2007 Icon Ravenswood Mixed Blacks Sonoma

Icon, Icon, how I love thee Icon. I love the curves of your bottle, I love your flavors and their seductive ways as they wash over my palate and I love how you make me feel oh so special and fancy free. But Icon, Icon, why do you always leave me with such a yearning of wanting more of you.

Ok, enough of me trying to be poetic but if ever I were to write a poem, it would surely be about 2007 Ravenswood Icon Mixed Blacks. I first tasted this wine at the Ravenswood winery. Not in the tasting room but in a room adjacent to where a piece of the magic happens. It was during a blending session where I had the opportunity to blend my own wine. The blends were the same Carignane, Petite Sirah, Zinfandel and Alicante Bouschet used in Icon. I recently received my very own sample of Icon, which made me a very happy wine drinker.

The Alicante Bouschet provides the deep ink color in the glass. A perfumey nose and an abundance of juicy blueberries entice the senses. Flavors are full of ripe black fruits, spicy black pepper and cassis. High acidity and tannins combine with a long and oaky finish. If I had to come up with one descriptor to sum up the wine, one word comes to mind; beautiful. Icon is truly a very beautiful and well crafted wine.

Blend – 36% Carignane, 27% Petite Sirah, 25% Zinfandel, 12% Mixed Blacks
Appellation – Sonoma County
TA – 6.25g/L
pH – 3.60
RS – 0.7g/L
Alcohol – 14.9%
Price - $75
Production – 1,070 cases
Agebility – Drink between now and 7-10 years.

Icon is a throwback to before the Prohibition era when blending grapes to make a wine was king. The Alicante Bouschet was planted heavily during Prohibition in California for export to the East Coast. The grape’s thick skin made it resistant to rot during transportation and the intense red color made it easy to dilute the wine without taking away from its appearance.

As I listen to Mardi Gras jazz playing in the background, I’m almost be taken away to the time of prohibition, jazz clubs and bootleg liquor and wine. I’m grateful these wonderful old vines survived and wine growers persevered with innovative ways to keep making that wonderful and beautiful juice.

Congratulations go out to Joel Peterson who was inducted into the Vintners Hall of Fame on February 21, 2011. Cheers to Joel!

2011© Kellie Stargaard. All Rights Reserved.
http://winechicksguidetoeverydaywines.blogspot.com/

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