If my memory serves me correctly (which is questionable), an icon of wine named Robert Mondavi had an entire brand of "discount" Chardonnay that was not what anyone would call "a hit". How do you take a fickle white wine that everyone knows and produce it at a drastically lower price point without sacrificing quality? At some point, he came across a winemaker by the name of David Akiyoshi, and from that meeting came a cornerstone of the supermarket Chardonnay section, Wood Bridge. I actually did some catering work for an event at the Napa Valley home of the man who painted the wine label for Wood Bridge, but that's a completely different time-wasting story. GET ON WITH IT, ERIK.
~David Akiyoshi California Reserve Red Blend, 2016
(San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, Gold award winner)
Pretty sexy label, if you ask me. A nod to Akiyoshi's roots, I'm sure. Or I'm just being racist. It's probably the roots thing though. I hope.
The Review: 4.5/5
INK INK INK. The label says it, and that’s exactly what it looks like as it cascades into the glass. A seriously deep purple with some crimson touches...and it. is. beautiful.
I honestly can’t get enough Akiyoshi. Especially the reserve. Ever since he was introduced to the NW community, I have been extremely impressed with his work. His whites and reds both have their own unique styles with a touch of grace. This bottle is one I’ve had stashed away for quite some time, and I picked a ridiculous dinner of Steak Diane, quinoa and veggies to go along with it.
This particular red’s true place is alongside food. Break out some strong cheeses or feature it on the dinner table with something hearty and savory like steak, pasta or pizza (actually I’m thinking it would be killer with crab or lobster as well)... and it should stay on the table for any sort of chocolate dessert. There was actually a chocolate company that was at one of the NW tour tastings, “Brix” or something, and their chocolate was INCREDIBLE with wine. So get some of that. Yeah, stop what you’re doing and go get bulk chocolate. I’ll wait.
The nose has that alcohol tinge (so good) but there’s a lot of wood and age already in the nose of this red. The smells creep out of the glass and draw you in like the beckoning fingers of a cooling pie on a window sill in a cartoon. I guess I’ve been holding onto the bottle for a while...so in this case, for scientific purposes, I’d say it has held up nicely and could probably even handle another year or two on the shelf (as if I could leave it alone that long, haha).
Maturity to the max...rich plum and over-ripe blackberries and raspberries mashed together...and that old oak, seasoned a year or two, then split a few seconds before being tossed into the fire, giving off the final seconds of that semi-sweet, damp scent it emits.
There’s honestly a lot more to this, but I’m at a point where any more discussion would just be blabber and a waste of your time. Just go get whatever David has available, hopefully a reserve, and revel in its splendor and his unrivaled craftsmanship.
Cheers!!
Random Thought:
There's something about the stain a drip of wine leaves on the label that is inherently satisfying and almost a right of passage for the bottle itself. It shows character and showcases the fact wine is made to be enjoyed, shared and even spilled a bit, its mark on any surface as distinctive as the smell of the wine itself.
The Breakdown:
Stained wine labels rock. So does this wine. To be honest, almost every bottle I have ever purchased from NakedWines.com has been fairly impressive, at the least (there have been one or two exceptions in seven year's time).
Now go have some fun, find a wine bar and grab a few friends... or make some new ones. We're done here.
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