Winemaker Notes
Blend: 86% Merlot, 12% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
Donati is the only wine label based in the little-known Paicines AVA, in San Benito County, CA. Tangy plum, raspberry and cassis; with lovely notes of spice and oak.
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Wine Enthusiast
This blend shows blackberries, dark chocolate, cappuccino and concentrated lilacs on the nose. Olallieberries and violet converge on the palate, combining into a hard-grape-candy flavor, then settling on graphite, layered with ample acidity and tannins.
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.
The warmest part of the greater San Benito AVA, but cooler than the Central Valley, the Paicines appellation excels in the production of concentrated and high-quality, red Bordeaux varietal wines and blends.