A decade ago, Edward William Lefferts was a student at Arizona State and met Monique Marie while they were both restaurant employees. This year, they released their first wine of commercial scale – the realization of the vision that prompted them to leave Phoenix for Portland in 2010. Rather than join the Pinot Noir herd, they got rolling with five barrels of Cabernet Sauvignon from Firethorn Vineyard, a 49-acre site near Echo, Ore., originally planted in 2006 as Flying B Vineyard by retired NFL star Drew Bledsoe. The Bales family took over after the 2010 harvest, and these days, the Grass Widow Block vines are managed by Billo Naravane of Rasa Vineyards fame. Five different barrels – each French, but just one was new – make for sweet oak notes with clove, Starbucks Coffee Liqueur, bubble gum and cranberry. On the palate, it’s bright and juicy with reddish fruitiness of raspberry and red currant, backed by a a pinch of sweet herbs and a finish of cranberry tea. Leffers and Marie already have received placement for this Cab at RingSide FishHouse and historic RingSide Steakhouse, Liner & Elsen Wine Merchants, Day Wines and their William Marie website. And these two members of the RingSide Hospitality Group team enjoy their Cab with beef, pork, pasta, charcuterie and cheese.
Rating: Excellent
Production: 125 cases
Alcohol: 14.5%
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