2004 Cabernet Sauvignon

GOLD MEDAL. Finger Lakes International Wine Competition, March 2007.

Rated 91: Andrew Jones, International Wine Reviewer

Silver Medal, November 2006 American Wine Society International Commercial Competition, Baltimore Maryland
 (This wine was very young at this point and tight. As evidenced by the gold medal above, it is now showing its promise.)

Click here for the newspaper story about this wine.

Released September 2006. SOLD OUT August 2007. Hand-harvested on October 11th, this dark ruby, well structured, complex wine displays classic cabernet aromas of cassis, plum and black cherry. Toasty notes come from ageing in premium French and American oak. Small-lot fermentations with hand punch-downs and classic small scale winemaking techniques were used to create this wine. Enjoy with beef, lamb, or wild game. $17.95

Perry, Cincinnati, says: "Do you still have the 2004 Cab available at the winery?  I went to a local vendor and they were out.  We went to your "opening day" tasting and bought a 3 bottles of your cab. That night, I made a nice flank steak on the grill and the cab was AWESOME!  It was as good if not better than Grgich Hills and Jordan I have had on business trips."

2004 Cabernet Sauvignon: 91.
See   www.wineontheweb.com   A-Z list for the full review.
"This rich ruby coloured wine is 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and has been blended with 6% Cabernet Franc for the first time, as well as 19% Petit Verdot making it the type of classic Bordeaux-style blend you would find in many chateaux in the Médoc region. It has quite a deep ruby color, offers vanilla hints from a mix of American and French oak and tempts with classic blackcurrant, plum and violet aromas before producing Morello cherry flavours on the flavorsome palate. The oak aging has contributed hints of vanilla and gentle, soft tannins which balance well with the fruit."

 
August 4, 2007
The last bottle of 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon, autographed by the winegrower, leaves the winery with Liz.  This wine may still be available in wine stores in Ohio.

Greg, NYC: 2004 Kinkead Ridge Cab Sauv, Ohio River – what to say about this wine that Loren brought. I was simply floored. If you are not going to expect much in the way of wine from a state, that state has to be Ohio. Or so I thought.

Not true.

The wine was stunning, partly because my expectations were so low and even more because it was so damn good. That was a real cab. The nose demonstrated the expected varietal cassis and herbal qualities, the palate had the tart black fruit, a touch of herbs, some tobacco, a bit of wood that hasn't yet integrated fully – in short, just a wonderful young cab. And seventeen bucks. I'm trying to think of a cab from California that delivers at the same level for the price. Perhaps Beckmen? BV Rutherford? I'd like to try this blind with some of those. This was just a wonderful surprise from Ohio.

Perry, Cincinnati, says: "Do you still have the 2004 Cab available at the winery?  I went to a local vendor and they were out.  We went to your "opening day" tasting and bought a 3 bottles of your cab. That night, I made a nice flank steak on the grill and the cab was AWESOME!  It was as good if not better than Grgich Hills and Jordan I have had on business trips."

Review from Bridget in Cincinnati:
"WOW, your 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon was spectacular! I have to admit, I was "all about" the California wines and did not think that an Ohio wine could wine me over, but after smelling and tasting this gem... Well, let's just say that there is a new kid on the block in my wine cabinet these days! Great job! Thank you for making such a wonderful wine!"

 2004 Cabernet Franc

DOUBLE GOLD Medal, November 2006 American Wine Society International Commercial Competition, Baltimore Maryland

Hand-harvested on October 1st, this wine's fragrant aromas of plum, violet, and black cherry precede a taste of fruity, full-bodied, richly flavored complexity, with chocolate, spice and raspberry overtones. Aged in premium American and French oak barrels. A fine companion for beef, turkey, pork and richly flavored stews. $16.95

Lenn Thompson, New York wine writer on this wine:

As someone who was born and raised in western Pennsylvania, four things come to mind when I think about neighboring Ohio – bad drivers, Sea World, Cedar Point amusement park and the much-hated Cleveland Browns. I wouldn't go so far as to say that I was raised to loathe our neighbors to the west, but they definitely weren't looked upon fondly.

