Napa Redwoods Estate-Yates Family Vineyard-Merlot-Reserve-Mount Veeder-California-2006-14.5% Alcohol-$50.00-A nose of dark fruits and spice, dark garnet in color. A medium to full bodied Merlot, with black cherry, currants, some chocolate, some heat, but a good wine. WE-93 CR-90 Good with meats, chicken, pasta.
Vina Robles-Red 4-Petite Sirah-Grenache-Syrah-Mourdedre-Paso Robles-California-2009-14.9% Alcohol-$13.98-A bold nose of dark fruits and spice, dark black in color. A bold full bodied red blend, with blackberry, currants, dusty spices, smoky and long finish. A great QPR, not for the faint hearted or Old World fans. RP-88 WS-85 WE-82 CR-87 Good with ribs, chicken, pasta.
I love this winery in general, but the Red4 is always a great bang for your buck. They change the blend a bit every year, so it always makes it fun to see what the next vintage is going to be like. I don’t think this winery gets the respect it deserves from RP, WS, etc.
They also make a counterpart “White4″ that is a really interesting mix of European grape varietals such as Vermentino, Verdelho, Viognier, and Sav Blanc. Great “porch wine”