Ceago Vinegarden

Nothing else smells like Muscat Canelli. At its best, its aromas are ingratiatingly sweet without being cloying, outgoing without being overbearing. The aromas of this Canelli from Lake County are so vividly sweet and fruity it's like you’re having a 3D experience of a 2D movie.

This wine is an accurate representation of the vintner behind Ceàgo, Jim Fetzer, who launched the winery immediately upon expiration of the ten-year non-compete agreement he and his siblings were bound by when they sold Fetzer Vineyards to drinks conglomerate Brown Forman in 1992. Fetzer likes to let his creations do his talking, and that includes his vineyards near Clear Lake (all farmed biodynamically, right down to the sheep and chickens), the impressive resort complex he’s building on the lakeshore, and the vineyards he’s preparing in the hills further north.

It’s the same with his wines: they’re never boring. The 2005 Muscat Canelli is surprisingly light on its feet in your mouth, holding its shape and sweetness as it slips down your throat like velvet. With exquisite understatement, it leaves the merest hint of something sweet, so that you're ready for another sip almost immediately.

Reviewed June 20, 2006 by Thom Elkjer.