Quick Sip: DuNah Vineyards 2006 Montre Red
Hello Friends,
Today’s ‘Quick Sip’ is the DuNah Vineyards 2006 Montre Mendocino Red Wine (SRP $35). I had an opportunity to taste this wine last Tuesday for Cellars of Sonoma #TVTuesdayLive virtual wine show. Cellars of Sonoma host and co-owner, Scott Jordan, welcomed Rick DuNah, proprietor of DuNah Vineyards and Winery and winemaker Greg La Follette to the show. DuNah Vineyards and Winery is a small Sonoma (Russian River Valley) producer that specializes in small-batch, limited production wines. Many of you probably know Greg La Follette from De Loach and Flowers. He has a knack for crafting small lots of well-balanced, cool-climate [California] Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines that have good age-ability.
DuNah Vineyards 2006 Montre
The 2006 Montre is a blend of Syrah, Sangiovese, to a lesser degree Carignane, and a splash of Gewürztraminer (for civility says the winemaker). The wine is barrel-aged for 2 to 3 years and all components have really integrated nicely. The barrel influence appears to have done more for the wine's texture than imparting any oak components into the wine. In the glass, the wine displays a brick red color with a somewhat watery edge. It’s nicely nuanced, well-integrated, and harmonious with a core of red fruit flavors, (subtle) floral perfume notes, light cedar touches, underlying purple tones, and mineral components over a medium-weight frame with silky tannins and a (very) good acid backbone ending in a pleasant medium-length savory finish.
Don't be turned off by sediment!
As of last Tuesday, Rick DuNah said this wine was not released yet. The Cellars of Sonoma tasting room is still pouring the 2005 vintage. Overall, this wine is accessible and resembles some of the cool-climate, long-lived wines Greg is known for. This wine will already have some age on it by the time it’s released. It’s ready to enjoy now but is also a good candidate for extended cellaring to see how it evolves over time. Due to the wine's limited production, the Cellars of Sonoma and DunNah Vineyard's websites are probably the best places to find it (when it’s available for purchase).
In closing (see cork pic above), unless you’ve seen this before, sediment can totally turn some people off. If you happen to see any sediment at the bottom of the bottle, around its neck, or on the inner end of the cork --- it’s okay! There’s sediment and tartrate crystals (aka wine diamonds) on the end of this cork. This just tells me that the wine is likely unfiltered, unfined, and has a little bottle age on it. It is probably an indication of an overall minimalist approach to winemaking too. These are all things I’m good with and actually prefer. So, don’t be scared of the purple sludge! Pour carefully, wipe it off, and keep on sipping. Cheers!
Click here to visit the DuNah Vineyards and Winery website.
Cellars of Sonoma Tasting Room
About Cellars of Sonoma: Cellars of Sonoma is a wine bar and tasting room located in the heart of Santa Rosa’s Railroad Square. They specialize in featuring select, hand-picked wines from small production Sonoma producers (with very few exceptions). Co-owner Scott Jordan and staff, host an entertaining live streaming broadcast every Tuesday at 9PM EST. The broadcast showcases some of the small artisan boutique producers whose wines are poured and sold in the shop. The show also features local chefs and people in the hospitality business. I recommend tuning in if you have the time. Click here to visit the site for the show and save it in your favorites. The Twitter hash-tag for the live broadcast is #TVTuesdayLive. Cheers!
My backyard feathered friend: The Northern Cardinal
Have a question about this post? Feel free to drop me an e-mail at myvinespot@yahoo.com or hit me up on Facebook or Twitter. Stay tuned ...more to come. Happy Sipping, my friends! Disclosure: This wines was received as a media sample for an event. Thoughts are my own.
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