Now, after tasting the wines of Kinkead Ridge Estate Winery, there is at least one thing I can say that I love about the Buckeye State.

Located just outside of Ripley, Ohio, Kinkead Ridge Winery grows only vinifera grapes in their vineyard, including Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Riesling, Viognier, Roussanne and Sauvignon Blanc. The vineyard lies on ridges rising more than 400 feet above the nearby Ohio River and the soil is 30 inches deep to broken limestone, rich in clay and well drained. This drainage is ideally suited to growing fine wines, though winter can be cold enough to damage less hardy varieties.

Cabernet Franc is one of my favorite varieties, and if you love the red wines of the Loire Valley, I can't recommend Kinkead Ridge's 2004 Cabernet Franc enough.

A deep violet-crimson in the glass, black cherry dominates the nose with more subtle aromas of dusty cocoa, black pepper and violets. This is an extremely full flavored wine, with black raspberry, cherry, black pepper, and dark chocolate flavors mingling on a rich, balanced palate. Well-integrated, smooth tannins and just a little lick of acidity make this a wine of unusual character and balance.

Best of all, at $17 per bottle, it's an excellent value.

Kinkead Ridge 2004 Cabernet Franc rated one of the Top 100 Exciting Wine Finds, international list compiled by Tom Stevenson, British editor of the New Sothebys Wine Encyclopedia and publisher of the paperback Wine Report 2008. "Succulent, intensely flavored fruit, ripe, supple tannins, and a truckload of flavors--from cherries, cassis, chocolate, and cream, to vanilla and coconut."--Sandra Silfven, Atlantic Northeast editor of the 2008 Wine Report "This shows what promise there is in Ohio." --Tom Stevenson

2004 Kinkead Ridge Cabenet Franc, #7 on the Top 10 List of Greatest Quality Wines from the Atlantic Northeast

Feedback from Gourmet Sensation. The chef from Michel Rostang, Paris, France, (www.michelrostang.com) was given a taste of this wine. Later in the evening he came back and asked for a glass. When we told him the price, he asked us to repeat the price several times. He said it reminded him of a Chinon and could not believe it was only $16.95!

Kinkead Ridge Cabernet Franc 2004 -- Ann Boucher, Serendipity Wine Shop

I gave this wine to my husband blind and asked him what he thought. He raised the glass to his nose, swirled and took a good sniff. Putting on his best airs, he said, without skipping a beat, "very nice... Cabernet France... definitely French." Then he took a good sip into his mouth, swirled and chewed the wine for a moment, and completed his diagnosis, "Bordeaux." Always the business man, he then asked, "how much and what's the stock status?" never guessing he could be wrong about the wines provenance. When I told him it was Kinkead Ridge 2004 Cabernet Franc, his eyes lit up. When I told him that it will retail for $16.99 his jaw dropped. As for stock status, only 355 cases were made. Needless to say not much to go around, and if history is any guide, it will all be gone fast.

Red Wine Ingredient May Delay Aging
Click here to read the article.

Whole Foods in Columbus Ohio chose this wine to serve at dinner to John Mackey, the founder of Whole Foods Market. 

November/December TheWineBuzz Wine Finds review:

"Aroma of dark fruit with hints of bell pepper and clove; full of bright cherry flavors tempered by substantial tannins and good acidity."

From dogswine.blogspot.com, date July 2008
With the lamb there was a 2004 Kinkead Ridge, Ohio River Valley Cabernet Franc. Nice dark cherry fruit up front with hints of bright red cherries mixed in. Good acid and plenty of soft tannin to carry everything else along. Very balanced wine with a nice finish. It seemed a little short in the finish at first but the second glass - poured from a small decanter - solved that problem. The third glass was the best and was a perfect foil for the lamb. The fruit of the wine and the gaminess of the lamb were a great match. I have said it several times, but here it is again; it's wonderful to have a local, Ohio winery producing great wines that match with good food.

 2004 Syrah

Bronze Medal, November 2006 American Wine Society International Commercial Competition, Baltimore Maryland

Rated: 90. Andrew Jones, International Wine Reviewer. See   www.wineontheweb.com   A-Z list for the full review.
 

