Venge Vineyards Scout's Honor Proprietary Red 2013
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Robert
Parker
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Nils Venge has always done a great job with Scout's Honor; the wine is now made by his son Kirk Venge. The 2013 Scout's Honor is a blend of 71% Zinfandel, 15% Petite Sirah, 10% Charbono and 4% Syrah, tipping the scales at a whopping 15.4% natural alcohol. This may be the best Scout's Honor Venge Vineyards has yet made. Absolutely glorious blueberry and black raspberry fruit, some truffle, licorice and spice are all present in this full-bodied, opulent, fleshy and succulent wine. It is a hedonistic fruit bomb, for sure, but also intellectually pleasing. This is a big, rich, classic Napa wine from a great, great vintage. Drink it over the next 7-8 years.
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The Venge (ven-ghee) family has farmed vitis vinifera varieties in Napa Valley for nearly half a century. It is a journey that began when Knud Venge emigrated from Denmark to the United States in the early 1900’s. Knud's son, Per Venge, found his passion in the wine and spirits industry and started Vencom Imports, focusing on the importation of Western European fine wines and spirits. It was Per's son, Nils Venge, who left the family business in the 1960's with a vision to study viticulture at UC Davis and establish the family name as an icon in the winegrowing community.
The family's viticultural roots flourished in 1976 with the purchase of a 17-acre vineyard in the Oakville District that was planted to Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. This fortunate development cast the family among the winemaking pioneers of Napa Valley.
Nils' and Dianna Venge's son, Kirk Venge, gravitated to winemaking at an early age. He proved to be as talented a winemaker as his father, making wines in his own style, with a vision to build on the family legacy. In 2008, Kirk achieved his lifelong dream and acquired full ownership of Venge Vineyards. Today, Kirk continues the Napa Valley heritage, focusing on select vineyard sites that produce fruit worthy of bearing the Venge family name.
Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.
Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.