Greatest field blend wines?

[B_Buzzini]

I thought this pic was cool from Acorn Winery…

[Pat_Martin]

The grape percentages no doubt vary in most of these field blend wines. As I jokingly discussed with CJ above, producers are not going to include crap grapes, just to satisfy a mythical definition of field blend.

Yes, the cepage at Geyserville often varies a lot from year to year. See the 2007 Geezer: 58% Zinfandel, 22% Carignane, 18% Petite Sirah, 2% Mataro.

Does anyone know if Ridge co ferments their field blends?

[Rich_Brown]

I thought this pic was cool from Acorn Winery…

That’s awesome!

Don’t think I’ve ever tried an Acorn wine. I’ll have to look for one.

[Anton_D]

I can’t open the Wa Po link, but if anyone can…

Ah, screw it, it won’t even let the link copy.

[Brian_Tuite]

So if the Carignan has a bad year the wine is no longer a field blend? Or is the winemaker expected to suffer the slings and arrows of the wine board community for a substandard wine?

No. The idea behind the field blends were having a good wine regardless of vintage variations. Each grape adds a different aspect. Fruit, acid, structure, color, tannin. That’s one of the things that I enjoy the most about these vineyards is the unique distinctions between vintages due to how each variety ripens or not during the season.

[Brian_Tuite]

Geyserville - full stop

But then we can get into the discussion about what exactly is a field blend. Do the grapes have to be picked all at once? Are they required to be co-fermented? Do the proportions in the finished wine have to match the proportions in the vineyard? How many different varieties are required? Two? Five? Thirteen?

Interestingly Geyserville has not always been a field blend according to their labels. The 1980 was 100% Zinfandel from hillside vineyard(s). The 1981 included 5% Petite Sirah, 1982 included 10% PS and the 1983 15% PS. The current Geyserville is indeed a wonderful field blend and a must buy every year. As others have mentioned Lytton Springs, Old Hill and Bedrock are all terrific along with many of Carlisle wines.

True but the old planting
Trentadue Vineyard that it comes from is planted as such. Varieties interspersed.

[Bob_G1]

Hands down - It’s Sean Thackery’s Orion.

It’s a great wine, has a long track record, ages beautifully and is unique.

[Hank_Victor]

I really enjoy Wilde Farm’s Heritage Field Blend.

[anthonyshideler]

Luis Seabra and Dirk Niepoort. What these guys are doing with old vine field blends in Portugal is nothing short of spectacular.

[Ron_Erickson]

Geyserville with some age is my preferred route, but I’m more than fine on a Tuesday night with a NV Marietta Old Vine Red for under $15.

[Anton_D]

Hands down - It’s Sean Thackery’s Orion.

It’s a great wine, has a long track record, ages beautifully and is unique.

That is some great wine.

[Paul_Miller]

Luis Seabra and Dirk Niepoort. What these guys are doing with old vine field blends in Portugal is nothing short of spectacular.

I was wondering when someone would mention Portuguese blends

[Greg_Ossi]

I think that Cayuse’s God Only Knows grenache would fit this category as being among the greatest field blend.

[Otto_Forsberg]

Luis Seabra and Dirk Niepoort. What these guys are doing with old vine field blends in Portugal is nothing short of spectacular.

I was wondering when someone would mention Portuguese blends

So very true. Secret Spot makes some ridiculously great wines as well. António Madeira too.

[Pat_Martin]

Trentadue Old Patch Red was a fantastic one back in the 90’s at least.

I see they still make it but I haven’t tried it in years. I wonder how their “old patch” differs from Geyserville’s holdings there (until recently, Ridge leased the Geyserville vines from Trentadue).

[Doug_Sher]

Marcel Deiss wines are often brilliant examples of field blending.

Clearly, Alsace wines are dead at retail.

[Eric_Ifune]

Quinta do Noval Nacional Vintage Port.

Luis Seabra and Dirk Niepoort. What these guys are doing with old vine field blends in Portugal is nothing short of spectacular.

Some great vineyards in the Dao and Alentejo as well.

[Nathan_Smyth]

Sorry, forgot to add “Single Vineyard” before Gemischter Satz. The regular bottling is good, but nothing on par with the better ones. However, even them are not expensive, priced around 15-25€ a bottle.

Sadly, that would make them about $50 to $75 in most USA markets [after the bottles passed through our “Three-Tier” system: Importer, Distributor & Retailer].

[Nathan_Smyth]

Geyserville - full stop

But then we can get into the discussion about what exactly is a field blend. Do the grapes have to be picked all at once? Are they required to be co-fermented? Do the proportions in the finished wine have to match the proportions in the vineyard? How many different varieties are required? Two? Five? Thirteen?

That’s starting to sound like Chateauneuf-du-Pape.

[Otto_Forsberg]

Sorry, forgot to add “Single Vineyard” before Gemischter Satz. The regular bottling is good, but nothing on par with the better ones. However, even them are not expensive, priced around 15-25€ a bottle.

Sadly, that would make them about $50 to $75 in most USA markets [after the bottles passed through our “Three-Tier” system: Importer, Distributor & Retailer].

Doesn’t sound right, since our Finnish alcohol monopoly makes everything ridiculously expensive here and, quite often, when checking things with wine-searcher, wines tend to be similarly priced - or even more affordable - in the US than in Finland.

So when a Single-Vineyard Weininger would be 15-25€, that would make it something like 30-35€ in Finland, ie. $35-40 in the US, or even less. Maybe not that affordable, but still a far cry from $70.

Still I’m not saying that some retailers wouldn’t be trying to charge such prices.