2006 Blackbird Illustration

The 2006 Illustration, a blend of 86% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, offers sweet, smoky, cola, black currant, coffee, new saddle leather, cocoa, spice box, and tobacco characteristics as well as a lush, round, heady mouthfeel. The finish is filled with sweet, velvety tannins and lush fruit. Enjoy it over the next 12-15+ years. This impressive portfolio was assembled by winemaker Aaron Pott and consulting winemaker Sarah Gott (her husband owns the incredibly successful fast-food chain of Taylor’s Refresher in San Francisco, Napa, and St. Helena – which makes the best cheeseburger and Ahi burger in the land). All of these offerings reveal beautiful balance, suppleness, and intensity. Production runs between 200-300 cases for most of the cuvees, with the Illustration maxing out at 1,200 cases. Blackbird’s mission statement is to make artisanal, Pomerol-inspired wines from Napa Valley, and they appear to be succeeding. The estate vineyard is in the Oak Knoll district, which is well-known for deep, loamy, gravelly soils. Tel. (707) 252-4444; Fax (707) 252-9999