2007 Etude GBR Grace Benoist Ranch

The 2007 GBR is a blend of primarily Merlot. It offers terrific aromas of licorice, damp forest floor, blueberries, boysenberries and black currants. Its dark color is accompanied by an elegant, impressively rich, supple-textured, round, seductive wine to drink over the next decade or more. Tony Soter has sold Etude to the Beringer Group and is now ensconced in Oregon’s Willamette Valley where he is turning out a bevy of beautiful wines. (His rose sparkling wine from there is exquisite.) He still consults for these projects. Etude’s Pinot Noirs tend to spend 12-14 months in French oak according to the vintage and the quality of the fruit. Etude’s three 2007 Cabernet Sauvignons showcase the generic Napa appellations and single AVAs such as Rutherford and Oakville. Tel. (707) 257-5300; Fax (707) 257-6022