Casa Nuestra

There go owner Gene Kirkham and winemaker Allen Price again, having fun with us. This duo has been cutting up since the 1980s over there on the Silverado Trail near St. Helena, especially with their Two Goats Red, whose blend differs with each vintage. The small, rustic winery says of this wine, that it is “dedicated to the Weed Abatement staff.” You might have guessed that the so-called staff is a pair of Nubian goats named Nava and Cross, who clean up the property while filling their considerable bellies.

What we have then, is a fun wine that has substance and gives a whole lot of pleasure without emptying your wallet. The aromas are reminiscent of a berry patch – blackberry, blueberry and wild cherry – with some hints of cinnamon and a tinge of bittersweet chocolate. The wine is very well balanced with tar in the front and minerality on the finish. In the middle is a soft wine with supple tannins, which will help the wine age for a half-dozen years.

The blend spent 19 months in second- and third-year French barrels. The listed alcohol is 13.9 percent, and alas, there were just under 300 cases produced. You go goats! – baah, baah.

Reviewed September 26, 2006 by Alan Goldfarb.