I usually take notes when I go wine tasting. For me, it is one of the aspects of this hobby that makes it so much fun. I love trying to discover the wine’s nose and palate for myself before I find out from the tasting staff what they think the wine is like; it’s like a brain teaser. But another big reason I like taking notes it that I have them as a record of our wine adventures and for comparison when we open bottles we have purchased, like this bottle.
We went to Ryan William Vineyard in October 2017 as part of a weekend long outing for our three year anniversary. We opened it a little over a year later as we were putting up our Christmas tree, because we were both craving a red blend. What is fun about this wine, is that because we visited the winery and I took notes, I know what I thought about it a year ago and could compare it against how it is tasting now.
In October 2017, I wrote this: Barn Red, a blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot that has notes of raspberry and cherry jam, leather, and mocha. It has a light mouthfeel, chewy but not overpowering tannin, and a lingering hint of mocha.
Let’s see how it has changed!
Tasting Note
See: Dark ruby center with slightly lighter edges
Smell: It still starts with jammy notes of raspberry and cherry, though the berries taste a little darker and richer than I remember. The leather and mocha remains with increased notes of espresso and some peppery aromas.
Sip: On the palate it has a nice medium chewy tannin that lingers on the palate with dark chocolate, balanced by a medium-light body and cherry acidity.
Overall: Overall, the taste is close to what I remember, though the tannin and mouthfeel may be a little smoother, and the nose has a lot of similarities though you can tell it has aged since the fruit notes are darker and secondary notes like leather, pepper and mocha are more intense.
Wine Low-Down
Winery: Ryan William Vineyard
Region/Sub-Region: Finger Lakes/Seneca Lake
Wine: Barn Red
Vintage: NV (No Vintage)
Varietal: Cabernet Franc and Merlot
Alcohol: Unknown!
