Benmarl Proprietor's Reserve Red Blend (NV)

i spent a day on the shawangunk wine trail along the hudson river in new york. much like the surprise i got when visiting ohio wineries, new york impressed me as well. benmarl winery was one of the stops i made. nice selection of wines and interesting varietals were there for the tasting. this red blend was one of my purchases on the day and the comely brunette and i finally opened the bottle. i am not sure what the blend consisted of and am trying to get that information. i will update this blog when i do. the nose was very fruit forward with loads of blackberries and black cherry aromas. nice spice notes and some slightly cedary wood too. on the palate, the fruity flavors of blackberry, with medium tannins and a nice finish. as the wine opened up, it got a little more complex, and some nice licorice flavors came through. sells for about $15 and is a very good food wine. meats, stews, even gyros, which i enjoyed with the wine. because of the limited production on these wines, they can be hard to get. if you live in the new york area, your local wine store may carry them. if you live elsewhere, i suggest visiting the winery website http://www.benmarl.com/ for more information. if you are in the new york area, the wine trail is well worth the visit.