Let’s say you have leftovers — a lot of leftovers. Bins full of Malbec, Petite Verdot, Cabernet Franc and the like.
Winemaker Gregory Graham brings in grapes from the Snow’s Lake Vineyard, which sits above his own location, to blend into a few of his wines. In 2010, he looked at the unused portion and thought “meritage.”
Along with some Cabernet Sauvignon, Graham was left with the soul of Bordeaux. So he went to work on a red blend he labeled Magma.
“I like playing with things,” he said, “but when I first started I had no idea where I was going with it.”
He obviously found the right path. The first released proved so popular he returned with a 2011 vintage.
Rippling with aromas of plucked blackberries, fresh plums, comforting cocoa powder and hints of drying herbs, the 2011 Gregory Graham Magma Red trumpets boldly. From the moment you lift the glass, you know this will be a dashing wine, the sort that captivates a room.
The flavors are unflinching. Arm loads of blackberries, currants and plums spill over your palate. Yet these bold, fresh impressions are leavened by more deliberate core. Memories of warming cocoa, hints of soft vanilla, a flutter of dried herbs and tobacco leaf, a pleasant split oak sensation — all of these slow the rush of vibrant berries and build it into a complex, powerful wine.
Graham hesitated to release the Magma at first. His style is more subdued — contemplative yet approachable wines with a genteel nature.
“It was probably the biggest, most tannic wine I’ve made,” he observed.
Even the balance, the structure gained from Petite Verdot (a whopping 31 percent on the 2011 blend) that is obvious from the opening blast of fruit to the finish, which wraps the herbal notes from Cabernet Franc and the tart, peppery edge of Cabernet into something akin to cured capers, was not assured when Graham tried his first sample.
“I thought it was too tight,” he recalled. But he stuck with the wine, allowing the bottles to sit a little longer.
“A month later — ‘wow,’” Graham said.
At 44 percent of the blend, Cabernet Franc carries the fresh flavor, also lending a little of the herbal grounding. The muscular portion of Petite Verdot gives it might and swagger, as well as a rich color. Cabernet Sauvignon makes up 18 percent and Malbec 7 percent, enough to provide that nice chocolate balance.
Given the small portion of Cabernet Sauvignon, he refers to the Magma as a “reverse Bordeaux.”
Graham allowed some of the original volume to drip away, further concentrating the flavors and rested the wine in French Oak.
The 2011 Gregory Graham Magma Red may have been reluctant at first. But now it revels with unabashed joy.
Dave Faries can be reached at 900-2016
