Muscardini Cellars Tesoro (Treasure) Proprietary Red Blend
At the gala Family dinner featuring latest Bordeaux Releases and limited production Northern-California labels, Alec served this unique big red blend from a large format magnum that he acquired from one of his on-line retail suppliers.
This is produced by Muscardini Cellars of proprietor and winemaker Michael Muscardini. The Muscardini Cellars sits on the main Sonoma Highway that is the arterial route along the eastern spine of Sonoma Valley, across from notable Kenwood Cellars, just up the road from Kunde Winery and Vineyards, south of the Chateau St Jean Winery and Vineyards. We’ve visited all of those neighbors during visits to the area.
Muscardini produces wine sourced from grower’s vineyards thoughout the region. He produces Old World Italian varietal based wines crafting Sangiovese, Barbera, Brunello-style vintages and Super Tuscan-style wines, His website pronounces, “Muscardini Cellars wine conjures up a la dolce vita celebration which reflects Michael’s indefatigable tasting and lifestyle research on his sojourns to Italy.”
It appears Muscardini only produces wines sourced from growers which whom he has forged relationships with since founding Muscardini Cellars more than fifteen years ago, sourcing some of the area’s finest fruit in pursuit of superb Italian blends and non-Italian varietals met with an Italian winemaking approach. As such, they don’t appear to own an estate vineyards of their own. I call such producers ‘vanity producers’ and have suggested these are not wines to collect over the long term, unless their vineyard grower contracts are secure over the term. Otherwise, the wines will not maintain a consistent terroir profile if the sources change from year to year.
Muscardini produces a broad portfolio of red and white wines sourced from vineyards across Sonoma County as well as Redwood Valley up in Mendocino County, and down to the Carneros District in southern Napa Valley.
Muscardini Cellars Tesoro (Treasure) Proprietary Red Blend 2019
This Tesoro, which in Italian means ‘Treasure’ is a Proprietary Red Blend forged in an important legacy for Muscardini, whose grandfather made wine in Italy before emigrating to America in 1909. Fifteen years ago, Michael Muscardini first blended Sangiovese, Syrah, and Cabernet grapes to create his signature Tesoro, an homage to his grandfather and his Italian heritage. Muscardini’s Tesoro became the winery’s flagship label, with numerous vintages receiving 90+ point ratings and “Best of Class” awards at various competitions.
This Super-Tuscan style blend consists of 52% Sangiovese, 26% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 22% Syrah. It is produced to honor Muscardini’s family heritage of drinking fine red wines in Italy, using the revered Italian varietal Sangiovese as the core grape in his proprietary red blend,
He blends in Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah as a personalized touch and a California twist to the other half of the blend, two French grape varieties that perform extremely well in the rocky soils and warm climate conditions in Sonoma Valley.
It’s difficult to determine the source of the fruit in this blend since it is not specified in the wine descriptions.
Researching and parsing the numerous 2019 vintage releases, Muscardini sources 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon from BWise Estate and Madrone Ridge, both in the Moon Mountain District in Sonoma, and the Rancho Salina Vineyard, a hillside grape growing estate in the rocky, high-elevation, also in the Moon Mountain District above Sonoma Valley. He also sourced 2019 Cabernet from Cassata is a small, family-owned estate, on the eastern bench of Sonoma Valley right next to Ridge Vineyards' historic Pagani Ranch, just outside the town of Glen Ellen.
Muscardini sources 2019 vintage release Sangiovese from several sites across Sonoma Valley including Alice Vineyards, the Santo Giordano Vineyards, located on the southeastern edge of Sonoma Valley in the Carneros appellation, the Pauli Ranch Vineyards in Redwood Valley up in Mendocino County.
Syrah for 2019 vintage release is found sourced from the Vadasz Vineyards in the heart of Sonoma Valley and with fruit from the Rancho Salina Vineyard in the rocky, high-elevation Moon Mountain District above Sonoma Valley
.
With the range of varietals and wide range of potential vineyard sources, it might explain the flavor profile of this wine - lacking focus or definition, rather, showing a cacophony of flavors, lacking integration, balance one might find in a more polished elegant representation. This may also explain why Wine Enthusiast refers to the blend as a California designation - as opposed to Napa, or Sonoma, or Mendocino - it’s composed from all of those.
Winemakers Tasting Notes - - “Led by its striking dark crimson hue, this Super Tuscan style wine opens with aromas of ripe berries and black fruits, interwoven with hints of vanilla, caramel, raw tobacco, leather, clove, blood orange peel, and roasted walnuts. On the palate, the rich and generous flavors of briary blackberry, dark cherry, ripe plum, cassis, and red pear are enhanced with nuances of wild sage, cinnamon, black pepper, dark chocolate, and a kiss of fine oak. As the wine opens in the glass, the smooth velvety texture is balanced with bright acidity, supple tannins, and firm structure. The result is a stylish proprietary blend that is robust, elegant, and showy in its youth, and strengthened by layers of complexity, natural richness, and backbone that will allow the personality of the wine to expand in the cellar.”
Wine Enthusiast rated this release 89 points. Muscardini 2019 Tesoro Red Blend (California). They conclude their review with, “Subtle toast and baking spice notes keep it interesting from the aroma through the finish.”
Dark garnet colored, medium full bodied, firmly structured ripe black berry and black currant fruits accented with notes of baking spices, black tea, pain grille, tobacco leaf and leather with moderate tannins on the finish.
RM 89 points.
