Terra Gratia Napa Valley Red 2011

Terra Gratia Napa Valley Red 2011

Dr Dan obtained this from a wine broker who raves about the pedigree of the dynamic team that came together to produce this wine. He brought this BYOB to our dinner at Folklore Argentine Steak Grill in Wicker Park, Chicago.

Maurice and Paul Marciano, owners of Guess Jeans, bought the old historic Marciano Estate property located in St. Helena off Sulphur Springs Road back in 2006. The historical vineyard and homestead property, once owned by the Bourne Family and the Christian Brothers dates back to 1865. They contracted with winemaker Andy Erickson (Arrieta, Ovid, Favia, Dancing Hares, Dalla Valle, and formerly Screaming Eagle) and with David Abreu the well known vineyard manager to manage the vineyards. David Abreu has planted and managed the vineyards for Harlan Estate, Bryant Family, Araujo Estate, Staglin Family, Colgin Estate, Blankiet Estate, Pahlmeyer and Grace Family. The result is this 2011 Terra Gratia, a blend of Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley. 

We opened this with our starter course and then tasted with our steak entrees. Dark garnet colored, medium to full bodied, the black and blue berry fruits are accented by tobacco and a layer of cedar. A slight woody grassy tone detracted from the fruit. It actually reminded of the red Bordeaux varietal wines they grow up in Southwestern Michigan. Perhaps this bottle was flawed? If left to age, or open longer, this tone might have burned off but a sitting at dinner did not allow time to do so. Dan has several bottles so we'll try it again and manage it differently and see if we get a different outcome. 

RM 87 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1932307