One of the producers that have hit my radar over the last couple of years is Rubissow. This Mt. Veeder based producer has been doing impressive things with estate grown Mountain fruit dating back to the mid 80’s. Of late, they’ve ratcheted things up to another level. By dropping production levels and also physically dropping fruit on their vines they’ve shifted to a more concentrated, full bodied style of wine.
Now they have also launched a new project: Lola Kay. Lola Kay is essentially their second label. What this represents is more than that though. With the Lola Kay imprint they source their fruit from friends, neighbors and other local vineyards that have some extra high quality fruit they can’t use for one reason or another. While the vineyard names aren’t on the label let's just say they all come from the nice part of town. By taking advantage of surplus they get excellent deals and pass the savings on to consumers.
The first release is a blend of Cabernet Franc (52%), Merlot (35%), Syrah (10%), Cabernet Sauvignon (2.5%), and Petit Verdot (0.5%). It was aged in all French oak, 40% of the barrels were new. Lola Kay 2006 Napa Red Wine has a suggested retail price of $20. The grapes used for this project normally go into wines that sell for $40 - $50.
I tasted this wine at Rubissow last summer, and while I don’t have specific notes on it, I recall that it was a tasty wine that complemented the main portfolio well. From my memory I recollect it representing a very nice value as well. It's good to see that it's out on shelves now.
Look for an extensive interview with Peter Rubissow to be posted here soon.