After several days of lighter wines, the Virginia red wines on my rack were calling my name.  Instead of going for a wine that I thought was going to be big and bold, though, I opted for the unknown and potentially lighter blend.

The 2006 Naked Mountain Raptor Red (winery) was 42% Merlot, 26% Petit Verdot, 21% Tannat, and 11% Cabernet Franc grapes with a dark ruby color that had a tint of garnet coming through, particularly on the rim.  On the nose, there was smoke, cedar, and meat, with a hint of vanilla, white pepper, sweet spice, raspberry, and cherry.  In the mouth, the wine was very subtle, with the savory notes being more prominent than the fruit.  The wine had a light-to-medium body, medium tannins, and high acidity.

Is this worth a glass after work? Eh…if you have a bottle on hand, drink it, but I wouldn’t go searching it out either. At $20, I expected a little more from this wine, particularly with such complex aromas. It is wine that does better with food than on its own.  I paired it with Hubby’s beef & broccoli stir-fry, which was a combination that worked nicely. In generally, it wasn’t bad, but it didn’t blow me away either.

Price: $20
Purchased at: Harris Teeter
Overall: 2.5 corks