Dark fruit on the nose, including ripe raspberry and blackberry with notes of cocoa, anise and a soft, round mid-palate. On the palate, grippy tannin gives way to black cherry, baking spices with herbal notes, followed by sweet BBQ sauce ribs, oregano with relaxed, dusty tannins.
"This is a finely textured red with blackberries, chocolate and light vanilla undertones. Medium body. Delicious finish. A blend of 33% syrah, 27% cabernet sauvignon, 18% merlot, 11% cabernet franc, 3% mourvedre, 2% grenache, 2% counoise, 2% sangiovese and 2% petit verdot. Drink or hold."
- James Suckling (June 2020), 92 pts
"The 2017 Firehouse Red is a crazy blend of 33% Syrah, 27% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Mourvèdre, Grenache, Counoise, Sangiovese, and Petit Verdot. As always, it's a great value and has loads of ripe red and black fruits, spice, and dried flower aromas as well as a kiss of classy oak, medium body, ripe tannins, and a great finish. It's a year-in, year-out no brainer."
- Jeb Dunnuck (April 2020), 90 pts
"A tribute to the art of blending, this wine is a mix of 10 different varieties with none making up even a third of the blend. It leads with aromas of plummy blue fruit, smoke, vanilla and herbs followed by plump fruit flavors and lightly grippy tannins."
- Wine Enthusiast (May 2016), 89 pts
"Dark red. Inviting floral lift to the aromas of dark cherry, herbs and licorice. Silky in texture, with its berry and fresh herb flavors complemented by harmonious sweet oak. Finishes with suave, slightly drying tannins. A very successful blend of 11 (!) varieties. - Stephen Tanzer"
- Vinous (November 2015), 89 pts
"Tamarack's Firehouse Red incorporates 12 different grapes in the blend, though most are in tiny percentages. Nonetheless the wine is focused and deep, with luscious boysenberry, licorice and dark chocolate flavors wrapping together in a complex and textural whole. - Paul Gregutt"
- Wine Enthusiast Magazine (July 1st 2014), 90 pts + Editor's Choice
At Tamarack Cellars, the focus is handcrafting pleasantly balanced wines, offered at a fair price. Danny Gordon, now the official “Maker of Wine”, was hired on a year after Ron ...
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