Let’s face it, this winter has been a rough one for most of us throughout the country and unless you plan on hitting the slopes, you’re probably sick of the snow. Like me though, you probably try to enjoy your time huddled inside with some bottles of red wine. And I couldn’t think of a more appropriate winery for the season than Snowden!
The Snowden ranch lies on the eastern slopes of the Napa Valley overlooking the towns of Rutherford and St. Helena. The property was homesteaded in 1878, and the Snowden family has owned it since 1955. In the 1980s they sold grapes to Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, and in the 1990s grapes from the property went to a number of other vintners, including Silver Oak Wine Cellars, Frank Family Vineyard, David Ramey, Viader, and Caymus Vineyards. Beginning with the 1993 harvest, they began to save and use a portion of each harvest for the production of estate-specific family wines, gradually increasing this amount each year until the late 2000s when they no longer were selling grapes to other vintners.
Third generation family member Diana Snowden Seysses has been winemaker since 2005. During and after studying at UC Davis, she worked at wineries in both California and France, including Araujo Estate and Domaine Leflaive. In 2003, she became oenologist at Domaine Dujac where her husband Jeremy is winemaker and co-proprietor. With her hands, mind and soul in both the Old World and New, it came as no surprise that I found the 2010 Snowden Merlot to display aspects to both.
Upon opening the bottle, the wine revealed classic Right Bank characteristics of tart raspberries and silkiness with solid acidity, perfect for pairing with food. However, between 6 to 12 hours the wine became velvety and plush with the fruit flavor leaning to plummy, darker berries and notes of tar and spice emerging, more typical of Napa. At the wonderful price of just $29.95, it is worth getting a handful of bottles of this 92 point beauty to enjoy both ways!