The Arsonist Red Blend 2017

April is Matchbook Wine Company Month, with reviews focusing on their wine all month! To see all of my reviews by this winery for the last five years, check out my Matchbook label. To learn about their history, read my article "A Brief History of Matchbook Wine Company".

Dracarys! The Arsonist is their label for wines a price point or two higher than their flagship Matchbook label, and their 2017 Red Blend is 53% Petit Verdot from Dunnigan Hils, 24% Malbec from Dunnigan Hills, and 23% Cabernet Sauvignon from Chalk Hill.  It was blended before being aged in French, American, and European/American hybrid oak barrels for 24 months, 30% of which are new. The final ABV is 13.9%.

As always the color is a beautiful garnet. On the nose there's aromas of black cherries, blackberries, orange blossoms, anise, and... yes... as I say every vintage: root beer. Why is that? Am I just crazy? The palate has a much brighter fruit to it this year though, with flavors of red cherries, cranberries, mocha, and root beer, on a full body with a rich mouthfeel and grippy tannin. It finishes with cranberries, mocha, and a spike in mouthwatering acidity.

This is one of those wines that everybody loves once they've tried it, and 2017 is probably the best vintage that I've had of it. Dude, it's AWESOME. A fruit forward stress relief wine by itself, but also making me really want a Porterhouse right now. Arsonist finishes Matchbook Month with two Highly Recommended ratings!

QUALITY VS PRICE RATING

Price: $20

Rating: 5/5 = Highly Recommended (what does that mean?)

The bottle used was supplied free of charge for the purpose of this unpaid review. To have your wine reviewed follow this link.

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Mossback Chalk Hill Cabernet Sauvignon 2017

April is Matchbook Wine Company Month, with reviews focusing on their wine all month! To see all of my reviews by this winery for the last five years, check out my Matchbook label. To learn about their history, read my article "A Brief History of Matchbook Wine Company".

Mossback is the Sonoma label for Matchbook, and their 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon is 76% Cabernet Sauvignon from Chalk Hil, 15% Merlot from Chalk Hill, and 9% Petit Verdot from Chalk Hill. 6% of the wine was fermented in French oak barrels and aged in those same barrels, while the larger tank fermented portion would be aged for 22 months in French, hyrbrid, and American oak. The final ABV is 13.9%.

On the nose there's aromas of cassis, blackberries, black tea, dried tobacco, and mint. On the palate it's medium bodied with little spike of acidity perfect for food. The Merlot and Petite Verdot provide lushness and smoothness on the mouthfeel, making this a softer / sweeter tannined, more mellow and easy drinking Cabernet. There's flavors of cassis, pomegranate, dark chocolate, oak, and a little bit of licorice. This is a very enjoyable Cabernet for the $25 that it will cost you. And it’s pairing pretty darn good with these Rice Crispy Treats.

QUALITY VS PRICE RATING

Price: $25

Rating: 3.5/5 = Satisfying / Recommended (what does that mean?)

The bottle used was supplied free of charge for the purpose of this unpaid review. To have your wine reviewed follow this link.

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Mossback Chalk Hill Merlot 2017

April is Matchbook Wine Company Month, with reviews focusing on their wine all month! To see all of my reviews by this winery for the last five years, check out my Matchbook label. To learn about their history, read my article "A Brief History of Matchbook Wine Company".

Mossback is the Sonoma label for Matchbook, and their 2017 Merlot is 85% Merlot from Chalk Hill and 15% Petit Verdot from Dunnigan Hills. It was aged for 22 months in in American oak, 27% new, and it has an ABV of 13.9%. The nose is just amazing with anise, cherries, cranberries, dark chocolate, olives, and a big ol' chunk of dirt. On the palate it's medium bodied with a rich mouthfeel, a balanced acidity, and soft chalky tannin. All of those aromas return as flavors, and it finishes with long lasting cranberries and dark chocolate.

You know I'm a big fan of Merlot and this one is ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL! As Matchbook says themselves, it combines Old-World earthiness with New-World fruit, and I gotta say it's just enjoyable as all hell and a fantastic Merlot for the price.

QUALITY VS PRICE RATING

Price: $25

Rating: 4.5/5 = Recommended / Highly Recommended (what does that mean?)

The bottle used was supplied free of charge for the purpose of this unpaid review. To have your wine reviewed follow this link.

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Wine Quickie: Mossback Chalk Hill Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

Mossback is the Sonoma label line by Matchbook Wine Company, who is one of the best winery friends of the blog. The line was created when they decided that they needed to make a good Pinot Noir, but that's rather difficult in Dunnigan Hills. So their winemaker used his connections in Sonoma to get his hands on some fruit, and Mossback was created!

The 2016 Chalk Hill Cabernet Sauvignon is medium bodied with a lush mouthfeel, soft grainy tannin, and a finish that bursts with dark fruit. There's black cherries, blackberries, leather, cedar, and spice. This is a nice example of a cool climate Cabernet at the right price of $25!

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