Not Really A Dark Horse

Wine has become an integral part of the American dining experience now being enjoyed at many home meals and no longer the sole province of the restaurant experience. The real problem is that it can prove to be rather expensive. Wine prices, like almost everything in our present society, have risen. Wines that formerly sold for around ten dollars are now in the twelve to eighteen dollar range and let’s be truthful, there are very few of us who can put an eighteen dollar bottle of wine on the table every night. It is therefore a great delight when we find a decent wine that sells for an affordable ten dollars a bottle; Dark Horse wines are just such a bargain. They are well made wines that retain the true California philosophy of wines that exhibit a full fruit flavor without sacrificing the elegance or any of the varieties better characteristics.

Dark Horse 2013 Chardonnay ($10). The full flavor spectrum of the Chardonnay grape is beautifully presented in this wine. The aroma abounds with generous amounts of apple, pineapples, a hint of citrus and as an added extra, a bit of Gewurztraminer has been added to offer an even wider aroma and flavor signature. These aromas migrate to the flavor where they mingle with lemon, grapefruit, and pear. This is a wine that is much finer than its modest price indicates and a reprieve from the more expensive, look-a-like Chardonnay wines that are turning people away from the variety.

Dark Horse 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon ($10). This is a soft, easy to drink Cab that needs no further time to age or to mature. This wine has an upfront berry-like aroma and a flavor that showcases cherry and blackberry, with a hint of dark raisins and oak in the background. For an affordable wine, the Dark Horse 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon has a rather long and full flavored dark chocolate espresso finish. Here is the ideal wine for those grilled meats that have become popular among barbeque aficionados.

Dark Horse 2013 Merlot ($10). The 2003 Dark Horse Merlot is one of the standouts of the Dark Horse portfolio. This wine is just a bit off center from the run of the mill Merlots as it has been blended with a grape variety we have never encountered, the Dornfelder. That alone is a reason to sample this wine just to see how the addition of the Dornfelder changes the old and perhaps all too familiar characteristics of a Merlot. This wine displays a medium body and a full fruit flavor, which is balanced by a near perfect oak background. Plums and berries dominate the flavor with oak and vanilla in the background. A delightful added extra to this wine is its long and fruity finish displaying notes of brown spice and molasses. There is also that indefinable raisin-like character that is the mark of a well made, well aged Merlot.

Dark Horse 2013 Big Red Blend 01A ($10). If you think that the Merlot was a bit different, this one may knock you off your chair. The Big Red is a blend of Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot, Malbec, and Petit Verdot from grapes grown in California, Argentina, Spain, and Chile. The Dark Horse vintners selected fruit from the areas around the world where a specific varieties is known to grow best. How they did all of this and still produced a better wine at this affordable price is a mystery to us; but did it they did. The aromas of plum, cherries, tobacco, vanilla, leather, and herb with hints of vanilla and spice in the background permeate this wine. The flavor is a mouth-filling experience featuring dark fruit flavors, notes of caramel and oak which carries onto an absolutely knock out finish finish. This wine is a wine lovers chance to experience some very intuitive blending a fine example of the blending craze now sweeping the California winemakers; plus it’s a very enjoyable and pleasant wine.