Reviews & Ratings

2010 Blackbird Vineyards Red Blends or Varietals "Illustration"

Winery: Blackbird Vineyards

Vintage: 2010

Wine Name/Vineyard: "Illustration"

Wine Category: Red Blends or Varietals

Grape blend: 48% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, & 22% Cabernet Sauvignon

Bottle size: 750 ml

Region: Napa Valley

State or country: CA

Price: $125

Cases produced: 548

KWG Score: 93.8 (based on 6 reviews)

Ken's Wine Rating: Very Good+ (92)

Review date: July 2, 2013

Wine Review: This big boy red blend is opaque and midnight blue colored. It opens with an inviting blackberry and black cherry bouquet. On the palate, this wine is full bodied, rich and concentrated. The flavor profile is an extracted blackberry with notes of black pepper and black licorice. I also detected hints of black cherry. The finish is rather dry and its dusty tannins are sticky and last for quite some time. This wine would benefit from cellaring and near term decanting. I would pair it with a well-marbled ribeye. Enjoy - Ken

Winemaker Notes: The 2010 Illustration demonstrates elegant notes of mocha and toffee with opulent red fruit and iris aromas. The well balanced mid-palate offers great density and abundant flavors of cocoa, butterscotch and stone fruit. The finish is persistent in length with sophisticated tannins leading to a smooth mouth feel. Drinking well upon release, Illustration will age beautifully with time in the cellar. Blackbird's 2010 vintage wines showcase grapes farmed from a lower yielding harvest that produced supple wines with European-style texture and pronounced complexity,

Buy it: Use 1000 Corks to find stores that sell Blackbird 2010 Illustration.