Smith Devereux 3 Red Blend 2016
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Wine Enthusiast
Smoky oaky accents give a little extra muscle to the nice ripe fruit flavors in this full-bodied wine. It has just enough lip-smacking tannin and acidity for a refreshing feel on the palate, so it's well balanced.
Smith Devereux (formerly J.W. Thomas Wines) utilizes over 60 years of family winemaking experience to produce sustainably farmed, limited production wines.
With a strong belief in every bottle of wine telling a story, Smith Devereux farms only the highest quality grapes to create their award winning portfolio of wines. Their first wine, Verse & Chorus was selected by Whole Foods as a Top 10 Holiday Pick and Wine Club Selection, and won Best in Class and a Gold Medal at the West Coast Wine Competition.
On the heels of this success, Smith Devereux launched critically acclaimed brands: Weather (2x Gold Medal Winner), Hanaiali'i (2x Double Gold, Best in Class, West Coast Wine Competition and 90pts Wine Spectator) and Dennen (91pts Wine Spectator) as well as the flagship Smith Devereux line of wines.
California is a winemaking colossus; by itself it is the fourth largest producer in the world. Red wine accounts for 56% of the total by volume, and red grapes 63% of total acres planted. In addition, a number of California red wines are heralded as being among the most prestigious and sought-after wines in the world.
While the state’s incredibly diverse geography, soils and microclimates allow for a wide array of styles, the key factor unifying California red wine is the abundance of sunshine and a long, consistent growing season. This leads to well-developed fruit marked both by impressive ripeness and balancing acidity.
The state’s most famous red wine region, of course, is Napa Valley, where Cabernet Sauvignon reigns as king. But California boasts a wealth of other impressive appellations. The much larger and climatically varied Sonoma County also produces world class California Cabernet, along with wonderful examples of California Pinot Noir and Zinfandel.
Fine versions of Cabernet and Zinfandel hail from Paso Robles as well, which is also gaining fame with Rhone varietals like Syrah and Grenache. As for Pinot Noir, terrific examples can be found from AVA’s such as Anderson Valley, Carneros, Santa Lucia Highlands and Sta. Rita Hills. Wineries in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties are making wonderful Syrahs, and the Sierra Foothill appellations are proving to be an experimental hotbed, with Italian and Spanish varietals employed to great effect.
This of course is a mere sketch. The subject of California red wine is as deep and broad as an ocean, and absolutely a joy to explore!