People in Dallas and Florence are in for a treat this weekend. I just finished talking and tasting with Marc Moberg of Inwood Estates regarding their Cornelious Reserve, a 100% Tempranillo that is about to change the way people think about Texas wines. When I sat down to taste the wine, I had a few questions I wanted to ask about its production.
What makes the Reserve different than the regular 2008 Cornelious? “When we were barrel tasting the 2008 Tempranillo, there were 3 barrels that really stood out to us as dark. We held those 3 barrels and put them off to the side,” said Moberg.
As it turns out that this was a great idea that required a deft hand in blending. Mr. Moberg told me that after blending some 2006 Tempranillo (1% total) at a certain stage of the blending allowed for a smooth, Old-World style of wine to shine through. I had no idea what I was getting into but looking back I am glad I took advantage of this opportunity.
To start, Moberg poured a sample of the normal 2008 Cornelious next to the Cornelious Reserve. The original 2008 Cornelious had the standard profile of black cherry, blackberry and cocoa notes through the nose and the palate. This is one of my favorite wines…until I was introduced to the Cornelious Reserve.
By the end of the tasting, I feel as if I have tasted several different wines. The initial taste of the Reserve is gripping brown spices (cinnamon, cardamom, allspice) mixed with beautiful red dirt notes. By red dirt, I mean that I could taste soil with iron notes throughout the palate. This was mixed with a soft saline and mineral background with just a hint of blackberry, black cherry and some strawberry notes. This reminded me of being in Spain and tasting some fantastic Reserva wines. As it sat, the tannins became silky and velvety in texture and the earthy background slowly revealed those fruit and tobacco flavors. After about an hour, you could almost sense that cocoa background that you are used to in the standard Cornelious. This wine is fantastic. It is both drinkable now and has enough tannin and acidity to age over the next 10-12 years.
If you would like to experience this wine, you had better do it soon. According to Inwood Estates, there were only 106 cases made of this fantastic wine and because the total production will be split between Florence and Dallas, next weekend may be your best bet at acquiring this highly collectable and rare wine. According to Moberg, they will begin adding the Cornelious Reserve to the tasting menu April 16 and 17 between 12pm – 5pm. If you would like to taste some of the best wine here in Texas, give Inwood a try and make sure to ask for the tasting of the Cornelious Reserve. It is well worth it.
David Donalson is a regular contributer to Crave and most recently attained first level Sommelier.
Inwood Estates 1350 Manufacturing StDallas, TX (214) 902-9452