ummm, you do realize that sounds like a description of a pretty good St. Emilion or Pomerol Merlot-based wine…
very different from typical California Merlot which tends to be immediately fruity, but flat tasting, flabby in the middle palate, and with a short finish.
I’m just putting the info out there for others to make their decisions. I do like both styles of Merlot, if they are well done and in the right atmosphere or a good pairing. Nothing is worse than a bad Merlot . . . OK, maybe there are worse things . . .
I’m not sticking up for yesterday’s winery by any means, but to be honest, not all people want a “professional” website.
I actually enjoy the more laid back wineries… anything to disassociate myself or the winery being snobby is preferrable.
There is a line that one can cross that it becomes way too laid back too. In my experiences, you will probably never catch me in the Vino Family (too loose) or the Sebastiani Vineyards (too snobby) tasting rooms, but I could spend the better part of a day at the Ravenswood Tasting Room/Estate.
Somehow, having known 3 or 4 generations of Sebastianis, snobby is not a word I associate with any of them. Gus would be rolling over in his grave (in his overalls!).
I didn’t say that the family is snobby, just that the Tasting Room experience was… my wife and I were one of 4 total tasters and the person pouring the wine couldn’t have been more put off by my wife and I. I didn’t get a discount on the tasting nor the wine that I purchased.
Perhaps it was an off day for them or something, but not 30 minutes prior to that tasting, the Ravenswood staff practically treated us as family. Very pleasant tasting experience, involved and informative, and he gave us discounts on the tasting and bottles purchased.
Also, I read this tidbit from a Google search: Long owned and operated by the Sebastiani family (Italian immigrant Samuele Sebastiani bought the vineyard in 1904), the firm was sold in 2008 to Bill Foley, the billionaire founder and chairman of title insurance giant, Fidelity National Financial, who folded it into Foley Family Wines, his growing California wine empire.
I was there just this past spring… perhaps the new ownership has brought a change? Regardless, I will not be going back there if/when I am back in Sonoma.
Maybe it was because you walked in expecting special treatment. Do you expect a restaurant to give you a discount on your meal? Or a store, a discount on your purchase?
I didn’t EXPECT a discount, I would have been happy with a good tasting experience, but I didn’t get that. If Ravenswood had not discounted me, I would still feel the same way about them that I do now. The non-discount was more of a knife-twist to the overall experience.
“Bright red-ruby. Aromas of blackberry, graphite and game, plus a smoky, flinty note winemaker Drash describes as “Black Cat firecracker.” Juicy and mineral-driven, offering an enticing combination of density and clarity. This very sexy wine should give early pleasure but also age well.”