Ella Valley Vineyards EverRed 2004

Ella Valley Vineyards does a very nice job with their wines, but some of their wines require more time in the bottle. This wine is a good example of that issue.

According to the label, the wine was aged in oak for fourteen months, has spices, and is smooth. In other words, the wine is ready to drink now.

When I opened the wine, it was rough and not very enjoyable at all. I decanted the wine to give it every opportunity to settle down — it's only a 2004 vintage and shouldn't need much air, after all — but it never did. I resealed the bottle, put it aside in the refrigerator, and opened it again every day. After about four or five days, I managed to get a glass of decent wine out of the bottle.

In other words, this wine, surprisingly, needs a great deal more time in the bottle before it's ready to drink. I've cellared some other Ella Valley Vineyards wines for a couple of year to see how they turn out, but this wine doesn't seem to hold much promise.

I am a bit dismayed to have to give this wine a low rating, but I'm judging it according to its label: it's simply not as advertised.