Thelema Rabelais 2011
Ixel Balamke’s Wine Notes:
Color – Dark Ruby
Aroma – Blackberries and cedar
Initial Taste – Intense blackberries, the body of this wine is rather flabby.
Finish – Lush blackberries with notes of cedar and tobacco on the end. Lengthy finish. Good strong tannins should age easily for another 10 to 15 years.
Price – $30
This is probably the best wine that Thelema winery makes. They have even showcased this wine as their finest Bordeaux wine. I will have to admit Thelema wines is not anywhere near my favorite wines category. They tend to be lack luster, flabby bodied wines, and I really had hope to find great wine even this wine for the price isn’t really worth it. My main reason for even trying it was because it was once owned by Thelemites trying to make good wines. I have not yet tried their whites, which I understand are far better than their reds. Personally unless you like to spend all lot of money on wines simply just to try them then try, I personally think that there are far better wines out there for the price.
glad you enjoyed the wine! We have a row of Eucalyptus trees aldigsnoe the vineyard and the minty character seems to come from compounds from the trees. My father, who makes the Thelema wines, also worked at Heitz in the early ’80 s and got a pleasant memory when he first tasted the wine from our Mint vineyard and was reminded of Martha’s Vineyard.
Hope some day to visit your winery.