2007 Venge Scout's Honor

A wine that I love, and a super bargain, is their 2007 Scout’s Honor. A blend of Zinfandel and Petite Sirah, with a small amount of Charbono thrown in, this is one heck of a seductive wine that continues to be the kind of wine you wish more California wineries would make. This might be the best Scout’s Honor cuvee that Nils Venge has yet produced. Deep bluish/plum/purple, with an explosively aromatic nose of sweet roasted herbs and black and red cherries intermixed with blackberry, licorice, pepper, and floral notes, this wine has loads of fruit, an opulent, voluptuous mouthfeel, superb purity and texture, and a full-bodied finish. It is irresistible already, and promises to drink well for at least 6-7 years, assuming you can resist it. The long-time brilliant winemaker Nils Venge, now working with his son Kirk, has fashioned four impressive wines. Few people have as impressive a record of ageworthy, world-class Cabernet Sauvignons as does Nils Venge. I only have to go back to the first California wine I ever gave 100 points to, his 1985 Groth Reserve. (He made it as part of a staggering lineup of wines that he produced from the Villa Mt. Eden vineyard – now Plumpjack.) He has long had a Midas touch with this varietal, and it is certainly on display with these two vintages of his flagship wine, the Family Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. Tel. (707) 942-9100; fax (707) 942-9121