2004
Eno Zinfandel "The Patriarch " - Teldeschi Vnyd, Dry
Creek Valley. $25
Medium ruby garnet color. Old vine Zin has such a beautiful tell-tale nose -- it's kind of brambly and viney in aroma, and this one just smacks of dark berry! Ultra-smooth in mouthfeel, with a nice touch of grip on the long finish from the small % of Petite Sirah. Picks up a little heat as well, but considering the alcohol level, this wine wears it well. Delicious now, and some age will only improve it. 16.3%
alcohol. Production:
70 cases.
2004
Eno Grenache "The Wild One " - Eaglepoint Ranch, Mendocino County. $25
Medium ruby garnet color. Nice floral-scented raspberry fruit. Initially, seems easy on the palate - almost more of a quaffer, but the fruit really kicks in at mid-palate and keeps pumping through the very long delicious finish. Fabulous Grenache! Production:
50 cases.
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2004
Eno Pinot Noir "The Gifted One" - Fairview Road Ranch,
Santa Lucia Highlands. $35
Dark ruby color. Fascinating herb-influenced nose of bing cherry and raspberry, along with a touch of cola spice. (There's almost a sense of whole cluster fermentation - though I'm not sure if this was done.) Ripe and full on the palate, with juicy acidity,
lots of dark fruit, and a nice balance of fruit and acid throughout. 15.5%
alcohol. Production:
70 cases.
2004
Eno Syrah "The Matriarch " - Las Madres Vnyd, Carneros.
$35
Dark ruby color. Lush and plush in both nose and mouth, with an abundance of blackberry fruit, with light notes of tarry licorice, pepper and a touch of herb. Smooth and rich -- almost like blackberry compote, there is amazing balance to this wine, with a nice chewy mouthfeel and long smooth finish. Production:
70 cases. |
Behind
the Label |
Eno
wines' proprietor and winemaker Sasha Verhage has been making
small batches of wine since 1999. Sasha has also taken a number of winemaking
and viticulture courses at UC Davis, and has traveled to Italy,
Australia, and many California wineries to research winemaking
techniques. His amateur wines have been
medal finishers at a multitude of Fairs and competitions,
and for the past few years has pursued his winemaking as a hobby/avocation, since he held down a full time job in another industry. Well, not any more - Sasha is now full time at his Eno wines. Eno is making high
quality wines from established vineyards, or those that Sasha feels has great
potential. The wine making techniques are based on minimal
intervention, and bottled unfined and unfiltered.
Vineyard
Sources:
Ray Teldeschi's meticulous vineyard is nestled in the heart
of Dry Creek Valley. His head pruned vines date back over
115 years ago. Old vine field selections were taken to plant
a new selection. UC Davis recognized this vineyard by archiving
in ZAP's Heritage Zinfandel project. This vineyard has sourced
fruit for many well-known wineries , such as Ridge, Ravenswood,
and Carlisle.
Fairview
Road Ranch
is sited in between two of the best vineyards in the Santa
Lucia Highlands: Garys' and Rosella's, with about 8 acres
of Pinot and 6 acres of Syrah. The two-thirds 667 clone and
the spice and complexity come from the one-third Pommard 4.
Eaglepoint Ranch has some of the best grapes in Mendocino
County, and sells to premier producers such as Rosenblum,
Copain, Sean Thackery, and Edmunds St. John. Meticulously
farmed by Casey Hartlip, it remains a bastion of Rhone varieties.
Las Madres vineyard was named after the growers respective
mothers - Ester and Hulda. This cold-climate Syrah is equal
parts clone 174 and 300 with 2% co-fermented Viognier.
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