Wellington Fall Case (12)

Friday, November 9, 2012

It’s fall. The leaves are changing colors. The air is getting crisp. The days are getting shorter. And my seasonal affective disorder is about to go full-on sob fest. Batten down the hatches, folks. It’s gonna be a long winter.

Because while everyone’s curled up with a cup of hot cocoa and toasting marshmallows by the fire pit out back, I’ll be inside. In the dark. By myself. With a full case of Wellington wines by my side. It’s just how I cope, OK?

You may see a bottle of Merlot with a nose of deep blackberry, blueberry and cherry aromas. But I see a bottle of freakin’ sunshine.

On the outside this may looks like a Cabernet that is full and supple without being overly sweet or heavy. But let me tell ya, my friends. It goes down as smooth as Xanax sprinkles on an ice cream sundae.

Then there’s The Duke and Syrah. I like to pretend they’re a band that plays the kind of music that makes Emo kids feel sorry for themselves. The first is medium bodied while the latter is rich and plush. If they were a real band, they would have broken up a long time ago citing “creative differences.”

I know this all sounds very melancholy. But there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Two actually. The twins. (That’s what I call them.) The concentrated blackberry fruit aromas of the first Zin take me back to a simpler time. And the notes of chocolate, cinnamon and coffee of the second reminds me that the sun will come up tomorrow. And everything is going to be alright.

2007 Merlot, Sonoma Valley Estate Bottled 750ml 2-Pack

• Alcohol: 14%
• pH: 3.55
• Production: 1070 cases

Addition of small amounts of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc helped bring out the fruit and add mid-palate richness. Wellington is very happy that they were able to bottle a Merlot in 2007 that is equal in quality to the excellent 2004 and 2005 vintages. All of the Merlot grapes came from the Wellington Estate Vineyards. 

2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma County 750ml 2-Pack

• Alcohol: 14%
• pH: 3.41
• Production: 1243 cases

2007 Syrah, England Crest, Sonoma Valley 750ml 2-Pack

• 100% Syrah, clones 1 & 7
• Harvest: Sept. 28 and Oct. 5, 2007
• Average 24.8 brix
• pH: 3.50 at harvest
• 7% of the juice was bled off prior to fermentation
• 10 to 14 day fermentation
• 100% French oak, 7% new
• Bottled unfined & lightly filtered on Aug. 19, 2008
• Alcohol: 14.7%
• pH: 3.70

N/A The Duke 10 750ml 2-Pack

• 41% Zinfandel, 20% Syrah, 10% Carignan, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, 5% Malbec, 4% Petite Sirah, 6% others (Grenache, Cab Franc, Petit Verdot, Pinot Noir)
• Alcohol: 14.0%
• pH: 3.6
• 100% produced and bottled by Wellington Vineyards
• 100% Sonoma County grapes: 93% Sonoma Valley, 26% estate grown
• No cheap California appellation bulk wine here

2007 Zinfandel, Meeks Hilltop Ranch, Sonoma Valley 750ml 2-Pack

• Alcohol 14.9%
• pH 3.66
• Production: 394 cases

2007 Zinfandel, Sonoma Valley 750ml 2-Pack

• Alcohol 14.8%
• pH 3.60
• RS: less than 0.1%
• Vineyards: 38% Meeks, 35% Shumahi, 27% Estate
• Composition: 90% Zinfandel, 7% Durif, 3% Carignan
• Harvest: Sept. 26-Oct. 8
• Production: 1014 cases

Woot