirituality of man simply because they are not smart enough to look for one. I have learned in life that my body does better with a holistic approach than it does with drugs. I can reason that this is true for grape vines as well.



If you wish to learn more, visit www.benziger.com/tribute or http://www.biodynamics.com/