The 2011 Menage a Trois California Red is a blend of 46% Zinfandel, 36% Merlot and 18% Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from vineyards in more than one California grape growing AVA. Menage a Trois is produced by Folie A Deux Winery, who is in turn part of the Trinchero Family Estates line of wines that include Newman’s Own and Sutter Home, who found tremendous success inventing the White Zinfandel style of wines. All the Menage a Trois wines have the number 3 in common, either 3 grapes in the blend or the grapes were sourced from 3 AVA’s. The 3 grapes in this blend were fermented and aged separately and then blended together just before bottling. We reviewed the 2009 Vintage and the percentage of the blend was slightly different that year. The California grapes yields have been down for several vintages in a row, making it harder to obtain good grapes at the right price, so will see if the 2011 vintage has changed in the last few years. The alcohol content is 13.8%.
The color is a rich blood plasma red with black highlights. The nose is jammy red fruit, spearmint chewing gum, French vanilla coffee creamer and a little new leather coat. This is a soft jammy, fruit forward with a nice slap of spice at the end for contrast. It tastes of blackberry, plum, some Nestle’s Quik powder and tart cranberry. The mid palate adds strawberries in cream, subdued Altoid’s spice and a late slap of pepper. The tannins are very soft considering the grapes used and the acidity is on the mild side. The finish is a mix of jammy fruit and spice and lasts an admirable length of time.
When we tried the 2009 Menage a Trois Red, we thought it was a Red wine for people who don’t like Red wine. The 2011 Menage a Trois Red is for people who like Red wine and like their wines very affordable. It is not a challenging, complex Red blend that will impress you with its structure and finesse, but what it does do is to taste very, very good. This is a solid wine for serving with burgers off the grill and an even better choice for sipping a glass or two while watching the sun go down while lounging on the deck. For a wine with a sexy French name, it is the least French style wine that you can imagine, this Red is unmistakably California thru and thru.
