Smockshop Band Columbia Valley Red III

*By Hiyu* Of the varieties included I would say that Pinot Noir and Tempranillo influence the flavor profile most strongly. There are certain historic wines from Rioja that allude to Burgundy with their texture and aromatics. Lopez de Heredia’s “Vina Bosconia” is the most famous example of this and in some ways this wine also takes its cue from that wine. It has the kind of nuance and multi-dimensional red-fruited aromatics that Pinot is famous for, but delivers them with slightly more density, cigar-box range aromas, spice and texturized, powerful tannin.

Typically, our wines are made from a single small parcel of grapes, picked on the same day, fermented in the same container and aged in a small collection of barrels that are bottled together. This makes our wines very specific and precise vehicles for communicating the essence of a place. We rarely blend parcels or picks, even from within the same vineyard. This wine is made in a completely different way. It is based on blending and is composed of over 50 different varieties, from four different vineyards, fermented in a myriad of ways and often with very long maceration. Most of the components in this blend were in barrel from between three to five years and the minimum time in older cask was two years. — Nate Ready, winemaker, viticulturalist, possessor of a gnarly beard and a curiosity that never stops…