Rasa Vineyards Red Blend “Tilting at Windmills”
WHY WE LOVE IT
- Rasa “Tilting at Winemills” is a blend from Columbia Valley.
- It should reach maturity in 7-9 years and can be held for 15+ years.
Varietal Composition: 54% Grenache, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Syrah
Elaboration: The wine had a pre-fermentation maceration average of 132 hours and a post-fermentation maceration average of 110 hours. 100% Native fermentation. The wine was punched down by hand 2 times each day during macerations and fermentation. All individual wine components, including free run and press fractions, were kept separate until final blending. Elevage was 18 months in 40% new French oak and 60% neutral French oak. The wine achieved its sparkly brilliance from 3 judicious rackings, no fining agents were employed. The wine was very gently filtered using crossflow filtration.
Tasting Notes: Deep purple-ruby color with intensely perfumed aromatics: framboise, kirsch, black cherry, spice, vanilla, and minerals. Ripe lush tannins from the Grenache and Syrah and some slightly firmer tannins from the Cabernet Sauvignon interplay beautifully with the vibrant acidity and higher fruit expression. The palate is rich and expansive with dominant notes of framboise, kirsch, cassis jam, and blackberry. There are also secondary notes of anise, graphite, bacon fat, and roasted herbs. The finish is very long with notes of kirsch, scorched earth, and white pepper. Like previous vintages, this is a decadent mouthful of wine with refreshing acidity and great flavor delineation. It will not disappoint.
PRESS
2019 – – 95 Owen Bargreen
PRODUCER BACKGROUND
The concept of Rasa Vineyards started with a bottle of 1988 Mouton Rothschild that brothers Pinto and Billo Naravane bought at a discount in Napa Valley. That bottle of wine changed their lives. They call it their epiphany wine. That Mouton inspired them to learn all they could about wine and seriously discuss starting a winery. In 2007, with Pinto’s business plan and Billo working on a degree from the UC Davis Master’s program in Viticulture and Winemaking, the two budding winemakers quit their tech jobs and selected Walla Walla, Washington, as the home of Rasa Vineyards.
They purchased 28 acres in Milton-Freewater, Oregon, just ten miles south of Walla Walla, in an area that would become the Rocks District AVA. Their first two wines won accolades and high ratings in wine publications. In 2017, Billo joined an elite worldwide group of 498 people who have earned the title of ‘Master of Wine.’