If you’re going to venture off the beaten path, and you know you should, why not experience the wines made by a true grit country girl. Patti Bello, the owner and winemaker at B & E Vineyard is not only a cowgirl with cutting skills, she is an expert at cultivating balanced yet complex flavors in red wines.
Bordeaux varietals show off their vibrant flavors at this “Tasting Saloon” in the middle of rolling hills that feed their vines. A ’13 Merlot had bright cherry flavors with light berry influence. No overripe fruit here! The ’13 Rhythm blend has lush cherry, silky tannins, and lots of vanilla and spice integrated. Their ’13 Cabernet Sauvignon is a lovely wine with a deep dark cherry body and soft supple tannins that lead to a long velvet finish.
Other tasting room guests traveled from Santa Barbara just for a bottle of their ’09 Merlot, which was sold out, naturally. So, Patti opened an ’09 Rhythm blend, which contains some of this popular ’09 Merlot and it was as thick and rich as chocolate milk. Decadent rich plum and lush cherry flavors in this wine made it a great finish.
But that was not the final finish. A fortified Que Sera has the delightful richness to finish a feast yet no heavy sweetness. Not sure how they do that but this dessert wine is a find!
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