Tag: Lodi

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Merlot by Acheson Wine Company, Sacramento CA

Tonight’s Occasion: Merlot by Acheson Wine Company, Sacramento CA

Do you have those moments when you can’t help but wonder, how did we get here? How did wine become such a complicated affair? Why do we always invariably gravitate towards overbearing, obsessive, hyperbole? This wine makes me want to set it all down and just be content with what is. If there is such a thing as “Plenty Good Enough”, this would be it.

Slightly ripe dark plums and dark cherries. Touch of crisp refined caramel. Faint hints of sweet minty eucalyptus. Rocky, dust dirt.

Rich clear blood red color. Soft gentle body. Balanced. Rich, restrained ripe dark plum. Fully integrated suspended tannins add weight, viscosity and body. Through each sip, they slowly coat the palate and lips with a thin, firm, lingering, dry grippy layer. Warm spice emerges and lingers long after the finish. Hints of bitter leather linger in the distant background, complementing the fruit and caramel quite nicely. As it opens up that minty eucalyptus and slightly bitter turns into a subtle root beer.

Why obsess over what this bottle/vintage would look like someday. Just let go, pop the cap and enjoy an honest to goodness, well made Merlot. When you’re done, head back down to tasting room for a refill. The time to live is now…

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2019 Cabernet Sauvignon by Acheson Wine Company, Sacramento CA

Tonight’s Occasion: 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon (Overlord) by Acheson Wine Company, Lodi Apellation, CA

Full bright berry nose with lots of Ripe plum and cherries. Wet oak wood and subtle fine dusty terroir.

Body is soft, mild, restrained. Not as fruit forward as the nose would suggest. Subtle dark plums, and cherries and a noticeable, and pleasant crisp refined caramel reminiscent of neutral French oak. A very subtle bitter cola permeates the experience. Thin crisp tannins round out the affair.

This is a great refreshing chillable red. Simple, clean, crisp without being overly abstract. A pleaser of a wine that should appeal to a broad spectrum of palate. One of the latest and welcomed additions to the local wine scene here in Sacramento, I think Acheson is onto something. Serving well made wine exclusively on tap, via refillable 1 litre growlers/pop-cap bottles is just one of the many ways they are challenging the norms, rethinking convention, driving sustainability, reducing their carbon footprint from vineyard to table and keeping their wines accessible.

I was very much intrigued during my recent visit and will be exploring more of this emerging trend. Nicely done Acheson!

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2018 Empathy Red by Empathy Wines

Tonight’s occasion: 2018 Empathy Red by Empathy Wines of the most notable Gary Vaynerchuck.

Dark rich color. Full fruit forward nose with a lot of intense aromas. Intense berry, mild plum, draped over moderate oak and slightly mineral leather. Swirl and the leather momentarily releases an essence of wet forest floor.

Big jammy fruit forward body mirrors the nose. Dominated by berry and hint of plum. Minerality is more pronounced. You have to search for it but, hint of licorice takes the place of the wood. A black currant emerges towards the back. Just before a healthy dose of tannin begins the transition into a very spicy lasting finish.

At 14.9% ABV, this wine embodies the big fruity California red. It benefits from and represents diverse regions through fairly delineated characteristics. It is still young and could benefit from some aging. I will let the rest of the case age for another 4-5 years to let the fruit break down into simpler sugars and allow the other layers to fully develop. I think it will only get more interesting.
Great job on this multi region blend. I look forward to following it’s progression.🍷😘👌🏽