Released September 2006. SOLD OUT at the winery, January 2007. Hand-harvested on October 12th, this spicy, intense and luxurious wine has excellent balance, deep ruby color and notes of earth, plum cloves, white pepper, and dark berry. The grapes were cold-soaked, fermented in small bins, and punched down by hand. Oak-aged. Excellent with beef, lamb, braised chicken, and spicy cuisine. Less than 200 cases, this wine will not last long. $19.95

From PJ Sentinel.com, March 31, 2006
"Syrah the next big thing in  wine world."

"If pinot noir is the new merlot, syrah must be the new pinot noir.

Two years after the movie “Sideways” made it fashionable to drink pinot noir and diss merlot, a new kid has begun its own rise to ga-ga fame.

You can call it syrah or shiraz, as it’s known in South Africa, Australia, and Canada — the two are identical twins. And, as in the case of all good things, many people want to claim the shiraz grape as their own.

One story says the grape was named after the city of Shiraz, Iran, which some historians say originated winemaking more than 7,000 years ago. Another story says shiraz was brought into southern France by a returning crusader, Guy De’Sterimberg, who eventually became a hermit (hence the grape’s third name, “hermitage”) and developed a vineyard on one of the steep hills in the Rhone River Valley.

Those claims were refuted in 1998 when research by the University of California at Davis and the French National Agronomy Archives in Montpellier showed the grape actually originated somewhere in the northern Rhone Valley of France as a hybrid of the dureza and mondeuse blanche grape varieties. "

Click here to read the rest of the article....

Review by Ann Boucher, Serendipity Wine Shope, Columbus, Ohio Kinkead Ridge Syrah 2004
This wine brings me back to the cellar of Denis Alary, a top notch producer in Cairanne, a Village appellation in the Cote-du-Rhone. A few years back, I was sampling through various wine in barrel and came upon a Syrah of which Denis was particularly proud. Still very young and closed-up, it was obvious that the wine was going to be great. Similarly, the Kinkead Ridge Syrah is presently closed up and a bit awkward, due to its youth. But there is no doubt that this wine is going places, and I, for one, want to be there when it arrives! Everything about it hints of big things to come -- subtle raspberry, a bit of spice, with a hefty curtain of tannins, obscuring everything from full view.

Definitely not ready to drink, today, but if you are looking for a special and unique wine, that will amply reward, given a little cellar-time, you cannot go wrong with this one. As with everything that Kinkead Ridge produces, quantities are very limited, as only 149 cases were produced in 2004. Get it while you can or you may have to wait until next year.

ACT GLOBALLY... DRINK LOCALLY!

"We can detect over 10,000 different components in vinifera wines, which is a lucky break for wine critics who would get pretty bored writing "tastes like wine," over and over again."
--Jennifer Rosen, The Cork Jester's Guide to Wine

November/December TheWineBuzz Wine Finds review:

"Peppery nose with a touch of earth, cedar and vanilla; smooth black cherry flavors with a hint of cocoa and cloves. Restrained European style."

Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher on American Syrah, September 2006, Wall Street Journal:

"Syrah should be a wine of personality, with big, wintry tastes that require big, wintry dishes, and, indeed, it was clear from the beginning of the tasting that Syrah remains a wimemaker's wine, with distinctive features shining through....while too many wines these days have become the same, American Syrah retains its personality and distinctiveness... It is impossible to know which American Syrah you might see on shelves. But our tasting indicates that it's hard to go wrong with one if you're looking for a distinctive, cold-weather wine to serve with hearty food tonight." (Note from Nancy: their favorite Syrah was Dunham, $44.99 for the 2002 and $39.99 for the 2003... makes ours at $19.95 look like a pretty good bargain!)

Last year this wine sold out in two weeks.

Kinkead Ridge (pronounced Kin-kAYd) ultra-premium and River Village Cellars (second label) premium wines are hand-crafted and reflect our unwavering commitment to quality. Our estate wines express the unique character of our ridge-top site and ancient limestone soils. 

