2017 Red Blend Occam's Razor

Billo Naravane, who earned his Master of Wine title in 2017, has been much in demand as a consultant (his newest project, beginning this year, is R. R. Poet in the Rattlesnake Hills AVA), in addition to producing his own wines with his brother Pinto under their Rasa label. Naravane releases the Rasa wines when he feels they’re ready, and some cuvées spend as long as 30 months in barrel. So among the current Rasa releases are 2017s, 2016s and a couple of late ‘15s.

Naravane told me he finds “more tension and nervy acidity” in his 2017 Chardonnay than in the ‘16. The earlier vintage, he went on, “was hotter, especially if the canopy wasn’t managed well.” As to red wines in ’16 and ’17, Naravane offered a pithy synopsis. “The Bordeaux varieties did great in both 2016 and 2017. Generally speaking, the tannins are slightly rounder in 2016 and slightly firmer in 2017. The acidity is a touch brighter in 2017. The berry size was smaller in 2017 so the resulting wines offer a bit more concentration and intensity. It was important not to over-extract in 2017 or else balance could be easily compromised. Petit Verdot did exceptionally well in 2016, reaching near-perfect levels of ripeness and development. Malbec excelled in both years. The Cabernet Sauvignons are more hedonistic in 2016 and slightly more rugged in 2017. The Cabernet Francs in 2017 have higher levels of florality than 2016. Overall both vintages show great promise for the Bordeaux varieties. Overall, I marginally prefer the 2017s because they show a bit more finesse and elegance assuming the extraction was held in check.” Naravane will not release his 2016 Creative Impulse or 2016 Perfect Union until November of 2020, as he decided that these wines needed 24 to 30 months in barrel followed by another 18 to 24 months of bottle aging.