When I saw this wine I immediately began thinking of the Joan Jett Song “Crimson and Clover“. Except she didn’t originally write/sing that song (Tommy James and the Shondells did) — but her version is the one I remember …. ba na na na na naaaaa ….
Enter
Concannon Vineyards
2010 Crimson & Clover
Livermore Valley
Red Table Wine
This was my first tasting from Cocannon Vineyards, so I was very excited to receive this bottle form the winery to try and review. There is always something to be said with how a product is packaged. This wine comes to you in a unique bottle. From the photo to the left, you’ll see a little bit of how this winery has their bottles branded and molded to showcase the winery’s front gates. It’s not printed on the label, but actually molded into the glass.
It’s that special attention to detail for a moderately priced wine that I appreciate. While this wine was NOT named from the song Joan Jett sang, it does reflect the pride in Concannon Vineyards Irish heritage; the clover is the Irish symbol for prosperity and the crimson pays homage to the strong deep red color of the blend.
The wine blend of this wine is 50% Petite Sirah, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Syrah and 10% Zinfandel. The price on this wine comes in around $15/bottle which for a handcrafted wine, it’s not a bad price. The taste on Crimson & Clover is very smooth with fruit flavors of blackberry, cherry and plum. There is some hints of mocha and nutmeg added into the fun of this wine! It’s a nice soft wine that (per the winery) pairs well with Gorgonzola stuffed chicken wrapped in applewood smoked bacon or a nice black pepper-crusted filet mignon. Are you hungry now?
Have you picked up this wine? Like it? What are your thoughts on the pairing with this? Would love to hear about it in the comments below!
Concannon Winery Front Gates:
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I came across this review looking for places on the east coast to buy the 2010 vintage of Concannon Crimson & Clover because I’m nearly out of the 2009 vintage I purchased while in California in December. As background, I drink many reds at different price points: for example, Silver Oak Cabs @ $80; Joseph Phelps Cabs @ $40; Cline Zins @ $13. The truth: Concannon Crimson & Clover is one of the best red values on the planet. This $18 wine can go head to head (and win) with wines 3X its price. It is a spectacular blend that is — in one word — luscious. Fruit, jam, spice, pepper…but not as “big” as pure Petite Sirah. Much softer on the tongue and smoother going down. For those of you who love red wine the way I do, one glass of C&C and you’ll know something immediately: Concannon has a problem on its hands… Because as good as its Petite Sirah is, this 50% blend is going to make it very difficult to bypass if you’re looking at both wines side-by-side on the shelf. Hope you’re readers find this review helpful. My suggestion on the ’09 vintage: a very strong buy. (I have not yet tasted the 2010 and the ’09 is sold out completely as a first run; if you’re able to find the ’09 on a shelf somewhere, grab it.)
Thank you so much for that review Mike! …. you make me want to go on an ’09 hunt now! I did enjoy the 2010 vintage … but now I’ll have to try the ’09 if I can find it!
Cheers!
Jennifer Stinnett´s last blog post ..Cutty Sark, movie gangsters’ whisky of choice
Concannon’s 2009 Crimson & Clover is spectacular. I would give it 100 points. It is, however, important to note that no wine rating/review service could ever give a low cost wine an extremely high rating. The 2010 s not as good. Concannon also makes a GOOD and low cost PinotNoir year in and year out.