This wine was one of the discoveries and highlights of our Mt. Veeder Appellation trip and Yates Family Vineyards producer visit last month. The wine is a Bordeaux style blend with 50% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 8% Cabernet Franc. The wine is named after Alden Yates, proprietor Michael Yate’s father and Perry Yates, his grandfather, who first purchased the Mt Veeder vineyard property in 1950. Yates produce Bordeaux varietal fruit that is mostly sold to other producers. We've likely had their fruit in wines we get from name producers. They produce small quantities of one to two hundred cases of their Bordeaux varietal wines and of this blend.
We tasted the wine at the winery and purchased a case which just arrived. We opened and drank this with artisan cheeses and filet of beef. The wine was a perfectly complement to the blue cheese and went well with the grilled steak.
A bit of acid heat initially that soon wears off to a pleasant smooth drinking wine. Deep garnet color - full bodied bursting with complex layers of rich forward blackberry, ripe sweet black raspberry fruits, tones of cinnamon spice, anise and hints of floral, sweet oak, white pepper and tobacco leaf, finishing with moderate smooth tannins on a rich full finish.
RM 92 points.
http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1012016
