Dablon Estate Red Blend 2017
Maker: Dablon Winery & Vineyards, Baroda, Michigan, USA.
Grapes: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 10% Malbec, 5% Petit Verdot (per winemaker Rudy Shafer).
Place of origin: Dablon estate, Lake Michigan Shore AVA, Michigan, USA.
Vinatge: 2017
ABV: 13.1%
Price: $50 (2018 vintage website price)
Appearance: Dark ruby.
Nose: Cherry Jam, blueberry, sweet roasted red pepper.
Palate: Dry, reticent. White mulberry, mace, leather.
Finish: Jammy, but with grip.
Parting words: I have a good number of wines in my cellar currently, and I don’t always remember where or when I got them. Cellar tracker is helpful in this regard, but I don’t always check it before I pop a cork. I remember seeing it on a rack in one of the long term areas of my cellar and thinking, “This blend looks like it would hit the spot! I wonder why it was here?” As soon as I took a sip of it, I realized why it was there.
Although this wine is perfectly suitable for drinking any day of the week, Estate Red is not your average weeknight blend. It’s a fine, age-worthy Bordeaux style blend. It was very good at six years old, but I found myself wishing it had stayed in that place in my cellar a little longer to develop even more complexity and depth. Oh well, live and learn!
Even at a mere (!) six years old, this is a very good wine that is worth seeking out. 2017 was an excellent vintage, but so was 2020. When that one comes out, or if you manage to fine a 2017 on the shelf, I recommend that you buy it!
Sipology 