Mission Codename Starbound
“One of my favorite under-the-radar wineries for a number of years has been Dashe. The prices are reasonable, the quality high, and the wines filled with personality. The Comet is a beauty and a terrific blend to drink over the next 4-8 years.” - Robert Parker
A beauty indeed!! Resistance is completely useless with it. Don’t even try, just let her warm, rich, ripe fruit flow through your extremities with all its soul charging power. And revel in the fact that you’re getting this Gold Winner for almost HALF the original retail price. Nice!
Dashe is an all-time favorite of ours and a totally under the radar winery. The proprietors have an all-star background: Mike worked the legendary 1989 vintage as an intern at Château Lafite-Rothschild and did stints at Cloudy Bay, Schramsberg, and Far Niente, before settling in at Ridge Vineyards, where he worked side by side with the legendary Paul Draper, while Anne interned at Château La Dominique in Bordeaux and Chappellet Winery in Napa, before making brandy for Remy Martin. Since 1996, Dashe Cellars has adorned the finest wine lists around the world, at most of the top restaurants in the US, including The French Laundry, Chez Panisse and Per Se.
Now onto the wine. If you love The Prisoner or other similarly exuberant Zinfandel type blends, you’ll go absolutely MENTAL for this dark, intense mix of 65% Zinfandel, 25% Petite Sirah and 10% Carignane. It’s DEEPLY concentrated and luscious thanks to the Zin and Carignane, and the Petite builds a strong backbone of structure. Simply dripping with jammy blackberry compote! SO MUCH BLACKBERRY. There’s also a basket of perfectly ripe summer berries, a dusting of cocoa, some sweet tobacco, and a smidge of baking spice hanging around. Massively, outrageously satisfying, it’s a crowd-pleasing wine that’s impossible to dislike. Irresistible now, but it also has the stuffing to develop over another 5 years or so.
Now for the bad news. There’s not a lot to go around, and we already loaded up our trunks with a few cases. We fully expect some emails saying “Please, PLEASE tell me there’s more available!”
No guarantees..
What the Winery Says
2017 'The Comet' Sonoma Valley Zinfandel Blend
- Winemaker
- Michael Dashe
- Varietals
- 65% Zinfandel; 25% Petite Sirah; 10% Carignane
- Vintage
- 2017
- Appellation
- Sonoma Valley, Sonoma County
- Vineyards
- Louvau Family, Todd Brothers Ranch, Oat Valley
- Alcohol
- 13.9%
- Aging
- 14 months
- Barrels
- 50% new French oak
- Production
- 15 barrels