2003 Behrens Family Old Gravelly

The 2003 Old Gravelly is a blend of 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Cabernet Franc, 19% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot. A profound wine, it boasts notions of blueberries, black raspberries, wet rocks and spring flowers in its full-bodied, opulently textured, rich, stunningly complex personality. This irresistible 2003 appears to be on a faster evolutionary track than the Dr. Crane Cuvee, but that’s a difficult call. This wine was showing so much complexity, richness and intensity that I found it a show stopper in the middle of this impressive flight of wines from Behrens. Drink this beauty over the next 10-15 years. I have seen rumors circulating on the blogs alleging a problem with the Behrens-Hitchcock synthetic closures in the winery’s early days, but all of these wines were finished with real cork. This has always been one of my favorite wineries to visit, a great family operation of young to middle-aged wine and food lovers trying to do the best they can, eschewing any arrogance given their serious talent. In short, consumers benefit from high level amateur winemaking and intense viticultural knowledge. It is hard to know in what order to taste these wines, but here goes. Tel. (707) 963-1774