Stony Ridge Winery

They say blends are the real chance for a winemaker to pull out all the stops and cook up something that truly reflects his or her personality. When you have more than one cook in the kitchen, it can get really interesting.

So it is with this Stony Ridge red blend. Ororosso is the collaboration of Stony Ridge owner/winemaker Dale Vaughn-Bowen, and her former consulting winemaker, Tom Lane (he of Concannon fame). It distinctively reflects the strong personalities of both: Tom’s quiet, self-assured nature, much like a deep, fast-flowing stream, and Dale’s serene, engaging and resilient warmth, like a peach and blueberry cobbler right out of the oven. Together, they created a wine with staying power and versatility.

This is a favorite of mine: it’s big, bold, serious wine, with all the right flavors to make it work with a variety of foods: and, the bigger the better. It’s a combo of great Sangiovese from the renowned Crackerbox vineyard in Livermore, plus a little from the Crooked Vine estate, Petite Sirah from Blue Oak/Rios-Lovell and Cabernet Franc from the De Rose vineyard in the Cienega Valley. Now that might sound odd on paper, but it works wonders. It’s earthy-smelling, with unmistakable dark purple plums, clay and black pepper. It practically explodes on your palate with rich, ripe mocha-dusted cherries, plums, mint, dark chocolate, caramel and spicy pepper. This wine is an amazing cornucopia of experiences: you’ll keep coming back for more. Try some with your next rib eye steak or meaty lasagna.

Reviewed August 1, 2006 by Laura Ness.