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| Blue Rock Vineyard Wines - Photo by Dave Nershi |
Blue Rock Vineyard was first settled by Italians who worked at a nearby winery. The winery maintains that Old World character and even the original olive trees, which are now more than 140 years old.
Sonoma Smooth
Over the last
oh-so-many years of uncertainty in the world, one thing has remained sure: Baby
Blue is a remarkable Sonoma blend. I first discovered this sterling Blue Rock
Vineyard wine during a board meeting in Orlando.
As executive
director, I was in charge of making dinner arrangements and selecting the wine.
Baby Blue, a blend of the five five Bordeaux grapes plus Syrah, caught my eye
and was ordered up for the notoriously thirsty board members.
Baby Blue was
silky smooth and, at less than $30 (although liberally marked up at the
restaurant), was an astounding value. Since then, we’ve enjoyed this wine
frequently.
Beyond Baby Blue
We recently had
the opportunity to taste three current releases and one was quite a surprise. I
like Blue Rock for a number of reasons. Paramount is the great wine and I also
dig the minimalistic packaging. Elegant, clean and striking – like the
Blue Rock wines.
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| New Orleans crayfish with Blue Rock Cabernet Sauvignon and Baby Blue Blanc |
Until recently,
I’ve thought of Blue Rock mainly as a red wine producer, but they have white
wine in their portfolio. For the first time, we tasted a Blue Rock white
wine – the 2017 Baby Blue Blanc. This is a blend of 91% Sauvignon Blanc
and 9% Viognier.
We popped open
the Baby Blue Blanc and the 2015 Cabernet at our Mardi Gras party. Lesson
One: Baby Blue Blanc goes quite well with crayfish and other spicy Cajun food!
This is a clean,
precise wine. The acidity is softened by the Viognier, which also adds
some nice aromatics. Barrel fermentation and whole cluster pressing give a
nice complexity.
It’s an
appropriate partner for the original Baby Blue – approachable and each
glass beckons another. It retails for $24.
Baby Blue’s Big Brother
Blue
Rock Cabernet is an impressive wine. Get this. The 2015 Cabernet is 98.9%
Cabernet Sauvignon with less than 1% each of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petite
Verdot, Malbec and Syrah. I’m not sure what 0.05% of Malbec contributes, but
who am I to argue with the delightful final results?
There were 934
cases produced. Grapes all come from the Blue Rock estate vineyards in
Alexander Valley.
Blue Rock
Cabernet Sauvignon is more substantial that its Baby Blue sibling. There is an
emphasis on dark fruit, blackberry and cola. The tannins are silky and so this
wine is ready to drink now or age for a few years. SRP is $49.
The 2016 Baby
Blue is a blend of 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 6% Syrah, 6% Malbec 5%
Petit Verdot, and 2% Cabernet Franc. The pieces fit together for a
wine that is impressive with rich flavors and a sinfully smooth texture.
Blue Rock
Vineyard wines are memorable and the perfect pick for your next special
occasion.
Full
disclosure: These wines were received as a marketing sample.
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