Something to Crow About

109. 2001 Red Rooster Meritage (VQA - Naramata Bench - Okanagan)

As we try and work our way through some of the wines that we've held on to for awhile, I ran across this somewhat older vintage of Red Rooster. I don't know if it relates to the change in ownership a couple of years back, but I can't find any reference to past vintages on the winery's website.

There is no reference on the bottle to the composition of the wine, but I'm presuming that the grapes used in the 2001 were sourced from the old vineyard - at the opposite end of the Naramata Bench from where the current winery is located. At that time, they wouldn't have had the Malbec grapes that they currently grow as part of the Adopt-A-Row program. So, I'd guess that that this is a Merlot/Cab Sauv blend with maybe a touch of Cab Franc (but I don't even know if the winery grew any of the franc back in those days).

In any event, as a fairly early entry in the Okanagan Meritage stakes, it's held up pretty well. If the wines have continued to improve (as is often touted in the press), I think the later vintages should be welcome additions to The List.