Yolo County Red Wine, 2019. Inference

The name implies the inference that good grapes can make good wine. It's a softer approach than saying good grapes don't always make good wine. Both are true. We've tasted wines from the same vineyard grown in the same vintage, but made by two different winemakers. There is always a difference between them. Sometimes it's dramatic.

The Giguiere Family, owners of Inference, know this better than anyone. They have been crafting great wines for over 40 years. They know how good those grapes are because they planted them, and were the first to do so. The grapes come from Yolo County, which is just east of Napa. Specifically, the vineyard is in Dunnigan Hills. Obviously, they knew what they were doing because it took them less than 10 years to become one of the most popular wineries in the U.S. Ever since then, they have produced excellent wines at an incredible price.

The grapes were gently crushed 20 minutes after harvest, then fermented in small temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks. A combination of specially selected yeast to enhance color and flavor extraction without harsh tannins is then used. Tanks are pumped multiple times a day until nearly dry, pressed, and aged in a variety of French, Hungarian, and American oak barrels for 16 months. The result is a deeply colored wine, delivering intense aromatics of fresh fruit and pepper spice. The flavors are an intense mix of raspberry preserve, violets, rhubarb, and char. The finish has a refined vanilla note from oak aging and a juiciness that begs for another sip. Inference is delicious on its own and gains complexity when paired with substantial fare such as ribs in a Bourbon BBQ sauce.

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