Winemaker's Notes:
A perfect chilled red - this has been a dream of mine for quite some time. I don’t enjoy the bitterness often found in ice cold red wines. I want the wine to be plush and zesty and easy to drink but with distinctive aromas like my favorite whites. This wine is dedicated to that dream. It is soft on the palate but not devoid of intensity. It tastes just as good straight out of the cold box as it does when it warms gently in your hands.
Tasting Notes:
Beautiful aromas greet the nose out of the glass, suggesting raspberry, wild strawberry, damp forest floor, mushroom earthiness and a hint of toasted wood. This lighter-bodied red wine has well-integrated, fine-grained tannins that add textural structure without overwhelming the delicate fruits. The palate confirms the nose but opens to further notes of fresh and dried black fig, fennel fronds and tarragon. Overall, the wine is delicate, nuanced and well balanced. JIM GORDON, Wine Enthusiast, 93pts
Vineayard:
Shake Ridge Ranch is a magical enclave in the Amador County AVA. It is farmed and owned by celebrated viticulturalist Ann Kraemer and her family. The organically farmed vineyard slopes and dives across many different soil configurations with an emphasis on quartz speckled granitic soils. This one-of-kind site produces some of the richest Spanish, Italian and Rhone varietal expressions in California. The viticultarist and owner, Ann Kraemer, is a master in her craft and a true wizard of the vine.
Olivia's Story:
On a summer's day in Paris in 1903 Oliiva Brion soared through the skies in a motorized airbart 5 months before the Wright Brother's would dominate the press. She flew from Neuilly St. Jeames to the nothern end of Bois de Boulonge, tracing the path of her dear friend Aida de Acosta's flight only weeks befoe.
Olivia Brion would tease Alberto Santos-Dumont, the owner of dirigible No. 9, for keeping a photo of Aida on his desk for the rest of his life. Aida would remain their Mon Amour Interdit (forbidden lover as she was prohibited by her family's propriety to speak of her adventures with Olivia and Alberto.
The Inspiration - Aida de Acosta:
This wine is an homage to Aida de Acosta, a Cuban American, who in 1903 became the first woman to fly a motorized aircraft. This was 6mo before the Wright Brothers took to the skies. She was 19 at the time and had 3 days of lessons. She flew dirigble No. 9 from Paris to the polo field at Chateau de Bagatelle, while the owner, Alberto Santos-Dumont, rode his bicycle along below, waving his arms and shouting advice. She stayed to watch the match between the British and Americans then flew back to Paris. She would keep her solo flight secret for 30 years as she came from a society family that would have considered her adventure uncouth.
She divulged the story 30 years later to her then husband. Meanwhile, Alberto Santos Dumont kept a photo of Aida on his desk next to a vase of flowers for the rest of his life. This wine is dedicated that the unrequited love and thusly name My Forbidden Lover (Mon Amour Interdit).
Later in life Aida lost sight in one eye and went on to raise $3 million in funds to establish the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins Hospital.
