Mark Herold
Mark’s new tasting room just opened in Napa –just down from the Oxbow Public Market– a scant three months before I reviewed his wines. I loved the room –super fun and modern–, but another journalist gently pointed out that it was geared towards Millennial wine drinkers, not us old cranks. Thanks, man. Thanks.
Millennial Wine?
That begs the question: what the *#&#E is a millennial wine? Is “Collide” the harbinger of Millennial vino? A new paradigm? Cool decor aside, I’m not convinced. Mark Herold’s wines are delicious in that Napa-esque way Gen-Xers have been slurping up for years. He earned his stripes at the Joseph Phelps winery, ran a custom crush facility for a while, and became the winemaker for Sonoma’s Kamen Estate.
Napa, Not Napa
The real difference with Collide is that, despite being sold in Napa and tasting very much like a luxury Napa wine, it doesn’t have any Napa fruit, nor is it actually made in Napa, either. Exactly where the grapes come from is unclear. It’s a blend of Tempranillo, Petite Sirah, Graciano, Carignan, Syrah, and Alicante Bouschet, so probably much of the fruit comes from older vineyards in Sonoma and the Central Coast.
Wine Review
The style is pure fruit, with bursts of blackberry, cola, and sweet vanilla. The voluptuous richness is balanced with milk chocolate and hawthorn. I’d say this bottle under-represents its ABV on the label. I would be surprised if it weren’t 16.1% alcohol.
First wine reviewed was Collide.
Your review was spot on