Tuesday, September 6, 2011

River Village Cellars

The highlight of the three day, holiday weekend here was on Saturday.  To start the day we traveled down to Ripley, Ohio, for the release of two red wines from River Village Cellars, a second label for Kinkead Ridge. 

The 2009 vintage was, being kind here, terrible and all the red wine was declassified to the second label.  The bottom line was bad for the winery, but certainly good for the consumer as both of released wines were quite enjoyable.

The Cabernet Sauvignon is comprised mostly of cabernet sauvignon, with some petit verdot and some syrah blended in.  The wine was very closed on the nose with some faint aromas of dark cherries and earth coming out along with some dark plums.  Dark color in the glass.  Definitely a full flavored wine with a rich, fruity feel in the mouth and flavors of black cherries and other dark fruit. The wine seemed a little low in acid but there was good tannin.  The finish was a little short, but not enough to detract from the overall pleasure.

The Cabernet Franc was the better of the two to me.  Brighter cherry flavors and aromas, sweet tannin and vanilla from the oak, medium mouth feel and a tart and cheery finish to it.  The fruit here was definitely more toward the red end of the spectrum.  The finish was a little nicer and there was a littel burst of fruit at the end.  Easy wine to drink.  Both are great values at their price point.

Cabernet Sauvignon, 13.1% alcohol and $12.95
Cabernet Franc, 13.5% alcohol and $11.95
Both wines carry the Ohio River Valley AVA

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