Eponymous Macallister Red Blend 2010
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Blend: 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Cabernet Franc, 21% Merlot.
Robert L. Pepi knows what it's like not to own his own name. When his family sold the renowned Robert
Pepi Winery in 1994, the label lived on. But, Bob Pepi himself cannot put it on a wine label. Therefore,
the first wine that Bob has made for himself since the sale of the family name has a label that reflects
both his belief that "wine should be fun" and explains his predicament. Eponymous is "one for whom or which something is or is believed to be named". Bob Pepi has given it his own playful definition, “a play on words by one who is unable to use his family name on his own bottle of wine”. Bob makes his wines from vineyards he specially selected in both the Napa and Sonoma Valleys.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
Perhaps the most historically significant appellation in Sonoma County, the Sonoma Valley is home to both Buena Vista winery, California's oldest commercial winery, and Gundlach Bundschu winery, California's oldest family-run winery.
It is also one of the more geologically and climactically diverse districts. The valley includes and overlaps four distinct Sonoma County sub-appellations, including Carneros, Moon Mountain District, Sonoma Mountain and Bennett Valley. With mountains, benchlands, plains, abundant sunshine and the cooling effects of the nearby Pacific, this appellation can successfully produce a wide range of grape varieties. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Gewürztraminer, and most notably, Zinfandel all thrive here. Ancient Zinfandel vines over 100 years old produce small crops of concentrated, spicy fruit, which in turn make some of the Valley's most unique wines. These can also be made as “field blends” (wines made from a mix of grape varieties grown in the same vineyard) along with Petite Sirah, Carignan and Alicante Bouschet.