Raymond Burr Vineyards
2010 Dry Creek Valley Quartet Bordeaux Blend
Bordeaux
Dry Creek Valley
Mission Briefing
Serious Substance
Raymond Burr was clearly a romantic and today’s Raymond Burr Vineyards 2010 Dry Creek Valley Quartet Bordeaux Blend was made for romance.
This wine is honest, powerful and very elegant. Flavors are bold and forward, but not at all muscular or overpowering. Flavors and aromas are all in wondrous balance and the finish is elegant and seemingly endless.
If you love great Bordeaux-style blends, you will love this very special blend from the very special Raymond Burr Vineyards winery. We offer you this fantastic wine with our most hearty recommendation.
Tasting Profile
| Look: | Deep scarlet at its core, near perfectly diffuse from core to edge, with just a hint of lightening at the rim. |
|---|---|
| Smell: | Concentrated, braised dark fruit of black currant, plum, and blackberry laid overtop sweet tobacco, espresso bean, anise, black pepper, and a touch of eucalyptus. |
| Taste: | Fulfills the promise of the nose, with deep flavors of braised black cherry and plum, cedar cigar box, fresh berry bramble, rosemary, and sage. |
| Finish: | Refined and well balanced, the finish is quite possibly the most enjoyable aspect of this wine. Wonderfully long and elegant, with the dark fruit slowly trailing off and leaving a slight pucker at the back of the palate. |
| Pairing: | Moroccan lamb meatballs served with lentils, couscous, and fresh mint. |
What the Winery Says
This Bordeaux-style blend marks the 21st year of winemaking from the vines Raymond Burr planted in 1986. Crafted by our winemaker, Phyllis Zouzounis, this wine carries to fruition all the promise Mr. Burr envisioned as he gazed down into Dry Creek Valley. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec come together in a harmony of pleasurable richness.
- Winemaker
- Phyllis Zouzounis
- Appellation
- Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County, California
- Varietal Composition
- 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Malbec, 9% Cabernet Franc, 6% Petite Verdot
- Cooperage
- 22 months in American oak
- Cases Produced
- Less than 350
- ABV
- 13.6%
About the Winery
Raymond Burr and Robert Benevides had met in the middle 1950s on the television program which was to make a legend of Burr, “Perry Mason.” In 1976 Benevides, on the advice of his father, purchased an eminently desirable farm in the Dry Creek Valley and in the following months Burr and Benevides traveled in northern California, the scene of both their young lives, and Benevides took Burr to see his property in Sonoma County.
Around this time, the Dry Creek Valley was in transition; having for a long while produced hops, and then prunes, the area was just beginning to be recognized as the prime terrain for grape-growing that it now is. By 1980 the Burr/Benevides partnership had moved their orchid nurseries to the valley and work on the manzanita covered benchlands began. The grapes were planted in 1986: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, and, for the proprietors, a small section of Port–the bareroot stock imported from Portugal.
In 1990 the beautiful Southeast-facing vineyards produced their first vintage, which was released in 1995.
Winemaker Phyllis Zouzounis
Phyllis is not new to the Dry Creek Valley. She began her winemaking career working at Dry Creek Vineyard in 1980. After 15 years of experience there she moved on as winemaker and general manager of Mazzocco Vineyards. In 1987 Phyllis and her partner, Jim Penpraze, started their own Dry Creek winery, Deux Amis. making award winning Zinfandels.
The 100% estate grown vineyards at Raymond Burr offer Phyllis the challenge to produce great Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and rich, fruity Chardonnay. “Great wine starts in the vineyard with quality grapes. The Raymond Burr vineyard is a good example of this,” she will tell you. “Because it is an estate vineyard winery, this allows Raymond Burr Vineyards to create and preserve the quality in the vineyard first and then follow through to the finished wine.”
Phyllis is a great believer in balance. “My focus is balance. Balance of the vine, balance of the fruit and balance in the wine.”