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2017 Blackbird Vineyards Contrarian

Not Currently In Auction

Latest Sale Price

February 20, 2022 - $66

Estimate

RATINGS

94Vinous / IWC

Dark red and black fruit, grilled herbs, menthol, licorice, spice, leather and incense give the 2017 striking aromatic nuance. Deep and plush on the palate with plenty of supporting structure…

93James Suckling

Attractively ripe, sweet-smelling aromas of blueberries and blackberries with a brambly edge. The palate has such succulent, complex and complete style with a super juicy, lithe edge to the pure black cherries and blackcurrants. Some plums and chocolate to close.

92+ The Wine Advocate

…notes of baked blackcurrants, fruitcake and tilled soil with hints of fallen leaves, yeast extract and dark chocolate. Medium to full bodied, the palate has a core of taut, muscular black fruit with firm, grainy tannins and bold freshness, finishing on a provocative mineral note.

91Jeb Dunnuck

...bright, juicy style as well as notes of black plums, currants, ground herbs, and dark chocolate. It's nicely concentrated, has elevated acidity, good purity, and fine tannins.

REGION

United States, California, Napa Valley

Napa Valley AVA is the most famous winemaking region in the United States and one of the most prestigious in the world. With nearly 43,000 acres of vineyards and more than 300 wineries, it is the heart of fine wine production in the United States. Winemaking started in Napa in 1838 when George C. Yount planted grapes and began producing wine commercially. Other winemaking pioneers followed in the late 19th century, including the founders of Charles Krug, Schramsberg, Inglenook and Beaulieu Vineyards. An infestation of phylloxera, an insect that attacks vine roots, and the onset of Prohibition nearly wiped out the nascent Napa wine industry in the early 20th century. But by the late 1950s and early 1960s Robert Mondavi and other visionaries were producing quality wines easily distinguishable from the mass-produced jug wines made in California’s Central Valley. Napa Valley’s AVA was established in 1983, and today there are 16 sub-appellations within the Napa Valley AVA. Many grapes grow well in Napa’s Mediterranean climate, but the region is best known for Cabernet Sauvignon. Chardonnay is also very successfully cultivated, and about 30% of the AVA’s acreage is planted to white grapes, with the majority of those grapes being Chardonnay,