Our  critically-acclaimed wines (all Ohio River Valley appellation) are available in fine wine stores, retail outlets, and restaurants in Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton,  Oxford, Lebanon, Nelsonville, West Union, Georgetown, Wilmot, Mainville, Middletown, New Richmond, Manchester, Ripley,  Chagrin Falls and Adams County  We also have direct web/phone sales within Ohio. 

2005 River Village Cellars White Table Wine, a Viognier/Roussanne blend.

Bronze Medal, November 2006 American Wine Society International Commercial Competition, Baltimore Maryland

Red wine and white wine may be equally good for your heart! Click here

A Rhone blend of aristocratic varieties. Hand-harvested on September 25th and 28th, this complex and enticing wine has the rich, distinctive aromas of violet, golden raisin and orange blossom of Viognier layered with the stone fruit and kiwi notes of Roussanne. An excellent dry wine with fish, shellfish, and spicy food, or serve as you would an aperitif wine. 62% Viognier, 38% Roussanne, a slightly higher percentage of Viognier than last year.  Last year, this was a Kinkead Ridge wine. Because it went through malolactic fermentation (on its own!), stylistically this is a very different wine from the 2004, and we have decided to release it under our second label. $9.95

"The world does not need another Chardonnay".  Rudy Von Strasser, Napa Valley wine producer.

ABC: Anything but Chardonnay! Try this Viognier/Roussane. You'll be pleasantly surprised.

Recently acquired by: 

2005 Riesling

Is Riesling Finally Chic?
"After years of snubbing by high-octane cabernet drinkers, riesling is finally experiencing a revival, driven by the industry's top writers (Jancis Robinson and Hugh Johnson), numerous chefs and restaurateurs, and even some daring American wine writers like Dan Berger. Younger drinkers who want to distinguish thems from the BFC crowd will likely be riesling buyers, and while semi-sweet riesling sells like hot cakes, dry riesling can appeal to connoisseurs. All of this is a boon to riesling producers in the east."
Richard Leahy, Vineyard and Winery Management, March/April 2006

2005 River Village Cellars Traminette

Second label 2005 River Village Cellars Traminette

Traminette is a hybrid grape, very winter hardy and disease resistant. One of its parents is Gewurztraminer. This wine, at 1.9% residual sugar, is our sweetest wine. The grapes were purchased from an Ohio River Valley grower. This is the only vintage of Traminette we will ever produce, as we purchased the grapes as a favor to this fledgling vineyard.

Regular visitors to this web site already are aware that we tend somewhat in our approach to stray from the local norm in growing and marketing wine. Some have alleged that we are crazy, but that's another story! From the start we have been wedded to the concept that any wine bearing the Kinkead Ridge label must never disappoint the buyer willing to pay a super to ultra-premium price for a wine. So the question becomes: What do we do with an excellent  wine  which is not in the ultra-premium category? Our solution is the European model of  creating a second label, River Village Cellars, for these  wines.  Look to River Village for value-priced, everyday wines. (In 2001 through 2003 this label was known as Kinkead Cellars.) $8.95

2003 Cabernet Sauvignon

Review by Ann Boucher, Serendipity Wine Shop, Columbus, Ohio
Kinkead Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon 2003
Although the wine shows many of the hallmarks of classic Cabernet Sauvignon: black cherry, cassis and artful barrel aging, it also exhibits charming singularities not found in Cabernet from the Napa Valley or Bordeaux. Namely, the wine is not muscular, heavy or in anyway over proportioned. Rather, it's bright and focused, a wine with poise -- more like a well-appointed debutant, than a hulking NFL lineman. We all know the latter, over extracted, over oaked... just plain over the top! Fine for sipping now and then but poorly suited for the table. Kinkead Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon offers delicate perfume. It is a pretty, almost feminine wine, and brings to mind the great reds of Chinon, Bourgueil or even Cru Beaujolais. A Frenchman would argue that the finesse and perfume comes from the limestone based soil, and I would tend to agree. This is a wine of place, very old world in style, perfectly suited to the table, and unique to Ohio.

Silver Medal, International Finger Lakes Wine Competition, April 2006. 

