2003 Robert Craig Affinity

[oostexan]

The next note in my on-going obsession with Robert Craig wines. :-) I appreciate the collective patience of this board to my obsessive compulsive behaviour....

So after this past weekends Robert Craig wine dinner at Sullivan's, I thought I would cork a bottle from my last trip to the winery and see how things tasted in my own kitchen. In so doing, I created a reason to throw a couple ribeyes on the grill and get things smoking around the house.

Corked the wine, poured in large Reidels, then let it breath for 45 minutes before drinking. Ended up needing another 30 minutes or so to come to life, but what a delicious wine.

In a day of hundred dollar Napa blends, this wine must drive a lot of winemakers nuts. Deep dark fruit on the nose, rich core of black cherries and sweet fruit, then toasty oak leads a nice long yummy finish. Not overly concentrated or tannic, so the Merlot, Cab Franc, and Petit Verdot are just enough to keep it fruity and approachable now. Finally, there is an elegance and structure to this wine that really is appealing to those who want to drink a delicious, sophisticated, and compelling wine without needing a tongue transplant (or second mortgage).

Though it drinks well as a young wine, I would think that it needs a couple years in the cellar to come together, but has the structure to last several. I plan to have a few cases to find out.

At a retail price of 40 dollars (I get it for 32 by being in the wine club), this is a very distinctive wine at a fair price.

Mark