Dashe The Comet 2015 | Lafite to Ridge to Dashe
Dashe The Comet 2015 is dense ruby black in color. Expressive on the nose, also boysenberry, anise, juicy blueberry, pepper, and mint. Balanced and charming on the palate, hence with the perfect combination of ripeness and brightness. In addition, mulberries, fruitcake, and black plum. Delicious and lush, while created wonderfully by Winemaker Mike Dashe.
Dashe The Comet 2015 is a blend of three varietals. A 52-year-old vine Zinfandel from Geyserville, also a 131-year-old vine Carignane from Sonoma Valley. Finally, a significant proportion—39% of the blend—of an Alexander Valley Petite Sirah. Together, they make a rich, complex, full-bodied wine with a tremendous depth of flavor.
Thanks to placements on the list at The French Laundry and a recent write-up in the New York Times, the luscious, juicy reds of Mike and Anne Dashe are notoriously difficult to obtain. As Robert M. Parker Jr. wrote, “One of my favorite under-the-radar wineries for a number of years has been Dashe. The prices are reasonable, the quality high, and the wines filled with personality. Dashe The Comet 2015 ticks all of Parker’s boxes, delivering plush and expressive dark-fruit, vibrancy, and length at an excellent value.
Winemaker Mike Dashe
In 1989, Mike Dashe left a harvest internship at Château Lafite-Rothschild in Bordeaux. He immediately landed a job under Paul Draper at Ridge Winery. Over the course of the next decade, Dashe perfected Draper’s non-interventionist approach to winemaking. In the process, he developed an encyclopedic knowledge of the old-vine plantings in Sonoma. Mike combines his expertise with his wife Anne’s, a graduate of the University of Bordeaux’s famed enology program.
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The Dashes craft astonishing, small-lot cuvees in their “city” winery in Oakland which are always rich, ripe, and juicy. As a result, Dashe wines are never marred by over-extraction or astringency. Instead, they match exotic wild-berry intensity with Left Bank cut, finishing with remarkably age-worthy persistence.
The 2015 Comet marries lushness with vibrancy; in addition pepper and mint complexity with well-integrated oak. This small production cuvee could certainly carry a higher price tag, but thanks to its under-the-radar status it won’t break the bank. Stock up and don’t let the secret out.