Blindfold 2012 California White Wine
Established in 2009, The Prisoner Wine Co. emerged with the change in tenure of the Napa Valley red blend and the typical California Zinfandel. With over a decade of winemaking experience at Ravenswood crafting Zinfandel, winemaker, Jen Beloz started The Prisoner Wine Company along with a family of growers and a winemaking team to grow and produce a selection of premium blends, including Cuttings, Blindfold, and Thorn. Created to provide the perfect white wine companion to The Prisoner, Blindfold is bold and intriguing. In establishing their own spin on a white blend, winemaker Jen Beloz and her team sought out interesting Rhône and aromatic varietals that would nicely complement a classic Chardonnay base. The resulting wine is a blend of 35% Los Carneros Chardonnay, and 60% of a combination of Viognier, Roussanne, Marsanne, and Grenache Blanc from the Central Coast with a finish of 5% of Chenin Blanc and Semillon combined.
I recently had this at a wine tasting (as well as The Prisoner, my last post) and was impressed so I bought a few bottles of each for my cellar. Opening a bottle of the 2012 Blindfold White Wine I noticed a golden yellow color and fragrant aromas of tropical, citrus fruit and melons. This wine was aged, 25% in new French and Hungarian oak, 60% neutral oak and 15% in stainless steel for 10 months. The palate shows fresh fruit flavors of melons, lemons, peaches and pears, subtle cinnamon spice, hints of toasty oak finishing with lively acidity and mineral tones, smooth and well balanced.
Cheers!