Wellington Vineyards is a small, family operation along Dunbar Rd. in Glen Ellen. Their vineyard estate tasting room is a fun visit on a stretch of Dunbar Rd. and Arnold Dr. that also includes Mayo, Loxton, and Eric Ross, among other enjoyable tasting rooms. They bottle over 20 current releases, from Rhone white varietals to red and white ports and almost everything in between, and offer complimentary tastings of up to five wines at the tasting room. "The Duke" is their highly anticipated value-priced proprietary red blend of Zinfandel, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petit Verdot - their "pizza wine", as the tasting room staff will gladly tell you. Full disclosure: they also call a case a "twelve-day supply". :)
This wine is a deep purple in the glass, with a nice nose of dark fruits, violets, and cedar. Started out a bit tight on the palate, but opened with air to reveal medium body, smooth mouthfeel, and a solid core of acidity. Pleasant flavors of black cherry candy, plums, red currant, red apple skin, cedar, and toasty oak are up front, with subtle hints of spice and cigar box. Mild, dusty tannins lend adequate astringency. Flavors are pretty consistent through the decent, if slightly abbreviated finish, with more toasty oak emphasis coming through on the back-palate.
This wine was available for $8 at the tasting room, with quantity discounts that bring it down as low as $81.60/case. A great value at that price, simply for the fact that you are getting a small-production, Sonoma estate wine for less than $7 a bottle! Sure, it may be a little on the simple or casual side, and a little brief in the finish (read: quaffable) - but it is in an entirely different league than most mass-produced value wines at similar price points. Refreshing to see a boutique winery making an unabashed concession to the casual, value-wine contingent, without casting quality to the wayside!
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