2004 Port, Sonoma Mountain Estate
Winemaker Notes
Made from the Benziger family's Sonoma Mountain Estate Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, this ruby red wine showcases the signature black fruit flavors, sturdy tannins and rich mouthfeel of this renowned grape growing region. The grapes for this lot were picked and crushed on September 23 (Merlot) & August 28 (Cabernet Sauvignon). This wine was fermented for 23 days before being arrested by the addition of brandy. The wine was pressed to tank to settle for 3 days before being moved to barrels. It was barrel aged for 10 months in older American oak. The wine was bottled in August 2005. Alcohol: 19.5%, Total acidity: .62, pH: 3.72, Residual sugar: 9.9
Tasting Notes
This is an intensely flavored, full bodied port of excellent quality. It has an intense aroma (blackberry, plum, chocolate, spicy oak), and is full, rich, and long on the palate, showing a hint of oak on the finish. Enjoy with full flavored cheese, walnut torte or semi-sweet chocolate desserts (flourless chocolate torte).
Benziger History
Twenty-five years ago, Mike and Mary Benziger first drove up Sonoma Mountain and saw the overgrown ranch that would become Benziger Family Winery. They purchased the land with the help of Mike's father, Bruno Benziger, a wine and spirits importer from New York. A year later, Bruno and his wife Helen, along with their two youngest children (Chris and Kathy), moved west to help start the winery. Mike's siblings, Bob, Joe and Jerry Benziger and Patsy Benziger-Wallace soon joined the family in Glen Ellen. Today, more than two-dozen Benzigers live on and around the estate winery in Sonoma County and eight family members actively produce and sell Benziger wines.
Karen Ernsberger