We were still at the fundraiser at Our Lady of Redemption Melchite Catholic Church sponsored by The Fine Wine Source of Livonia, Michigan.  While I was stopping everywhere to talk shop, my Bride was going around and taking photos and listening to people talk from behind the tables.

When we got to the American wine table, she was very excited.  There were eight different wineries featured and twelve different wines.  Most of the wines she had already tasted, but she had heard that Celani Family Vineyards were going to cease production of their Robusto label, and that was one of our go-to wines at several restaurants around town, so she wanted to taste the two wines from Celani that were being poured.  So we passed on Spelletich, Tre Son, Ocnautic, Roberts + Robers, Korbin Kameron and Mettier.  Remember “a happy wife is a happy life.”

We started with the Celani Family Vineyards Robusto Napa Valley 2021.  Her excitement was contagious, and we both forgot to take a photo of the wine, which we normally do.  So, accept my apologies as I like to show the wine and the bottle in the same photo, but she was so concerned that we wouldn’t be able to get any more of the wine that she immediately placed an order for two cases; I had to break open a case for a photo of this vintage.  This is truly a Proprietary Red Blend, as there is no information even on the trade notes, but the winery grows Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc and they are partial to new French Oak.   Though in talks with Tom at a couple of tastings, he told me that this vintage was pure Merlot.  This was the vintage after the disaster of 2020, and thankfully with the Robusto of that vintage I could not taste any smoke contamination, and this following vintage wine was excellent.  This deep garnet wine offered notes of black plums, black cherries, and blackberries, along with notes of vanilla, tobacco, and chocolate.  On the palate, this is a rather full-bodied wine for being affordable and the tones of the dark fruits, and traces of licorice, and orange peel; blended well with the softer tannins offering a fruit-forward, but not jammy wine that is easy to drink with or without food, and ending with a good medium-count finish of fruit and spices and graphite (terroir).

We proceeded to enjoy the Celani Family Vineyards Tenacious Red Blend Napa Valley 2022.  I had tasted and wrote about the Tenacious 2012, 2016 and 2021 and we may have a bottle or two left of them in the cellar.  When I first had the wine, I was told that it was created in the image of Le Pin and Chateau Petrus, and quite a lofty goal.  The wine is a blend of seventy-three percent Merlot and twenty-seven percent Cabernet Franc.  The fruit is from the estate, Oak Knoll and Napa Valley.  The wine is aged in new French Oak for twenty-two months and has become their affordable signature wine.  This had a big nose of black fruit, plums and currants, followed by wildflowers, tobacco, Sous-bois and graphite. On the palate this full-bodied, well-balanced wine was dominated by the black cherry and plum finishing with some rich terroir and some great acidity for cellaring; truly evoking the Right Bank.  If I was crazy about the pure Merlot, the addition of the Cabernet Franc put it over the edge.