2003 Sebastiani Secolo - $30.00

June 17, 2006

Background: The Sebastiani winery in Sonoma Valley, California was founded in 1904 by Samuele Sebastiani who immigrated from Tuscany, Italy in 1895. The Secolo series of wines was introduced in 2004 with the 2001 vintage to celebrate Sebastiani's first century of winemaking. The word "secolo" means century in Italian. The 2003 vintage is a Bordeaux-style blend of 88.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Petite Verdot, and 2.5% Merlot. The Cabernet Sauvignon came from Alexander Valley, the Petite Verdot from Rancho Miguel, and the Merlot from Sebastiani's Cherryblock Vineyard in Sonoma Valley. The wine was aged for 13 months in French Chateau oak.

My Tasting Notes: I typically don't buy wines that I haven't tasted, especially $30 bottles of wine, but the wine shop owner guaranteed me that I would love this wine. He was right. This is probably one of the better wines I have ever had. The brawny nose is all black tea and smoke with hints of cherries and rough belt leather. This wine is full-bodied with spicy flavors of charred oak, black cherries, herbs, and traces of loamy earth. The "wow" factor of this wine are the complex tannins and finish. At first the wine is supple almost silky, allowing you to experience the fruit flavors, then the tannins kick in, accentuating the oak and herbal flavors, and finally the finish is long with subdued spiciness. A wonderfully complex wine.  

The Meal: I enjoyed this wine with a medium-rare New York strip steak, sautéed mushrooms, and rice pilaf. A perfect pairing. The charred oak flavors of the wine mixed well with the grilled flavors of the steak, and the complex, structured tannins did an outstanding job of managing the richness of the steak.  

My Score: 92

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