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Wine Recommendation
Basel Cellars Estate Winery
2004 Claret(Columbia Valley)
Winemaker Trey Busch now bottles his fruit-laden Claret in screwcap, hoping that consumers will appreciate the advantages of the taint-proof seal. “If I was confident that consumers would buy screwcap,” he admits, “I would do more.”
Tasted just after it was released, this bend of 46 percent Merlot, 27 percent Syrah, 25 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and two percent Cab Franc opens with sharp, spicy flavors of bright raspberry and strawberry fruit. The Claret is made from the press juice from the vintage, and has a bit of a sharp edge accordingly. But it compensates with lively, assertive, tangy fruit and floral aromatics.
As for the screwcap, Busch believes that “it tells people you can take this home and drink it.” Indeed this is a very approachable red blend with plenty of fruit, but it’s not simple or soft. A substantial, well-defined wine that throws off a bit of heat but seems sure to smooth out over the next year or so. It’s helpful to decant young, edgy wines such as this, and serve them with food that has some heat of its own, such as Southwest barbecue or Tex-Mex. (1425 cases produced)
Reviewed January 31, 2007 by Paul Gregutt.
Other reviewed wines from Basel Cellars Estate Winery
The Wine
Winery: Basel Cellars Estate Winery |
The Reviewer
Paul Gregutt
Paul Gregutt values these things in wine above all: typicity, specificity, clarity, elegance, polish, depth and balance. He recognizes that there are genuine flaws in some wines, and it is important to know and identify them. Wines that are too ripe, too oaky or alcoholic to the point where nuance and detail are obliterated are not going to win his praise. Price is a factor in his evaluation of any wine; a good $8 wine is much harder to make than a good $80 wine. |