Wine Review

PreVail Back Forty 2003 and West Face 2003

The most challenging task for many vintners can be staying out of the vines’ way. In founding Ferrari-Carano Vineyards in Sonoma more than a quarter-century ago, Rhonda and Don Carano made careful note of this. While the Ferrari-Carano winery is located in Healdsburg, the heart and soul of its wines remain in the Caranos’ numerous vineyards scattered throughout the Alexander, Dry Creek and Russian River Valleys. And so it should come as no surprise that the couple’s latest project, PreVail, began with the land as well—specifically, with two mountain properties acquired in the early 1990s at opposite ends of the Alexander Valley. After giving careful consideration to the exceptional characteristics of these two parcels, the Caranos determined their elevations, exposures and complex soils made the sites ideal for producing small-production premium red wines. PreVail’s inaugural 2003 vintage has proven their intuitions correct.

Back Forty Vineyard, which lies on the opposite side of RockRise Mountain, comprises 40 acres of diverse soils that range from iron-rich clay to gravel. Here, the Caranos planted blocks of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah vines that, in 2003, yielded a silky yet potent deep-purple wine whose aromas rise up from the glass like a cool blackberry patch in a summer forest. Black cherry also emerges in the Back Forty 2003 ($80), before a sip reveals the wine’s rich texture, dark fruit and piquant notes of mineral and mocha.

West Face, as its name suggests, enjoys western exposure on the steep slopes of LookOut Mountain. The West Face 2003 ($50)—like its sister wine a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and a touch of Cabernet Franc—exhibits an earthy mix of coffee and black fruit on the nose, as well as sweet sage and mint; these scents converge on the palate with flavors of black cherry, mineral and leather. PreVail Mountain Winery Estate, 707-433-6775; prevailwine.com.

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Brett Anderson is senior vice president, editorial, for CurtCo Publishing.

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