Liberty School Cuvee 2007
Liberty School Winery
Red Blend
A blend of Syrah, Petite Sirah, Grenache, Mourvèdre and Viognier, this cuvee harmoniously melds the best characteristics of each varietal to make a complex and unique blend. 13.5% alcohol
Pop and Pour: The color is very deep and dark, almost opaque center, with dark crimson edges. Heavy film/legs coating on the glass. The nose shows candied red fruit with accents of meat and wood. Alcohol is definitely noticeable. The candy stands out the most. On the palate, the heavy candied red fruit shows from the nose. Good spice. While being hot and warming, the fruit tries to mask the alcohol. Big cinnamon stick on the finish. Red fruit, wood, spicy red fruit candy. Something fun and blazingly spicy on the finish I like. Cinnamon disk right on tip of tongue. Has some yum factor, not quite delish factor. Black licorice stick coming through. Front is good, but the mid is a bit hollow and thin with a bitterness that is not appealing. Finish is much better with a 10+ second finish. Decent and fun, but not life changing or a home run. More like a bloop single turned double. Let's see how this wine hangs in there with time. Late vanilla notes coming through.
Fast Forward: 90 Minutes. Fall fruit front, mid palate is still struggling, and the finish is starting to fade away from the charismatic personality it once was. More wood showing on the back. Still mostly red fruit. Candy. Red raspberry jam. Decent wine, still struggles with bitterness on mid. The mid is truly the downfall of this wine and the heat does not help either. The finish is what MAY keep you coming back.
Overall: This is one of those "It is what it is" wines. Know what you are getting into. This is a wine that has some heat and alcohol issues and is red fruit candy focused. Hints of vanilla and cinnamon stick shows throughout. The Liberty School Cuvee isn't really even a value wine, so it is hard to recommend an experiment. IF you are drinking this wine, drink it early as the star of this wine (the finish) exits stage left after about 90 minutes. The finish, while on stage, is QUITE a performer. With big flaws and some good highlights, this wine falls in the AVERAGE category. AVERAGE