Wine Recommendation
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Wine Recommendation

Wine: McRitchie Winery & Ciderworks 2007 Ring of Fire  (Yadkin Valley)

McRitchie Winery & Ciderworks

2007 Ring of Fire
(Yadkin Valley)



McRitchie’s Ring of Fire Red, “our tribute to the man in black” (Johnny Cash), is a juicy blend of bright fruit, brimming with flavors of black and red currants, hints of blueberry, licorice and black cherry. This lively red is already drinking well, with its youthful fruit, good balance and structure – which might allow it to age with interest, but it is so tasty now, why wait?

Sean McRitchie, who grew up in Oregon’s Willamette Valley where his father Bob McRitchie was a winemaker, won the 2008 North Carolina Winegrower’s Cup for his out-standing contributions to NC winegrowing and viticulture. In his small winery in the northern Yadkin Valley in the little hamlet of Thurmond, McRitchie produces limited quantities of wine in a garage transformed into a winery with a lower level cellar (chai) of oak barrels. McRitchie also makes unoaked and barrel-fermented Chardonnays, Pinot Gris, Merlot, a dry Rosé of Sangiovese, and two hard ciders from local mountain-grown apples, one very dry, one lightly sweet. McRitchie wines have already gained a reputation for style and quality. The winery bears watching.

Reviewed November 30, 2008 by Barbara Ensrud.




Other reviewed wines from McRitchie Winery & Ciderworks

 

The Wine

Winery: McRitchie Winery & Ciderworks
Vintage: 2007
Wine: Ring of Fire
Appellation: Yadkin Valley
Grapes: Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon
Price: 750ml $18.00

Review Date: 11/30/2008

The Reviewer

Barbara Ensrud

Barbara Ensrud has been writing about and reviewing wines since 1979, with a nationally syndicated column for the New York Daily News and numerous other publications. Her “no numbers” approach to evaluating wine is simple: how does it taste – on its own, as well as with particular foods? Is it good value, whether $10 or $210? Does it measure up in terms of varietal character and regional identity? …"When I taste a good wine, I can't wait to share it with fellow wine lovers."