Wine Wednesday: William Chris Enchante

 

I think William Chris has to be one of my very favorite Texas wineries--not so much for the wine as for their website and the fabulous tasting notes. Here's the link to the page for Enchante:

https://williamchriswines.com/product/2021-enchante

I love their Winemaking and Vineyard notes. I wish EVERY winery would do this. This is, in fact, one of my favorite things about wine tasting. I find it endlessly fascinating to learn how long the grapes were fermented, and in what and for how long. I love knowing what percentage of what type of grapes has gone into the wine I'm drinking and where those grapes were grown. 

So, well done Willian Chris. 

On the other hand, I'm not sure I'd describe this (or any other) wine as they have done as, "brooding, wild, and sexy." I mean...really? Just how much wine did they drink to reach that conclusion?

It's a very nice wine, however. I definitely got the "lingering black cherry finish" along with the blackberry jam nose and cinnamon. And I think my recent favorite term--off dry--has now been supplanted by the ineffable, "almost full body." 

In any event...one thing they don't say on the website--but which I've learned thanks to the research I've done for one of the books I'm currently working on--is that  this wine is what's known as a Meritage. 

Here's an excerpt from the book (whose title has not yet been announced--really NOTHING about this series has been announced, and that's mostly my fault since my book is the one that's not finished yet). These are song lyrics, meant to be sung to the tune of I am the Very Model of a Modern Major General. And since the book is set in California, that's in the title and lyrics. But the wine doesn't HAVE to be from California to be a Meritage. Enjoy! 

And if you want to be among the first to learn more about this book/series, you can either  subscribe to my newsletter (https://www.pgforte.com/newsletter ) or join my reader group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheCronesNest/).

I am a Pricey Bottle of a California Meritage©

(Sung to the tune of “I am the very Model of a Modern Major General”)

 

I am a pricey bottle of a California Meritage,

(A word that combines merit in a portmanteau with heritage).

I’m only made from “noble” wines, those vintned from a Bordeaux vine,

’Cause that is what it takes to make a California Meritage.

 

You start with two or more of these particular varieties,

Cabernet (Sauvingnon or Franc), St. Macaire or Carménère,

Malbec, Merlot, Petit Verdot, or possibly some Gros Verdot,

For that is what you’ll need, you know, for a California Meritage.

 

You have to use the very best of these specific vintages,

Adjusted with a sweet finesse like all the best of marriages,

To best ensure my taste is great, no single grape can dominate,

’Cause otherwise I will not rate as a California Meritage.

 

I’m known for being robust with a silky-smooth complexity,

I’m good to drink while young but I’m renowned for aging beautifully,

I’m more than just a simple blend, and that is why I am a TREND!

And why you pay the big bucks for a California Meritage.