How much nicer of a day can it be, even with a cold rain, to be tasting some wines from Young Inglewood of Saint Helena, Napa Valley, California.  Scott Young the winegrower and winemaker was at Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan representing his family’s wine.  One could feel his passion for his craft and his products as he poured and talked about each wine.  He lifted everyone from a store setting to a winery setting with his casual, but highly professional demeanor.  He even joked that in the few days that he was in Michigan, he was able to experience all of our seasons from snow to sunny 70° weather and then back to a cold rain.

His wines brought us back to a sunny afternoon in Napa Valley.  The second wine that he was pouring for us that day was a wine that they wanted to make and were finally happy with the results.  The Young Inglewood Vin Clair Rosé 2017 was very interesting and intriguing.  Here was a Rosé that was made from seventy percent Malbec and the balance was Merlot.  The fruit came from both their own estate in Saint Helena and from a neighboring plot in the Valley.  The fruit was carefully crushed and then removed from the skins and seeds and aged for six months in Stainless Steel to maintain the flavor of the juice.  There was a soft nose of berries and the color was of a soft straw with just a tinge of pink to it, considering how dark a blend of Malbec and Merlot should be, with a soft finish that just invited another taste.  There were forty-two cases made of this wine, as the winery touts that they are hand crafted and small lots, and this was certainly the case.  While I was there, this was a crowd pleaser, because it was so unique.

The third wine of the tasting showed that the family was intent on making a Bordeaux style wine with a restrained elegant wine that they even named for this region.  The Young Inglewood Right Bank Blend 2013 was a delicious wine, and I imagine that in a blind tasting, it would have easy to say that it was a Claret, instead of a big red wine from Napa Valley.  The wine was eighty-seven percent Cabernet Franc and the balance was Cabernet Sauvignon.  Here once again was a wine that was blended from their Saint Helena and from the neighboring Napa Valley lots.  I really enjoyed the nose of this wine, but then I am very fond of Cabernet Franc, the color was rich, with long legs and a nice finish.  This wine was aged for twenty-one months in pure French Oak barrels, of which forty percent were new, and then the wine aged another twelve months in bottle before being released.  With production of one-hundred-sixty cases, it is easy to understand how the winery sells out each year.  After the first three wines, I was eager to try the last two wines, but also sad to think that the tasting would be over shortly.