Weekly Wine Review - California Red Blend - 2011 Onx Crux

I had seen a review of an ONX (pronounced like Onyx) wine in Wine Spectator, and read up a little on the winery. I was intrigued by their blending - which includes classic blending of Rhone varietals along with Spanish varietals like Tempranillo...not so classic a blend, which I like!  We got the opportunity to visit the vineyard during a recent trip to Paso Robles. A great visit, and great wines (we ordered two cases and signed up for their wine club!).

Wine: 2011 Onx Crux

Region: Paso Robles, California
Grape Varieties: Grenache (51%), Syrah (26%), Mourvedre (16%), Cabernet Sauvignon (7%)

Obtained from: Winery

Price: $45.00

Wino4Life Category: Weekend Wine

Aeration before tasting: Just a swirl or two, no special aeration.

Cork Condition: Natural Cork - no defects or issues.

Appearance: Dark purple at the center/core with a water white rim.

Aroma: Just excellent. The type of wine you want to keep your nose around long after people have started to stare at you.  Red fruit like cherries and raspberries, baking spices, a bit of dried leaves.

Taste: Also just excellent. Fruity, complex, very nicely balanced with a wonderful looooong finish.  Nice amount of tannins, but not too big to enjoy now.

The Grade: I give this one an A+.  Making me break my no more wine clubs rule is not an easy thing to do. There was no question here - all the wines I tasted at ONX were wonderful - some I like more than this one (is there such thing as an A++?). My biggest fear is that people will discover these wines, and they will get expensive and impossible to find.  I am not sure about distribution of this wine - but I highly recommend finding out how you can give this winery a try.