2004 Prevail Back Forty Red Wine, Alexander Valley CA

This is a special bottle that we had been holding onto for some time after picking it up at the Ferrari-Carano winery back on December 13, 2008.  We gave it a nickname of "ocho-cinco" because of how much it costs.  If you've never been wine tasting at the Ferrari-Carano winery I highly recommend it, not only for the great wine but for the exclusive tasting room called the Enoteca Reserve Tasting Bar - located underneath the main shop and tasting area. 

We brought this bottle with us to Bacar restaurant on New Year's Eve last Thursday (12.31.09).  I think our expectations for this bottle exceeded the actual taste and quality of the wine to be honest.  Maybe it was the price that influenced our opinions - or maybe it was our memory of how great it tasted back in December 2008.  Whatever the case, the wine went well with our meals but when first opened had a somewhat sour finish that subsided after some time.  For some reason, I thought this wine was a Cabernet Sauvignon but when we pulled it out and actually read the label last week we realized that it was a red blend defined only as having "superior grapes from the Alexander Valley".  It would be great to actually know which varietals are in the bottle.  The flavor was fairly complex with currant and ripe black cherry flavors and a soft finish - no significant tannins.  More info and tasting notes can be found here.

I guess if we had to do it over again, we would have brought a more specific varietal instead of a blend and try and pair it with the meal.  The dinner was great and the wine went well with the meal - it just fell short of my expectations since it was a special night for Rachel and I (New Years Eve). Winery Map