Blackbird Vineyards Contrarian Napa Valley (1.5 Liter Magnum) 2006 Front Label
Blackbird Vineyards Contrarian Napa Valley (1.5 Liter Magnum) 2006 Front Label

Winemaker Notes

This intricately structured, full-bodied wine offers luscious aromas of raspberries and ripe blackberries complemented by a sweet, elegant ribbon of mocha. On the generous palate, layers of black currant, blood orange, and subtle tobacco give way to a fleshy, sweet tannin finish. This wine is beautifully balanced, offering a rich intensity that will further develop with time in the cellar.

Professional Ratings

  • 92
    The brilliant 2006 Contrarian (38% Cabernet Franc, 34% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon) reveals plum, licorice, and black currant fruit intertwined with a mocha, coffee, berry character that recalls a fine Right Bank wine from Bordeaux. Medium to full-bodied, sexy, and heady with succulent fruit, but none of the astringent tannins sometimes evident in 2006s, this beauty should drink well for 15 years.
Blackbird Vineyards

Blackbird Vineyards

View all products
Image for  content section
View all products
Image for Napa Valley Red Wine content section
View all products

Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.

Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.

MRE152930_2006 Item# 152930