Served this last night for dessert at BacchusBadBoys:
1. Nils Trousseau LateHrvst RRV/SonomaCnty (SaH: 40.0 Brix; RS: 6.0 gm/100 ml; 16.6%; www.SaddlebackCellars.com) SaddlebackCllrs/Oakville 2015: Very dark/black color; slight alcoholic/Port-like intense blackberry/boysenberry/very ripe/grapey slight earthy/rustic/dusty nose; quite sweet intense blackberry/boysenberry/plummy/licorice slight rustic/earthy flavor w/ some ripe tannins; very long/lingering very intense blackberry/boysenberry/black cherry liquer/licorice/ripe slight earthy/rustic/stony very sweet finish w/ soft ripe tannins; should go out another 6-10 yrs before the late hrvst character starts to compromise it; lots of ripeness but not overripe/raisened/pruney & carries the high alcohol pretty well; pretty much a dead-ringer for for a good Banyuls Grenache LateHrvst; this is how they'd make great Trousseau Aperitif wine in the Jura if they could. $48.00/500 ml
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. I was pretty impressed w/ this dessert wine. Very much like great Banyuls.
Nils, of course, is NilsVenge, owner/winemaker at Saddleback. Lars Bjorkman is his main winemaker at Saddleback.
Lars at Saddleback has access to a lot of interesting grapes from the Gallo vnyds over in Sonoma. Great grapes that Gallo doesn't know what to do with unless they make mega-case level of production. He has a Nebbiolo under his&Molly's own Grow label that was recently bttld and, from barrel, was outstanding.
Tom