As we work our ways through the last of the winter months we found some great wines to warm your heart. The wines from Odisea (O-DI-SEE-A) comes from Northern California. One is a late harvest/ice wine Viognier and the other a blend of Petite Sirah, Syrah and Viognier. 

2006 Melt Down Late Harvest Viognier Ice Wine, Lodi, California 

The grapes for the premier vintage of the Melt Down come from the organically grown Sueno Vineyard in the Clements Hills section of Lodi.  Odisea harvested beautiful fruit for their dry Viognier and left one row to hang for an additional month for their Ice Wine.  The grapes were harvested during the last week of October (hence the “late harvest”).  They were then picked and put into small bins, sealed and brought to a commercial freezer near the winery where they were allowed to freeze for a week before being pressed.  Some of the world’s best sweet wines are made from grapes harvested frozen on the vine and pressed quickly after picking while they are still frozen.  This process allows only the pure nectar of the grape to be extracted leaving behind the water in the grapes.  The climate in California does not allow these conditions to happen naturally so Odisea gives their grapes a little help.  The juice was transferred to neutral French oak barrels for a long, slow fermentation and nine months of barrel-aging.  

With the color of a light liquid gold this beautiful dessert wine presents itself immediately as regal.  With scents of honey, rose and apricot one is immediately drawn to its richness and opulence.  It is abundant with flavors of nectarine, candied pineapple; baked apples drizzled with cloved honey, grilled peaches glazed with sugar and just a hint of carmel. This wine will go well with Crème Brule, vanilla based Ice creams, Panna Cottas and any type of fruit pie or cobbler.  

 
2006 The Wanderer Red Wine, Napa Valley, California

A tremendous blend spearheaded by 87% Syrah and rounded out by a luscious 10% Petite Sirah and 3% of the always aromatic Viognier which adds some lightness.  A perfect but exotic blend.  The primary source of the grapes is the Massa Ranch just south of the town of Yountville in the Napa Valley. The unique soils in Yountville, a combination of volcanic, sedimentary and gravely loam earned the area its own AVA in 1999.  All these elements, along with meticulous farming practices, produce grapes of the highest quality and flavor complexity. The grapes were allowed to hang on the vine until they reached full maturity the last week of October.  A mix of new American oak and neutral French oak barrels were used for malolactic fermentation and aging for 18 months.  Only 80 cases were produced of this small production gem from the Napa Valley.

Big is the first word that comes to mind when searching for the words to describe this complex, layered and thoroughly enjoyable grape juice.  Fruits of blackberry, blueberry, black cherry, dried figs and baked strawberries are expressed in the profile along with spices of nutmeg, clove and cinnamon.  Herbs of mint and dried basil along with subtle hints of cedar, toasted walnuts, licorice, lavender and mocha round out the already multifaceted and elegant wine as all the flavors overlap one another in the most quaffable of ways. There is a lot going on in this wine but it all works together seamlessly.  A perfect wine with meat dishes such as steak or lamb.