Vin du Lac 2006 Cuvee Rouge

*Bottle #25: Vin du Lac 2006 Columbia Valley Cuvee Rouge Red Wine

*Price: $20

*Running Tab: $315 (discounted!)

A couple weeks ago, I went to Lake Chelan, WA for a girlfriend's bachelorette party. Hands down the most alcohol I had consumed in a single weekend since college. A good majority of that alcohol was wine as we did a tasting tour throughout the Chelan Valley, which is striving to achieve AVA status in the state.

We went to four wineries/vineyards, all with beautiful views of the lake with wines fluctuating from decent to great. From the bottles I purchased for less than I should have (yay, industry discount!), I chose the Vin du Lac Cuvee Rouge red blend for this week's rendition.

Since the wine is young (2006) and full of everything but the kitchen sink (Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Syrah, Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Sangiovese), I poured myself a glass and gave it a little time to hang out and open up (roughly 30 minutes). However, this unprofessional decanting may not have been the best idea for this wine.

Hands down, for as many great varietals used in this wine, the Cuvee Rouge was a complete lackluster let down. I remember the vineyard - French and artisan - in a stunning location, placed upon the hill shadowing Chelan Butte, with a grape-cultured staff and a full kitchen offering flavorsome treats alongside of their complimentary four-pour tasting. It seems the facility may have been a slight facade for the passable wines.

The Cuvee Rouge has a distinct smokey, musty and straw aroma to it (which is, in some cases, really nice), followed up with spice, oak and black olives. It was a chore to pull out much fruit on the nose but isn't necessary for me to like the bouquet of a wine.

This time it seemed as so it was a necessary attribute to have fruit on the palate, however. Despite the smoothness of the light and cheerfully-bodied wine, the slight acidity and barely noticeable tannins couldn't keep me from wondering if there was fruit juice squeezed from these grapes or if it was just sugar-eating yeasts turning it into purple booze. 

The Cuvee Rouge is just a bland table wine that could increase flavor with food but would fall over if it tried to stand on its own.

I was a little disappointed with this purchase because I looked back on the winery itself so fondly - which could be because it was the last stop on our winery binge and anything may have tasted like Mondavi at that point. Bummer.

Score: 3.