Tasting Notes

Featuring a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon with Old Vine Petite Sirah and a touch of Syrah, the 2007 McNab offers an intriguing bouquet accented by notes of Black Mission fig, carob, minerals and brown spice. Complex notions of Portobello, holiday potpourri and gun flint lend further layers. On the palate, a rare combination of taut tannins and soaring acidity signal the extraordinary character of the 2007 vintage, while flavors express a beautiful harmonization of primary and secondary characteristics. Primary notes of black plum and boysenberry preserves are offset by suggestions of cocoa, mint, Asian spice and tobacco before a long finish in this singular Mendocino cûvée.

Winemaking Notes

Bonterra’s McNab Ranch is nestled in a protected pastoral valley surrounded by the rolling foothills of Mendocino County, where grapevines and the surrounding natural habitat’s rhythms and wildlife cohabit peacefully. Certified Biodynamic in 1996 by the Demeter Association and overseen by viticulturist Joseph Brinkley and founding Bonterra winemaker Robert Blue, McNab Ranch is a showcase for biodynamic farming and a living laboratory for the production of biodynamic wine grapes.

Ten years after the celebrated 2007 harvest, our 2007 McNab showcases the nuanced character and longevity biodynamic grapes can bring to a wine. Each variety was allowed to ripen individually to peak maturity before harvesting, and the long growing season gave us fruit of great depth and character. The wine was 100% tank-fermented and underwent full malolactic fermentation. We chose only the finest lots of each variety and blended them together to create this unique wine, aged for 24 months in French oak, a combination of 80% new and 20% second-use barrels.