Today’s wine is very highly recommended.

We have an exciting new find for you, today, from one of our favorite California Sub-Appellations, the Chalk Hill AVA. Today’s 2012 “No. 10” Chalk Hill Red Wine is a delicious 50/50 blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cab Franc. This wine, like all from Stave 28, is a one-off project. There won’t be another vintage of this limited wine.

Winemaker Michael Weyna has worked in and around wine for the last 20+ years. He’s worked as an importer, educator, buyer and restaurant owner. He’s also very experienced in French oak. Barrels and staves are this guy’s jam - which shows in today’s delectable treat. While Michael was running his Chicago restaurant, Stained Glass, he started experimenting with winemaking. He became so engrossed in making the perfect wine that he uprooted and moved to Napa, where he founded his Stave 28 winery.

So, what about today’s wine? Peering into the glass you’ll find an inky dark wine of garnet coloration that spreads out to a nice shade of violet at the meniscus. The nose is quite alluring with cherry and plum compote, dark chocolate, bright red cherry, coffee beans with subtle walnut. The palate is robust as well with pomegranate, cherry ganache, strawberry fruit leather, genuine leather, and a lilac floral aspect on the finish. This wine definitely shows its BIG Napa Cab with a lot of everything - tannin, alcohol, acid, and fruit. Everything hangs in balance and it packs a punch like an iron fist in a velvet glove. You’ll want to line up a meal that stacks up to this heavy-hitter - Bring in the big guns with a thick slab of sirloin, sitting on a bed of sauteed shallots and cremini and you’ll be good to go.

The Chalk Hill AVA is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) located in Sonoma County, California. The boundaries of this wine appellation extend across the northeast corner of the Russian River Valley AVA. The majority of Chalk Hill’s vineyards are located to the east of U.S. Route 101, near the town of Windsor. The name Chalk Hill comes from the unique volcanic soil of chalky white ash which has shown itself to perform well with plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc (both in today’s wine), Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc. The majority of the Chalk Hill’s wineries are located on the western slopes of the Mayacamas Mountains.