2010 Cenyth Red

In 2010, Red Wine Sonoma County is Merlot-based, so the wine is quite different from the other vintages that have been made so far. Plump, juicy and open, the 2010 comes across as a bit simple and forward. Mocha, black cherries, plums, smoke and cloves flesh out on the finish. The 2010 is attractive today, but it's hard to see too much upside from cellaring based on the wine's mid-weight structure. The 2010 is 54% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Franc and 12% Cabernet Sauvignon.

The 2010 Cenyth is composed of 54% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Franc and 12% Cabernet Sauvignon. The alcohol is 13.4% and the fruit was sourced from the same vineyards. Very Bordeaux-like (no doubt due to the lower alcohol profile), it offers up notes of red and black currants, cedarwood, spice box, vanillin, licorice, underbrush and unsmoked cigar tobacco. The wine reveals fine-grained tannins and beautiful density and richness. Compared to the 2009, which is a Medoc-like blend, the 2010 is more of a right bank St.-Emilion-styled wine. (Not yet released) Cenyth is a new project from the Jackson Family’s small vineyard estates with the highly respected Bordelais winemaker Pierre Seillan, assisted by his daughter Helene, making the wines from Sonoma County vineyards owned by the Jackson Family. All four of these vintages revealed considerable potential. The general sources for these wines vary from year to year, but usually one-fourth to nearly 50% of the fruit comes from Chalk Hill, 22% to 38% from the Alexander Valley Estate, and the balance from Knights Valley and Bennett Valley. Tel. (855) 800-0673