2012 Rocca “Vespera” Red Wine

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$40 (retail) Wine Club pricing reflected in receipt

From the Rocca web site:  In 1999, Mary Rocca and Eric Grigsby ended their three-year search for the perfect estate when they found a 21-acre vineyard nestled deep in the heart of the Napa Valley where the pair had made their home for over a decade. After renaming the new parcel The Grigsby Vineyard, Mary devoted her full attention to the new project, while Eric continued to cultivate a career as one of the nation’s most respected pain management physicians.

Mary called upon renowned winemaker Celia Welch Masyczek to produce the label’s first vintages. The debut bottling was the 2000 syrah, but Rocca really got on the map in 2002, when its Grigsby Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon came in #1 in a blind tasting of 12 Rising Star Cabernets at the Vintners Club tasting in the U.S. Later, the wine was taken with a group of 12 other cabernets to show in France’s 12 Best Cabernets from California. It came in #1 over there as well.

The following year, Mary purchased the 11-acre Colinetta Vineyard, planted on a small hill in the Coombsville Appellation, several miles east of downtown Napa. These two vineyards produce some of the Valley’s finest wine grapes, and in turn, some of the Valley’s finest wines. In 2008, Celia passed the winemaking baton to Paul Colantuoni, who has continued to produce world-class wines under the Rocca label.

Winery Tasting Notes:  “It will come as no surprise to fans of our Vespera that the 2012 version is, once again, the crowd-pleaser of the vintage: our most forward, easily accessible, immediately delicious and enjoyable bottling of the year.  As soon as it’s poured, the wine comes across as warm and rich and inviting.  There are deep layers of dark ripe blackberry, cassis, and black cherry aromas here, comfortably interwoven with subtle hints of oak spice, cinnamon, nutmeg and milk chocolate.  This is a gorgeously soft, smooth blend that lushly coats the entire palate without a hint of heaviness or astringency.  The lab numbers insist that there’s a lot of tannin here for extended ageability, but it’s our trademark silky-smooth Rocca tannin, and it’s almost invisible behind the wine’s expressive, sumptuous dark fruit finish.  This is a wine that’s ready for full enjoyment right out of the gate, and we hope you’ll have a wonderful time sharing it with close friends and family.”

Blend:  69% cabernet sauvignon; 26% merlot; 5% syrah

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