Kriselle relies on its 25-acre vineyard and produces about 4,000 cases a year. Best known for Tempranillo, the winery’s red blends recently caught my attention. For this 2020 blend, Scott Steingraber, owner/winemaker combined 50% Cabernet Franc with 25% Cabernet Sauvignon and then added equal portions of Merlot, Malbec, and Tempranillo. The aroma combines rich ripe dark fruits and spice with a subtle note of red pepper likely from the Cabernet Franc. Round and velvety on the palate, it serves up generous flavors of blackberry, spice and pepper with some tannin and oak vanilla. Overall, it is well-integrated and harmonious, and can be cellared but is highly enjoyable now. The blend was aged for 23 months in a combination of French and American oak, 25% new. “Di’tani” is a word honoring the Takelma Tribe that means “Table Rock,” a nearby geological feature.
93 Norm Roby
Kriselle Cellars, Rogue Valley (Oregon) “Di’tani” 2020 ($34)
By Norm Roby
