I was in the mood for meatloaf (I know, I’m weird) so I paired this Kuhlman Cellars (more) Barranca from the Texas Wine Club (more) with the Meatloaf TV dinner from Lazy Dog (more). [Hey, don’t knock gourmet tv dinners on busy nights]
What Texas Wine Club said:
One of Kuhlman’s signature blends, “Barranca” references the palisades of the Cap Rock plateau in the High Plains of Texas. The style of this blend is robust with some delicate notes, intended to bridge the lighter style of Kuhlman’s signature blend & little brother “Alluve” with the tannin bomb & bigger brother “Kankar.”
What I’d say:
“Flavor bomb” is the best descriptor of this red blend – this was like having a warm burst of flavor from biting into a warmed cherry with some honey (beeswax) and a bit of wood on the finish. It’s not a sweet cherry – it’s tart cherry. The rusty blood color and scent are deceptive to the eyes and nose on this one – so when you take the first sip it isn’t what you’re expecting – no tannin backlash, no harsh acidity – just a pop of cherry with a spiced plum aftertaste.
It went well with the meatloaf as it took out the sweet of the bbq topping but boosted the beef flavor. Not bad with the mixed vegetables. And if I ignored the peanut butter, it went great with the chocolate cake.
Final Thoughts
Kuhlman describes this on their website as “The 2016 is a beautiful blend of Tempranillo, Petite Sirah, and Mourvedre, with support from Carignan, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. It is a rich, delicous wine maturing elegantly with many years ahead of it.” What they don’t tell you is that the grapes are from six different vineyards across Texas (Bingham, Newsome, La Pradera, Dry Creek Valley and Family Vineyards). [Yes, I know that’s only 5, but Bingham is listed 3 times.]
Overall this was a Saturday night wine I enjoyed while indulging in my craving for meatloaf. I don’t get it often, so don’t judge (at least my food choice). However, you should really pick up a couple of bottles of this wine before they sell out.
