Cielo's 2010 Knights Valley Meritage

If you've been to Malibu, you've probably driven by Sip.  It's the cool, eclectic little wine bar that looks like its a dusty biker bar off the Kanan as you drive through the canyon to the coast.  While it would be tough for anyone to argue the defendable merits of grapes grown in SoCal, Sip (owned by the same company that owns Cielo) has been clever enough to sell their Napa-based wines here as well.

The wines are usually fun and different than the standard "single vineyard" approach out of Napa, with blends taking the priority alongside great names like "Purple Haze" or "Honey Pie".  This particular wine doesn't quite live up to its potential, delivering an aroma of dust and leather to the nose and a taste of broad tannins with less fruit than most would expect from Napa-based grapes.  In fact, I would have said the wine tasted more like it was from Bordeaux (usually from the soil), or as my neighbor calls it, "poop" wine because of the taste of dirt it carries (which I think rounds out the wine).

I think most of the SoCal palates will enjoy their BlackBird or Purple Haze more, and for a $40 wine that is hard to find unless you live local or join the wine club, there are probably better options for the rest of us, too.

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