Friday, August 14, 2015

Flora Springs 2011 Trilogy Red Wine, Napa Valley

When you are on the ranch, red wine is a must. Or, should I say, when you are at The Ranch Restaurant & Saloon in Anaheim, you need a great red wine to go with dinner.
Attending a committee meeting in Anaheim, we decided to have dinner at The Ranch. To clarify, we went into the restaurant portion of the building. Next door at the saloon, it appeared that cowboy boots and skirts were mandatory for the women and the men mostly had Stetsons.
Although the restaurant did offer some nice choices for vegetarians, its forte is certainly meat prepared in a variety of tantalizing ways.
For my entrée I chose the prime rib, upon urging from our helpful waiter. It certainly was delicious, but the portion was of a size that it could feed a family of four.
Scanning their long and superb wine list, I settled upon the 2011 Flora Springs Trilogy. I’ve had just a few bottles from Flora Springs and it left me wanting more. Trilogy is their iconic red blend.
Trilogy was first produced in 1984, when Flora Springs decided to make their best wine possible by hand selecting the best lots from their estate vineyards. The Bordeaux blend has been winning rave reviews ever since.
The 2011 vintage is 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 10% Petite Verdot, 5% Malbec. It is aged for 22 months in a combination of new and 1-year-old French oak.
The Ranch is a superb restaurant. Noting the attention paid to their wine program, I requested a decanter for the wine and so the Trilogy opened up nicely as we finished our salads and awaited our entrée. 
Trilogy is a sensory experience. It is a rich wine with tannins that blend nicely with hearty meat dishes. It is full bodied with dark cherry and pepper notes. On the full finish there is a trace of vanilla.
A value at any price, Trilogy has a SRP of $75. Of course, a dinner like this with Trilogy is priceless.
Rating: 4.5 of 5  Value: 3.5 of 5

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