Pietra Santa Winery Sacred Stone Master's Red Blend

[dananne]

"Old World Style" is all it says on the label. This wine doesn't carry an appellation or vintage designation, and it doesn't indicate the percentages in the blend, leading Anne to offer the following commentary when I popped it as a toss-away 2nd bottle of the night on Saturday: "Sounds dubious." Pietra Santa doesn't even list the wine on their website. So, we weren't expecting much.

What a pleasant surprise, then, to find it offered a dark ruby color and brambly-peppery-spice to the mix of slightly tart red and black fruits on opening, supported by the type of tannins one would expect from a "kitchen sink" blend of Syrah, Grenache, Carignan, Zin, and Sangiovese.

After a glass each, we subsequently forgot about it in the decanter, where it languished until we revisited it tonight. Even more surprisingly, after two nights of neglect, it was drinking wonderfully this evening! The tannins had softened, the fruit had turned more to the Amerone-ish prune/raisin, and some chocolate notes popped up. It still had some prickly spiciness to it, while the acidity made it seem pretty vibrant. The 14.3% alc. left a bit of heat on the finish, but that's quibbling. This was far more fun to drink than we had expected, and the complexity belied the $10 price tag.

The whole thing still sounds dubious, I know, but I'll take unexpected drinking joy where I can get it at $10. Yummy stuff, and the two nights in an open decanter would suggest it could even age a bit! Go figure! Methnks we'll be putting together a case purchase, or at the very least a half-case.

[This message has been edited by dananne (edited 01-08-2008).]

[winoweenie]

This goes on the "Look-Up" list. Tankee Dan'l. WW

[wineguruchgo]

I found it on their website:

An outstanding Rhone-style blend characterized with a dark, richly aromatic, and luscious wine that seduces the palate. Sacred Stone is soft, juicy, and expressive, with spice, earth, and mineral flavors. Serve with grilled meat, game, and wild boar Bolognese. Enjoy it now or cellar it for 2-8 years. The blend consists of 14.7% Cabernet Sauvignon,26% Merlot, 24% Red Mix Blend, 8.5% Syrah, 23.8% Sangiovese, 3% blend of Carignan and Grenache.

Sounds great! Time to try it

[VouvrayHead]

Yep, a couple of years back someone brought this as an apartment-warming gift. I was majorly dubious... $8.99 sticker still on it.
Numerous bottles later, still terrific wine, just like described above.
Great value.