2006 Deerfield Ranch Red Rex

This red blend is a real Frankenwine, lots of different parts sewn together creating a bit of a monster. Candied cherry shines through on the nose from the Sangiovese, but on the palate the Syrah blasts its way to the fore. Smoked meat, blackberries, and sage are there, but they’re fighting it out with the Cabernet’s blackcurrants and black cherry from the Merlot. Tannins are powerful to the point of harsh. Acids are just as big. The two together, along with the kitchen sink blend, make for an aggressive mouthful of wine. It might settle down and knit together in five to ten years, but right now if you put it in your mouth it just tries to fight its way out to look for a village to burn and a kid to throw in the river.

WHO: Deerfield Ranch
WHAT: Cabernet Sauvignon (40%), Syrah (23%), Merlot (19%), Sangiovese (7%), Malbec (5%), Cabernet Franc (2%), Petit Verdot (2%)
WHERE: Sonoma County, California
WHEN: 2006
HOW MUCH: $28

1. 

   Darek Trowbridge says:

   November 2, 2010 at 12:05 pm

   That is the funniest review I’ve ever read!

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2. 

   Dave Jefferson says:

   November 2, 2010 at 12:30 pm

   Mr. Honig,

   You have just gone to the head of the class of wine writers who unabashedly tell it the way they taste it. Evidently, this blend does not work. My suggestion now is to pour out the rest of the wine on the burning village, put a copy of the review in the bottle, and compassionately throw the bottle into the river, as a life preserver the kid. If he survives, he’ll be a wine drinker forever although perhaps not for this particular wine.

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3. 

   Maggie Barrett says:

   November 4, 2011 at 10:55 pm

   Are we drinking the same wine? As I sit in my kitchen, I can not help but to wonder if these are the ravings of a madman. I think it’s really good. But what do I know? I’m just a redneck from Louisiana.

   reply