Bronze medal. 2005 American Wine Society commercial wine competition, Las Vegas. So many people have gotten used to the Australian and California model of fermenting the wine on oak chips so the wine is  mellow  when  released. We prefer the Bordeaux model of allowing the wine to reach its full potential over a multi-year window. This wine will continue to improve in the bottle and could be cellared for 2-3 years at least.

The Wine Spectator, May 2006, estimates that of the California cabernets, zinfandels and syrahs  "at least half, maybe even more, of the producers in California are de-alcing." There are two processes to de-alcoholize wines that approach 14-17%, reverse osmosis and spinning cones.  Some wineries add water to the fermentation vats to reduce potential alcohol... 70 gallons of water per 1000 gallons of unfermented juice. THAT'S a neat trick... more volume... more wine for sale. This is just one of many tricks that producers are using to manipulate their wines...  What I would like to say is that with Kinkead Ridge, "what you see is what you get... and what you drink is what we grew."

The Wine Buzz, Volume 3, Number 3, p. 27 WineFinds
"Kinkead Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon, 2003 (Ohio River Valley); $17.95. Medium bodied and slightly tart, with chocolaty cherry and tobacco flavors." 

Andrew Jones, international wine writer and editor  of  www.WineOnTheWeb.com
WOW rating: 88
"This is the first Kinkead Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon ever released and replaces the Revelation blend of 2002 and 2001. A small quantity of Petit Verdot was used in the blend. Kinkead Ridge continues to demonstrate that the Ohio River Valley can surprise America with the character and quality of its Cabernet Sauvignon. Whilst this example is not from the greatest vintage and the vines are still relatively young, the result is rewarding. This Cabernet Sauvignon has a healthy ruby color and an aroma of blackcurrants and morello cherries. Small French and American oak casks contribute to the vanilla hints and toasty characteristics. Try this wine with herb-roasted chicken, lamb sprinkled with rosemary and soft cheeses."

2003 Cabernet Franc

Released at the winery September 3 and 5,  2005 (Labor Day weekend). We recently had  the owner of La Vigne vineyard  open our 2001 Cabernet Franc. He said it was dynamite. Our wines age well in the bottle. Sandra Silfven, Detroit wine writer says: "The Cab Franc was an utter delight. I called it a "happy" wine. The nose was so bright, the flavors so over-the-top correct. In my mind, I compared the body and mouthfeel to a French red burgundy. It was not the high-extract deal, but very powerful for not having that concentration that is so popular in California. Three days later, the nose was just as sassy."

The Wine Buzz, Volume 3, Number 3: "Kinkead Ridge Cabernet Franc, 2003 (Ohio River Valley); $15.95. Rustic, slightly barnyard nose, but big juicy Cab Franc flavors of cherries, berries and herbs."

"Cabernet Franc, in addition to being easier to ripen in the East than Cabernet Sauvignon, is considered to outperform its California counterpart in winemaking." 
--Editors, Wine East Magazine, July/August 2005.

"Depending a great deal on vineyard practices, the flavor profile of Cabernet Franc may be both fruitier and sometimes more herbal or vegetative than Cabernet Sauvignon, although lighter in both color and tannins. Over-cropping and underexposure each tend to accentuate the vegetative flavor elements. Typically somewhat spicy in aroma and often reminiscent of plums and especially violets, Cabernet Franc is more often used as a secondary or tertiary element in varietally-blended red wines, such as Bordeaux or Meritage, instead of as a stand-alone varietal bottling."
http://www.winepros.org/wine101/grape_profiles/cab-franc.htm

In the 2005 bottlings, we do plan to blend some Franc and Petit Verdot into the Sauvignon, and some Sauvignon into the Franc.

