Napa Valley Late Harvest Dessert Wine

I've just experienced an amazing dessert wine, which I typically don't drink....but this one blew my socks off, so I thought I would share all I know about it.

This blended late harvest dessert wine has about one-third each of Muscat, Semillon and Chardonnay, all three of which were allowed to ripen longer than usual creating a sweet dessert wine. The Chardonnay portion was barrel fermented and after the final blend was made, the wine was aged in 100% new oak barrels for an average age of 5 years. As with most dessert wines, this wine will age very well for 8 to 10 years and possibly beyond. Late harvest wines owe their rich complex flavors to several factors. Late harvest crops are usually smaller in both weight and quantity. As the grapes ripen, they lose water making the clusters lighter while concentrating the sugar. Late Harvest wines are typically carefully handpicked to assure magnificent quality. These delicious wines — with their extended aging periods — make them highly anticipated and very, very special indeed. This Ceres Napa Valley Late Harvest Dessert Wine has aromas of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, pralines and caramelized pears. The flavors of this wine are a perfect mirror of the aromas, with mouth-filling sweetness and layers of complexity. The finish is long and sweet with hints of fruit, finishing with a light nuttiness. Enjoy this wine with pecan pie, Roquefort cheese and walnuts or bananas foster. Yummmm! I tried it with something I would have never thought to pair with it...the Roquefort cheese. Wow! give it a try.

Cheers!

Dale

Fine Wine On Line