"California Wines with a Western Spirit"The tagline for this California winemaker seems to be the perfect description for the style of their wine. Everything about it screams "Western," from the label design to the stuff inside the bottle.
This is another wine from my first round of purchases last month at World Market, and it's a steal for what you get.
This dark red Cab gives off aromas of oak, vanilla, spice, red jam, and an unspecific vegetative bouquet.
It proved to be a supple, warm, jammy red wine with plenty of spicy oak flavor and just enough tannins to add interest. It has a nice complexity of flavors and is overall an extremely pleasing wine.
When I first opened it, it had a slightly chemical taste, but I think that it might have disappeared had I let the open bottle sit for a little bit before the first sip. After the bottle sat in the fridge for a few days, it seemed like the flavors only got better. As time went by, it got more complex, smoky, and I was finally able to taste the blackberry noted on the label.
Hayes Ranch 'In the Saddle' is a big, oaky wine with plenty of fruit for the tasting. It's great on its own (the way I've enjoyed it the last couple of cold winter nights), but also goes well with pizza. It has enough substance to stand up to a nice steak, but is gentle enough to enjoy with chicken.
My Grade: +++
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