Maker: Butler Winery, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
Vintage: 2009
ABV: 12%
Appearance: Dark burgundy.
Nose: Oak, wild blackberry, dried tobacco. Bears a passing resemblance to Chianti.
On the palate: Full bodied, but delicately sweet. More forest fruit, toasted oak, blueberry.
Finish: slightly tangy, but with some cedar in the background.
Parting words: Chambourcin is a hybrid grape that is pretty widely planted around Eastern North America. It was developed by hybrid guru Joannes Seyve and became available to planters first in the 1960s. Its advantages are its disease resistance and a lack of foxiness. It is an ancestor of the increasingly popular Regent grape. It ages well too, or at least this one did.
This stuff was all over the place in a very unpleasant way during the first hour after I opened it . After it sat in the fridge with a stopper on for 2-3 hours it settled down into a good, very food friendly wine. It’s not incredibly complex but it has a slightly rustic character that keeps things fun. My only criticism is that it is slightly over-oaked. Less oak and more fruit might have put it into the highly recommended category. Overall it’s a good effort, though. Butler Limited Edition Indiana Chambourcin, 2009 vintage, is recommended.
Sipology 