 2005 Revelation 

Hand-harvested on September 18th, this winegrower's Bordeaux  blend is aromatic and refreshing. The wine has aromas of pineapple, grapefruit and melon, with a honey note and a mineral finish. This zesty wine stylistically reflects a French more than a California character. A classic accompaniment to full-flavored cuisine.  The blend consists of Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and small quantities of other white vinifera from our experimental block.  Limited production. $12.95

White wine turns up in King Tutankhamen's tomb! Click here to read the story

2004 Viognier/Roussanne

A Rhone blend of aristocratic varieties. Hand-harvested on September 14 and 15, this complex and enticing wine has the rich, distinctive aromas of violet and orange blossom of Viognier merging with the stone fruit and kiwi notes of Roussanne. An excellent, dry wine with fish, shellfish and spicy food, or serve as you would an aperitif wine. Production: 177 cases. 66% Viognier, 34% Roussanne. The 2003 V/R won a bronze medal at the 2004 American wine society competition, and we think this one is even better.

Bernard Portet, the founding winemaker of Clos Du Val in the Napa Valley and of Domaine Nizas in France says this about the 2004 Viognier/Roussanne:

"Finally did I find the opportunity to open up your bottle of Viognier-Roussanne with a couple of friends and then with John Clews, the VP, Director of Vineyard and Winery Operations of Clos Du Val. I did like it very much. I did find it very fragrant but not shouting “Viognier” all over the place, elegant, with plenty of charm. Balanced and equally elegant and charming palate. Much of the character of its aroma could be found in its taste. There was a great balance of fullness, freshness, and good complexity, along with a good finish. Definitely a very enjoyable wine. John did concur with the above. Congratulations!"

Jon Christensen (Columbus Dispatch) reviews our Viognier/Roussanne
2004 Kinkead Ridge (Ohio River Valley) Viognier-Roussanne ($14.95)
"This remarkable achievement deserves to be compared to the priciest dry whites from France's Rhone Valley. Its rich hints of apricot and other stone fruits, minerally crisp finish, food-accompanying versatility and restrained alcohol put this southern Ohio gem ahead of just about anything close to its price. "

Bronze Medal, 2005 American Wine Society commercial wine competition, Las Vegas. Released at the winery, July 2, 2005
For more about Viognier, see www.enjoyingviognier.com

Featured on The Dish with Chef Jean Robert de Cavel. Click here  for video clips, and click on Wine Suggestions for Chicken stuffed with Wild Mushrooms and  Asparagus for Matt Citriglia's review of the 2004 Viognier/Roussanne... "sublimely fragrant and elegant restrained white wine that would stand up to any of the best that the southern Rhone has to offer"... "Most wineries in Ohio run from vinifera grapes... Ron Barrett and Nancy Bentley took on the challenge and have grown a variety of vinifera right here in Ripley on the limestone ridges." Matt is Ohio's only Master Sommelier. 

The 2004 Kinkead Ridge Ohio River Valley Viognier/Roussanne ($15) bested the 2003 Domaine du Vieux Lazaret Chateauneuf-du-Pape Blanc, France ($25) in the first-ever Ohio Wine Challenge, in which wine experts from North America judged Ohio wines against wines from Europe and California. Click here for the press release.

The Wine Buzz, Volume 3, Number 1, p. 16. 
Kinkead Ridge Viognier/Roussanne, 2004 (Ohio River Valley); $14.95
Floral, citrus and tropical notes on the nose, followed by plenty of fruit -- think kiwi and lime -- and a bit of minerality. Good balance, good acid and nice depth. Only 177 cases of this wine were made. Cheers to winery owners Nancy Bentley and Ron Barrett for trying something new in Ohio.

Andrew Jones, international wine writer and editor  of  www.WineOnTheWeb.com
WOW rating: 88
"Another distinctive dry white blend from Kinkead Ridge, the wine kings of Ripley, Ohio. This stylish wine offers a tempting orange blossom bouquet, followed by hints of kiwi fruit, peaches and tropical fruit on the palate. Its hallmark is finesse and it leaves a lingering aftertaste. Pair this elegant wine with delicately flavored dishes, sushi or seafood risotto."

Tom Stevenson's 2006 Wine Report. 
Kinkead Ridge 2003 Viognier/Roussanne named one of the top 100 Exciting New Wines in the World. 
Viognier/Roussanne 2003 Kinkead Ridge, Ohio (Atlantic Northeast, US $15). Sandra Silfven, wine writer Detroit Daily News: "Crisp, flinty, bone-dry, palate-coating tropical flavours. Starkly clean"
Tom:
"In complete contrast to Domaine du Clovallon, this Viognier has balls: 48 percent Roussanne balls, to be precise. Excellent structure and acidity. Cutting-edge Atlantic Northeast -- I really must pay a visit!"
This wine is sold out at the winery, the 2004 is even better.

