Reviews & Ratings

2012 Blackbird Vineyards Red Blends or Varietals "Illustration"

Winery: Blackbird Vineyards

Vintage: 2012

Wine Name/Vineyard: "Illustration"

Wine Category: Red Blends or Varietals

Grape blend: 64% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Franc & 2% Cabernet Sauvignon

Bottle size: 750 ml

Region: Napa Valley

State or country: CA

Price: $125

Cases produced: 840

KWG Score: 93.3 (based on 6 reviews)

Ken's Wine Rating: Excellent (94)

Review date: September 13, 2015

Wine Review: This very dark ruby Merlot based blend from Blackbird is Excellent! It opens with an attractive black cherry and blueberry bouquet. On the palate, this wine is full bodied, nice balanced, super smooth and rich. The flavor profile is a delicious blend of black cherry and black currant with beautifully integrated refined minerality and mild oak. I also detected a hint of black raspberry as well. The finish is dry and its fine tannins stick around for quite some time. This wine is terrific. I would pair this wine with a well-marbled dry-aged ribeye. Enjoy - Ken

Winemaker Notes: The 2012 Illustration demonstrates elegant notes of expresso and black licorice, with opulent red fruit and lavender aromas. The softly-structured mid-palate offers great density and abundant flavors of black cherry, tobacco and cedar. The Finish is persistent in length with sophisticated tannins leading to a smooth mouthfeel. Drinking well upon release, Illustration will age beautifully with time in the cellar. With no frost, a mild spring and summer, and a peaceful fall, the Illustration benefited from what some say was an ideal growing season.

Buy it: Use 1000 Corks to find stores that sell Blackbird 2012 Illustration.