Christopher Tynan L‘enclume De Velour Red Blend North Coast California MV

When one mentions a multi-vintage red wine from California, many would either be wildly perplexed or wildly mistaken when jumping to the conclusion that it is a wine of lesser quality. Why is that?! Some of the best wines in the world (and most expensive) are based on the practice of using a blend of different vintages to create their cuvée. The majority of Grand Cru and "Prestige" bottlings of Champagne are often a blend of two or more different vintages and are the impetus of creating a house style. The solera system used in Sherry production is built on the idea that the progressive aging of many different batches and blends of wine results in a product of infinitely greater complexity than what any single one could offer, as is the same in the production of aged Tawny Port which includes many different vintages in the final lote (batch). So why is this not more widely accepted for still red or white wines? The problem is one largely based on this perception: Real wine, we have often been told, the "good stuff", is the result of a single vintage and is an expression of that year's climatic conditions, for better or for worse. And while no real wine lover would likely argue the merits of single-vintage wine, as the vast majority are, they do not represent the only option. 

Some time ago most wines in the Old World did not carry a vintage on their label at all. A vintage wine connotated something of special value and was only given in exceptional years (as in Champagne or Port). That has changed over the last century however, as most wines now have a vintage date regardless of whether it was a good or bad year or is a good or bad wine. Today, one can buy a bottle of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon coming 100% from a single vintage for less than $5. So, the notion that only single vintage wines produce wines of high quality should no longer be accepted. In fact, one of the most significant tools a winemaker has is the art of blending. They blend different varieties, different clones, different grapes from different vineyards, different blocks from within the same vineyard, wines that have been fermented in stainless steel with those fermented in oak, wines that have been aged in oak that have different toast levels or come from different cooperages, and so on. The list is infinite, including different vintages. And this art of blending is steeped in the theory of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. Over the last few decades there have been a handful of winemakers that have championed multi-vintage blends including Xavier Ausás with Vega Sicilia's Reserva Especial bottling (which sells upwards of $600-$700 per bottle), Valdivieso's Caballo Loco (one of Chile's top wines produced), and Chris Howell's Cain Cuvee coming from Spring Mountain in the Napa Valley. 

The latest and greatest such bottling is coming from another one of Napa Valley's incredibly gifted and unabashedly fearless winemakers, Christopher Tynan. A little over two years ago we had the insane privilege of offering out a deliciously crazy red blend at an even crazier low price from this 100-point winemaker called "Le Sucrier Velours" or The Velvet Sugar Bowl. We included it in the Under the Radar Club and before most people even had a chance to receive their shipment and finish a bottle, the wine was sold out ~ in a flash! The wine was AWESOME!!! Those in the know were quick enough to get in on this wine from the very first day and ever since that day two years ago we have had to get used to telling people that this wine was sadly forever gone. We still get requests for it! Today, we no longer must be the bearer of bad news. 

Christopher Tynan is back with another wacky and ridiculously delicious, new red blend called "L'enclume De Velour", en anglais ~ The Velvet Anvil. Christopher Tynan, former Assistant Winemaker at Colgin, and current Winemaker at Cliff Lede, and ever the perfectionist, had a leftover barrel of Cabernet from each of the `17, `18, and `19 vintages and a barrel of Syrah from the same vintages that did not quite fit into their own single vintage bottlings. Rather than bulk away wine that was SO GOOD, Chris tinkered with a cuvée of these multiple vintages, taking inspiration from the superior non-vintage wines of the 1970s made by Joe Heitz and Philip Togni. Once again, the result was nothing short of brilliant. 

This new blend is 55% Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon from Chris' Meleagris Gallopavo Vineyard (a secret vineyard in St. Helena's western hillsides planted to Cabernet in the 1970s, preserved like a time capsule). From that, he makes a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon bottling called Meleagris Gallopavo, Latin for "wild turkey", named for the fowl who keep the site plush with biodiversity. That wine sells for a cool $350 per bottle. The remaining blend is 45% Sonoma County Syrah coming from the Judge Vineyard in temperate Bennett Valley. That single vineyard Syrah continues to be one of the most revered Syrah's in Sonoma, and its smoky, juicy profile is stunning at $75 per bottle. The result of this multi-vintage blend of Cabernet and Syrah is a richly layered, incredibly complex red wine with velvety tannins, lush dark fruit, and an endless finish. And the fact that this is only $45/btl is, well, BANANAS!!!