Just came back from the Obelisco 2022 Fall Release Tasting Party and had a great time! It was nice to sample the 2019 Syrah (they haven't released a Syrah since 2014). The 2019 Elektrum was juicy, and the 2017 Cab had nice complexity and is amazing to drink now.
RELEASE NOTES FROM OBELISCO:
2019 OBELISCO Electrum Cabernet Sauvignon
AVA: Red Mountain
Winemakers: Ken Abbott,, Hope Nastri Blend: 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, 3% Malbec
Vineyards: 100% Obelisco Bottling: 409 cases 750ml
Alcohol: 15.7% vol
Barrels: 40% new oak; 100% French
Tasting Notes: Dark purple, magenta inky color. Like years past, the nose starts with blueberries, but with a bit of bright cranberry like aroma, with vanilla bean and and mellow tea spice. The wine starts on the palate with the familiar silkiness with wild berry fruit slightly brighter than the nose. It quickly settles to the darker fruit of blueberry with hints of other dark berries like boysenberry all while being tempered by a balanced spice dominated by vanilla. This continues through the mid-palate and into the tail. On the tail, your taste buds are left with the impression of fresh berries, vanilla, and basil.
Cellaring: Because it is made from Red Mountain grapes this wine should age well for the next 12 to 15 years. Because it is Obelisco fruit, it is soft and inviting now for wine that is 91% Cabernet.
2017 Cabernet
AVA: Red Mountain
Winemakers: Ken Abbott, Ali Mayfield Blend: 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Malbec
Vineyards: 100% Obelisco Estate Vineyard
Bottling: 434 cases 750ml Alcohol: 14.8% vol.
Barrels: 100% French Oak, 20 months in the barrel. 30% new Oak, 70% neutral
Tasting Notes: Rich purple/Magenta color. A sniff of the wine in the glass reveals a mix of wild berries, including raspberries, blackberries, blueberry, and salmon berry. The nose is nicely rounded with subtle spice finishing with vanilla. It is a full palate experience with the same fruit you smell on the nose with an acidity akin to a thimble berry. The spice and vanilla balance the fruit in this wine into a very pleasing finish with a perfect blend of all the flavors. The tail of this wine and the full palate experience leave you with the perfect impression of everything that is wonderful about Red Mountain Cabernet. Quintessential Red Mountain.
Cellaring: Because of the way this wine is made combined with the fact it is 100% Red Mountain Cab, it should age well for the next 10 to 15 years. It is amazing right now.
2019 OBELISCO Syrah
AVA: Red Mountain
Winemakers: Ken Abbott, Hope Nastri Vineyards: Red Heaven, Obelisco Bottling: 275 cases 750ml
Blend: 87% Syrah, 9% Cabernet, 4% Malbec
Alcohol: 15.3% vol.
Barrels: 30% new - 100% French
Tasting Notes: Deep, dark purple color. On the nose, there is blackberry aroma with dried basil, soft spice, vanilla, and a bit of cocoa. On the palate this wine is full, lush and silky with blackberry fruit, rounded spices, toasted oak and hints of graham cracker and wild berry. It is surprisingly soft, but the flavor presence wakes up the taste buds. The mouth feel is lush and smooth on the entry, dances on your tongue with some subtle acids and then leaves a long tail of rich fruit and spice.
Cellaring: Because it is made from quality Red Mountain and Obelisco grapes this wine should age well for the next 5 to 10 years easily. Should get silkier with age.
