October 2018

WINE WATCH
Wines fit for
the throne
by Bennet Bodenstein
Many of the top vineyards of California started as a whim or
hobby of some famous people. Fess Parker, who played
Daniel Boone and Davy Crocket on TV, owns a very successful
vineyard. Film dancer Rodney Strong, Alex Trebek the game
show host, actors Fred MacMurray and Paul Newman, movie
director Francis Ford Coppola, as well as dozens of CEOs,
entrepreneurs, and so on all own or have owned a vineyard.
This association with the famous resulted in winemakers
looking for things to put on a bottle label to attract buyers.
Some vintners resorted to comic book like labels with modest
obscenities as a wedge toward the young, a venture that failed
miserably. Next came naming the wine named after famous
people to attract memorabilia collectors, with one called
Marilyn Merlot and an Elvis Presley wine close behind. Another
route was to play along with the current TV of the time. Falcon
Crest was a popular soap opera type of show about the
exaggerated trials and tribulations of a winemaking family. This
resulted in the vineyard used for location shots to put out a
wine with the Falcon Crest label, which failed, as did the show.
Finally, the tables have turned, and a really nice set of wines is
in the marketplace carrying the label of the popular TV show,
Game of Thrones. As I have always preached, “It is not what’s
on the bottle, it’s what is in the bottle that matters,” and in this
case, what is in the bottle is excellent.
journey into the new and exciting. This wine is a blend of eight
red varietals; predominately Syrah, Tempranillo, and Petite
Sirah. The aroma boldly displays black cherry, blackberry,
vanilla, and cocoa. On the palate, black fruit flavors combine
with hints of leather and spice. The wine ends in a warm and
spicy, toasty, vanilla-laced finish. If it sounds like I really liked
this wine, the answer is a resounding “yes.”
Game of Thrones 2016 Chardonnay ($19.99). I must
start by saying that this is one of the best Chardonnays I
have tasted in a very long time. The Game of Thrones 2016
Chardonnay is a comfortable friendly wine that combines all of
the elements of a fine Chardonnay into a mellow, soft, flavorful,
and easy to drink beverage. The wine features the aromas of
nectarine, pear, and citrus with vanilla, clove, and a hint of oak
in the background. The finish does a complete about face and
features citrus, in a seemingly unending stream. If you have
become jaded with the current run of Chardonnays, give this
wine a try; you will be pleasantly surprised.
If by some chance the Game of Thrones wines are not
available at you local wine purveyor, they can be obtained at
www.gameofthroneswine.com. P
Game of Thrones 2016 Pinot Noir ($19.99). The Game
of Thrones 2016 Pinot Noir started off life as a winner. The
grapes came from Oregon’s Willamette Valley, a region that
has become world renowned as the source of excellent Pinot
Noir wines. This is a big wine, full with the features that one
seeks in a better Pinot Noir. The aroma is overflowing with
berries, cherries, cocoa, and hints of flowers and spice. On
the palate, the wine seems to explode with the flavors of black
cherries and blackberries with vanilla in the background. This
very excellent wine ends in a soft and supple fruity finish. This
is a wine that is closer to its Burgundian roots than many of its
counterparts from California and is solid proof that a truly world
class Pinot Noir can be made in the United States.
Game of Thrones 2016 Red ($17.99). Why take on the
other wineries and produce the same old, same old, but rather
take a new and inventive path? That is exactly what the Game
of Thrones Red is, a departure from the commonplace and a
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OCTOBER 2018