2009 Dancing Hares Red

The 2009 Dancing Hares is a blend of 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Cabernet Franc, 20% Merlot and 7% Petit Verdot that spent 22 months in 90% new French oak. It exhibits a dark ruby/purple color, supple, sensual tannins and notes of incense, red and black currants, licorice, and hints of wet pebbles as well as baking spices. This attractive, medium to full-bodied red suggests a hypothetical blend of a top Bordeaux with the fruit intensity and purity of a high end Napa proprietary red. This beauty can be enjoyed now and over the next 15 years. This small five-acre property is owned by Paula Brooks and Bob Cook, who have spared no expense on either the wines or their consultants, bringing in Andy Erickson and Michel Rolland. Obviously the production is small. I did not taste the Mad Hatter cuvee, which I assume is a second wine. Tel. (707) 967-8296

(60% cabernet sauvignon, 20% merlot, 14% cabernet franc and 6% petit verdot; from a very warm site rich in decomposed shale on the upper fork of Crystal Springs Road at the foot of Howell Mountain): Aromas of redcurrant and licorice. Sappy, slightly medicinal flavors of black cherry and licorice accented by fresh herbs. The building dusty tannins avoid going dry. "In a hot year this site gets very hot," noted winemaker Andy Erickson, "but 2010 and 2009 were cooler vintages."

These are two super-impressive wines from Dancing Hares. Andy Erickson is the winemaker and Michel Rolland consults on the blend. David Abreu manages five acres of vineyards at the base of Howell Mountain. The 2009 Dancing Hares comes across as silky, perfumed and impeccably elegant. It shows a bit more finesse and textural richness than the 2008 I tasted alongside it. Sweet spices, mocha and new leather are some of the notes that wrap around the finish. This gorgeous, generous wine is simply brilliant. The 2009 is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 13.5% Cabernet Franc and 6.5% Petit Verdot.