2003 Syrah

SOLD OUT within 2 weeks of release. 

Bronze medal, 2005 American Wine Society commercial wine competition Las Vegas. 

Released at the winery September 3 and 5, 2005
Early review by John Poston, www.ellerbebecket.com
"I  opened a bottle of 2003 Syrah before the official release date.  . . a lovely wine with a kind of elegance one doesn't expect from Syrah.   Visually, it reminds me of a Pinot Noir, but the nose is instantly the classic meaty Syrah.   Taste also is very classic, with that meat, olive and spice that I really love in Syrah.  All in all, nice restraint and a perfectly balanced wine.  I really, really liked it."

From: The 30 Second Wine Adviser

Syrah, Shiraz, Sirah ... what's the difference? Historically, it's been simple enough, if a bit confusing, to sort out these similar grape names:

• Syrah is the great French red-wine variety of the Rhone Valley, a grape that legend traces to the Crusaders but that in reality goes even farther back, probably brought to Gaul by the Romans some 2,000 years ago.
• Shiraz is the name that the Australians gave Syrah, perhaps inspired by that same Crusader legend, which holds - romantically if inaccurately - that the French knight Gaspard de Sterimberg brought the first vines home to his Hermitage vineyard in the Rhone from Shiraz in Persia.
• Sirah-with-an-I - Petite Sirah - is a California grape most likely named by 19th century marketers to evoke the real Syrah. Known in France as Durif and long thought to be unrelated to Syrah, it's now known to be a direct descendant of Syrah, a cross between true Syrah and another little-known French variety, Peloursin. This lineage is further complicated by the fact that some old California "field-blend" vineyards of mixed vines have traditionally been misidentified as Petite Sirah.

2004 Riesling

2004 Revelation (White Wine)

SOLD OUT JULY 4. Released at the winery, May 28, 2005.  The next wine that is very limited production is the 2003 Syrah, only 56 cases produced. 

2002 Kinkead Ridge Revelation

American Wine Society Commercial Competiton 2004: SILVER MEDAL. 

This Bordeaux-style blend has hints of cherry, blackberry, and black currant which precede a rich, complex finish. 53% Cabernet Franc, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Petit Verdot . The grapes were cold-soaked, fermented in small bins with hand punch-downs, and aged in premium quality American oak barrels. $18

From a well-known Oregon winegrower: "We had a bottle of the '02 Revelation recently... we all thought it was dynamite and it would give a lot of Frenchies a run for their money!"

2003 Kinkead Ridge Viognier/Roussanne

Released September 4 at the winery.

International wine writer Andrew Jones gives this wine a 90. Click here.

More about Viognier:

"A few years ago, Viognier  was a rarity. In 1965, only 8 hectares were
found almost exclusively in Condrieu in the northern Rhône. Nowadays, this stylish exotically aromatic variety has been noticed, and is spreading across the south of France in Languedoc-Roussillon and Provence, as well as in California. Viognier produces an intense, dry white wine, lots of fruit and a flavour mingling apricot, apple, peach and violet with a hint of honey. Viognier is best drunk young. It is beautiful with spicy Asiatic dishes orwith medium to strong cheeses. It is also an unusual choice for simply prepared lobster, roast chicken and sole or trout."

"There is so much contained in a glass of good wine. It is a gift of nature that tastes of man's foibles, his sense of the beautiful, his idealism and virtuosity." 
Kermit Lynch, Adventures on the Wine Route

Winegrowers Note:

Because of the frost on May 29, 2002, which took out up to 80% of the harvest on the East Coast, including Ohio, New York, and Indiana, we were unable to bottle varietally; all of the red grapes were blended into the 2002 Revelation. The 2003 and 2004 vintages will be varietal only. 

2003 Kinkead Cellars Riesling

2001 Kinkead Ridge Révélation Red Wine