Red Blend, 2019. Rebellious

Rebellious comes to us from a winery that is anything but, St. Francis in Sonoma County. It was founded in 1971 by Joe Martin who is credited with planting the first Merlot vines in Sonoma. Martin allowed his vines to mature until he was able to build his winery and make his wine from them in 1979.

Today, St. Francis farms more than 383 acres of Certified Sustainable vineyards in the Sonoma Valley and Russian River appellations. For over 40 years they have produced some of the finest wines in California, receiving accolade upon accolade for their Merlot, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Sauvignon. They were one of the first to realize early on that Zinfandel from old vines, some being 50 years old at the time, made incredible wine. So, they secured contracts with these older vineyards and, as a result, produced wines of incredible depth and flavor.

Our selection features 42% of their signature old vine Zinfandel, 27% of their estate Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest is Merlot. Obviously, the Zinfandel overtakes the flavors and presence with its big, jammy, and authoritative presence. The Cabernet plays an unfamiliar supporting role here as it softens the tannins of the Zinfandel. This condition is the reverse of most blends, but it works. The result is a rather large, but lovely wine with bold flavors of ripe blackberry and strawberry set up by a bold structure to pair with a Santa Maria Tri-tip grilled over mesquite or a blackened rib eye with garlic sauce.

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