
Tasting Notes:
I first tasted this wine when it set one back a mere $17. But as its vineyard has come into maturity, the wine has grown more serious, appealing to afficianados who love the better red wines of the Loire - Chinon and Bourgueil.
The Label
The Vineyard, The Winemaker:
Like many who come to the wine business, Tom and Laurel were successful in their own right (you can see Tom on the October 31, 2005 cover of Fortune). They have funneled their love of wine and considerable resources into making a success of this new venture, and are off to a great start if this beautiful wine is any indication. Incidentally, fans of Polo will recognize that the wines' names derive from the lexicon of that noble sport.
This is a wine for right now - easy to drink and perfect for the foods of spring and summer. Bright raspberries with a touch of bitter cranberry to balance and add complexity to the fruit. This wine has seen no oak, and is traditionally served just a hair warmer than cellar temperature - or about 25 minutes in the fridge, if you're fresh out of cellar space.
All of the Happy Canyon wines are based on a Polo theme, and bear sportif references on their labels. The word Chukker refers to "coming around", and this reference is most appropriate for this light red wine. This wine is ideal for spring and her various festivities, from Easter to May Pole and other spring fertility celebrations, I recommend popping this cork as the first wine you pour as friends come through your door, or onto your summer porch, as the case may be. Try it with lighter foods, including grilled fish, most any vegetable (though I'd hesitate to pair it with artichokes!)grilled poultry, and even salads. Also highly recommended just by itself.
Winemaker Doug Margerum is the former owner of the Wine Cask (Santa Barbara and Los Olivos), an accomplished chef, and a consulting winemaker. Among all his commitments he somehow manages to find time to make wine for Tom and Laurel Barrack, the owners of Happy Canyon Vineyard.
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