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Seduced by a Lady in Red

Kestrel Lady in Red 6th Edition

The attractive label on the bottle was designed by marketing students at Columbia Basin College in Pasco, Washington, http://www.columbiabasin.edu/ The clever design has been a great success for Kestrel. Even so, I never sought out the label and usually avoided it entirely. Until now. My wife is famous for bringing home wine, "I would never purchase" and once again she's made a marvellous selection.

Wow, it's good.

Raspberry jam, with a touch of marmalade on the nose, medium heavy, cherry vanilla, a truly vibrant wine, with firm tannins, a bit of oak, which works for me, some sedimentation, deep garnet in color. Good cherry cola hang time on the finish. I enjoyed this bottle over three days.

Day one, the wine was immediately easy to appreciate, the flavors and tannins were more intense, and held up through day two and by day three the wine had smoothed out a lot, but still had a lot going on. You can probably get several years enjoyment out of this bottling if you stock up. Hey, that's a great idea.

I enjoyed the Lady in Red with grilled shoulder of lamb and crusty bread. Lamb tends to be bit fatty, so this firm, flavorful wine and tasty lamb went fantastic together. If I learned anything last year, it is how to cook lamb tender and tasty, sear it first, use Vinagre de Jerez or Marsala, oregano or rosemary, salt, pepper, olive oil and then grill or broil it in the pan and make a sauce from the drippings and crusty bits.

Simply delicious.

Every now and then you encounter a wine which instantly speaks to you, color, aroma, flavor, finish and best of all, your friends like it. It's icing on the cake when the price is hovering around 11 bones. Seriously, I paid $11.59 for this bottle. Do yourself a favor and go buy some. This wine rocks.

I've not been a fan of Kestrel wines, but the 6th Edition of the Lady in Red (a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Sangiovese), has changed my opinion. She was dark, full of life, a real pleasure and she lingered so sweetly. I'll be visiting the Lady in Red again - count on it.

Fact Sheet: www.kestrelwines.com/pdf/LIR6.pdf
13.8% alcohol.
Cases produced: 9,430.
Released June 2008.

Kestrel Vintners is located in Prosser, Washington. Well worth the effort to visit them and the many wineries in the area.

http://www.kestrelwines.com/

Cheers!
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