Review: Decoy 2014 Sonoma County Red Wine ($25)

I'm always impressed with the prices that Duckhorn charges for its higher end Napa Valley wines. They tend to get pretty high prices. Then again, when I taste them, I often appreciate the precision of the winemaking and the quality of the fruit that goes into Duckhorn wines. At their heart, they're very direct, generous, sunny California wines, but they're also extremely well made, and you can tell that there is a lot of subtle hard work that goes into blending them.

Decoy is the Duckhorn's "everyday" label of wines priced mostly in the $25 range, though you may find them for $19.99 with some regularity. The 2014 Decoy red blend is a damn good value, mostly because it is so precisely blended.% Petite Sirah, 8% Cabernet Franc and 8% Petit Verdot with aromas of black cherry, cassis, tobacco leaf, and coriander spice, silky-textured black and red fruit and a supple finish. It isn't goopy, or sweet, or overly-oaked. It's a sophisticated  red blend that is miles better than a lot of the California red blends that you might find in the $15 to $25 price range these days. What's even more impressive is that they made nearly 50,000 cases of this wine. Get some. (91 Points)