Winemaker Notes
Though 2013 was their last year making the Weill "Exposition" wines, they still made a single wine in 2014 using the same methods. Using a large percentage of co-fermented Viognier and a moderate fraction of whole-cluster, they vinified the wine using native yeasts. It then spent three years in 100% new oak barrels of various sizes without racking. Though only an individual wine, this was created in the same mold as the Weill wines of 2011-2013. Thus, it is an outlier stylistically for them, albeit one that many enjoy, particularly the fans of the Exposition Trios.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2014 Proprietary Red Weill A Way Mixed Blacks, from Sonoma Valley, is a blend of Zinfandel, Grenache, Tempranillo, Mataro, Alicante Bouschet, Petite Sirah and a handful of other grapes. This is a wind-swept, cool-climate site that borders the Sonoma Coast AVA, making the ripening somewhat of a challenge. Nevertheless, the wine is deep and rich, with loads of black cherry and black raspberry fruit, good acidity, peppery meatiness and a medium to full-bodied, lush texture. Drink it over the next 7-8 years.
The winery’s objectives are:
To channel the fruit of ancient vines into powerful, elegant, and distinctly Californian wines.
To spread the gospel of Syrah in California by sourcing fruit from great terroirs throughout the North Coast.
To proclaim the greatness of Sonoma Valley Cabernet Sauvignon by sparing no expense on wines of uniqueness and personality.
To reclaim rose’ from the excesses of saignee and focus on precision, delicacy, aromatics, and food friendliness.
To make fascinating and quixotic white wines from unique sites and interesting varietals.
To dream big but keep production low!
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
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.