Ah, Ménage à Trois. It's not a super pricey brand but I have a special fondness for it. The Folie à Deux winery used to have a tasting room right on Highway 29, just outside of St. Helena. And it was one of the favorite Napa winery experiences. I mean...they're kind of all my favorites, in one way or another, but Folie à Deux was fun! It was unpretentious in a way that reminded me of early Paso Robles.
The wine is fun, too. It doesn't take itself too seriously. Granted, it's not as nuts as Apothic, for example, with its red wine and coffee blend (which, sure, that sounds like something I'd like, but OMG--no, no, NO!). But it goes out on plenty of questionable limbs. Exotic White? Hot Pink Rosé? Silk?
Silk is supposed to be soft, by the way. And it is. Far too much so, for my tastes. Midnight is better, in my opinion, and I happen to have a bottle of it on hand, so...more about that, later.
Today, however, I'm writing about the 2021 Winemakers Red Blend. It's a classic Ménage à Trois red wine. A very jammy blending of Cabernet, Merlot, and Zinfandel. Three wines--hence the Ménage à Trois label. It took me SO DAMN LONG to make that connection! It's like California in a glass. Jammy, fruit forward, a little floral on the nose, the tannins are there, but are balanced by the Merlot. It's not a particularly noteworthy wine, you're probably not going to sit there and savor every sip. But, on the other hand, do you really want (or need) every glass of wine to be a religious experience?
This is a very nice, very drinkable every day red wine. Ain't nothing wrong with that.
Side note: Last time I was in Napa, the tasting room there had closed. I believe they've relocated to Sonoma now.
My favorite visit there was when Kelly Jamieson came for a visit and we toured the valley (with a stay in Calistoga, at the Hot Springs hotel). Folie à Deux was our first stop and it was perfect. SO MANY plot bunnies! Eventually, I'll get to talk all about that, as well. Soon, I hope. But we're mostly waiting on ME, so...I need to stop whining about that and get back to work!
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