Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Stratton Lummis "The Riddler" Non-Vintage $15

Napa, CA

Given the label of "Lot Two" this inevitably is the 2nd release of this wine. It's a non-vintage with no indication of the varietals in the blend, which for some might bother them. I say play along with this fun spirited, easy drinking wine...hence it's name "The Riddler."

All the winery will say is it has "all the varietals you'd expect in a Napa Red." I'm going out on a limb here and say it definitely has Cabernet Sauvignon and some Merlot. After that, a slight hint of Syrah maybe Zinfandel?

Full of blackberry, plums and in general, dark ripe fruits can be found on the nose. With a deep purple color, tastes of smooth, subtle dark fruits were found to mirror the aromas.  A jammy, dark cherry flavor and hints of cocoa swirled on the mid-palette.  This was an incredibly easy drinking wine with gentle tannins on the finish.   It's a perfect balance of dark fruits, cocoa and subtle oak. I'm guessing French oak.

What's it a blend of?  Does it matter?  Probably not...it tastes great and satisfies for an everyday red with good character.

You can find it at the Wine Barn.  They like to compare this to a much higher priced and fairly well know wine called "The Prisoner."  Website says "Lot One" but they're actually selling "Lot Two."  Tell them Rob and Simple Wine Talk sent you!



5 comments:

  1. Thanks for the tip I will have to check this one out. Cheers!

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  2. Merlot, syrah, zinfandel.....thoughts?

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  3. The hint for Lot 2 says that "you DON"T expect to see these varietals to be grown in the Napa Valley." Lot 1 was composed of 7 different varietals that you would expect to come from Napa.

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  4. Can your recommend some other resonably proced wines that are similar to the flavor, color and texture of The Riddler Lot 2? I just love this wine!!

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  5. If you like the Riddler, try "The Fugitive" See this link for the review I've done.
    http://www.simplewinetalk.com/2013/03/the-fugitive-2011-25.html

    ReplyDelete

 
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