M5 Red Rhône Blend, Santa Barbara County
$1.00
| Country | USA |
|---|---|
| Region | California |
| Producer | Margerum |
| Size | 750mL |
| Style | Red |
| Grapes | Cinsault, Counoise, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah |
| Other Features | Indigenous yeasts |
M5 is Margerum’s Flagship wine. It is modeled after top wines from the southern Rhône, mainly Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The M is for Margerum & the 5 is for 5 grapes: Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cinsault, and Counoise. M5 has elegance and layers, making it a versatile table and food wine. The overlying presence of Grenache flavors initially impacts the palate, followed by hints of jam, cocoa and dark berry notes.
Syrah adds richness and power, Mourvèdre earthy, old world notes, Counoise aromatics of watermelon and Cinsault brings spiciness to the mix.
This cuvée is made largely from estate grapes, completed by purchased ones. It is vinified in a reductive style. Aged in 50% neutral puncheons and 50% neutral and a few new barrels. Finish primary/secondary in barrel. Then blended. Never racked.
Aromas of red fruits, dried cranberries and jammy youthful fruits come immediately to the fore, with perfumed Grenache and rose petal floral aromas. Alcohol 14.4%.
About the Producer
Doug Margerum has been involved in the Santa Barbara food and wine scene for over 35 years. He owned Wine Cask, which in 1994 became one of 74 restaurants in the world to earn the Wine Spectator Grand Award. It was sold in 2007.
Doug launched the Santa Barbara Wine Cask Futures Program in 1984, which elevated the exposure nationally of Santa Barbara Wine Country. From 1986 to 1998, he owned Vita Novawinery with Bob Lindquist (Qupé) and Jim Clendenen (Au Bon Climat). In 2001, Margerum Wine Company began in a tiny 240 square foot cold room behind Brander Vineyards. The philosophy: return wine making to its previous form of production – handcrafted and personal.
Margerum Wine Company produces limited quantities of wines made from both grapes grown on the Estate Vineyard and grapes purchased from other top vineyards from in and around Santa Barbara County. The 18 acre Estate Vineyard is planted exclusively to Rhône grape varieties. The acreage is divided between limestone hillsides and gravelly alluvial flatlands along Alamo Pintado Creek. The wines are now made at their state-of-the-art winery located on Industrial Way in Buellton. Margerum carefully selects the vineyards with meticulous attention to detail in all factors influencing the ultimate quality of the wines, including pruning, soil, climate, and farming methods.
Margerum primarily produces M5 (a Rhône varietal red blend), single vineyard Syrahs, a co-fermented Syrah called Über, Sybarite Sauvignon Blanc, M5 White (a Rhône varietal white blend) and Riviera Rose. Doug works with the top vineyards from the cool, eastern end of the valley in Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara to the cold vineyards of Sta. Rita Hills towards the western end of the valley.
Doug’s unique background with retail wine sales, as the sommelier/owner of a Grand Award restaurant and as a wine maker made him sought out by a variety of wineries to assist in the formation of their brands. Doug has consulted for Chêne Bleu super Rhône wines in France, and continues to consult for Happy Canyon Vineyards, and Robert Lieff’s Tipping Tree wines in the Los Olivos District, all in Santa Barbara County, as well as the Santa Barbara wines of Paradise Springs Winery based in Virginia.
Margerum
