This weekend finds me in Yakima Valley for Terra Blanca Winery’s winemaker’s dinner. Last night was their release party for the 2002 Onyx, a Bordeaux-style blend.
I’ve always liked, but never loved, Terra Blanca. My wife signed us up for their wine club last year, and in addition to thinking the last thing we needed was more bottles of wine we had to chase down FedEx to get a hold of, I was a little surprised. Their main claim to fame in our household was serving as a source of very good merlot in the sub-$15 range back in 2003. There for a while, we drank a lot of their merlot, but we didn’t exactly develop a deep commitment to their wines. I don’t think I drank another Terra Blanca wine until last year, when my wife signed us up for the club. Maybe it’s the packaging. The baby blue foil and the flowery script don’t exactly make you think “world class winery.” Even when they get fancy and add a wax cap, the label looks low-budget. In fact, one of my wife’s friends recently remarked that she never bought Terra Blanca because she thought the label was cheesy. If the owners of Terra Blanca ever read this, consider this the start of a very small focus group–you might want to think about a re-design on your logo!
I do, however, respect them greatly for being one of the earliest wineries in the Red Mountain AVA. I seem to remember visiting them once in a small blue track house from the 70’s (unless I’m confusing them with Kiona, which is possible–that’s what happens when you visit eight wineries in a day, which we’ve been known to do). Well, they’ve grown up a lot since then and have a nice new facility with a commanding view of Red Mountain and the scenic beauty of I-82. The new facility is slightly less pretentious than Hedges’ faux-chateau just up the road, and it provides an excellent space for wine release parties.
Speaking of the release, here’s how the winery describes the Onyx:
“Raspberry and cherry with notes of violets lift from the glass and mingle with soft spice and toasted oak on the nose. Smooth, lush flavors of blackberry, black cherry, and cassis wrap around a core of full, yet soft, structured tannins. Cedar notes with light touches of spiece fold into lingering cherry and berry flavors surrounded by a sea of ruch chocolate on the long, silky finish.”
For the most part, I’d agree with that. However, I’d emphasize the raspberry a whole lot more. It’s a very jammy wine. It’s not obnoxiously fruity, though. I’d agree again that the tannins provide structure that isn’t overwhelming. It’s neither overly sweet nor overly harsh. All around, this is a really good wine. It’s a tad pricy ($45), but it’s one of the more interesting Bourdeaux blends I’ve tried lately. Maybe it’s the addition of petit verdot and malbec to the more conventional cab sauv, merlot and cabernet franc.
The 2002 Onyx was definitely the best thing they poured. The 1999 Onyx was, despite many years in the bottle, a little tight. The 2002 Estate Reserve Block 8 Syrah was also very tart. It had an almost effervescent quality that gripped the taste buds in the middle of my tongue in a way I can’t say I’ve ever experienced before.
