IMAGERY ESTATE: Broaden Your Palate

by Richard Paul Hinkle
When the Benziger boys spun off “Imagery” as a separate label, it was a pretty serious operation, in terms of the wines, in terms of the label art selections. Over the years, a winery was established (at their one-time brewery, north of Glen Ellen) and a sense of whimsy was added to the art-label side of things. I applaud that because too much of wine, for way too long, has been stuffy, in the “we are not amused” sort of caricature. It is that unwillingness to be amused that was always so sad. Injecting a little quirkiness, a little off-the-wall humor, is a good thing.
So now we have, at Imagery, both a sense of humor and the great sense of style and identity that winemaker Joe Benziger has also brought to play at Imagery. Take, for example, the subtle whimsy of the butterfly label (New Jersey artist Gregory Hailil) that graces the 2006 Sonoma County Viognier ($26). The wine, too, has a certain whimsy, in its white peach nose, sweet cream texture and ethereal peach purity of fruit expression. Thick and juicy, this is a sensational expression of what Viognier can be. Good with the picnic, for certain.
“As you know, Rich, Viognier is an exotic wine, one with the body of Chardonnay but the flavors of Riesling and/or Muscat,” says Joe. “I think that this one is a wonderful example of the varietal, with its intense aromas of peach, pineapple and honeysuckle, and its generous palate impression and rich flavors. We like it with scallops in a light curry sauce.” Yep, that would do the job, too.
But the one that is an all out assault on fustiness and pretension has to be the 2006 Sonoma County Sauvignon Blanc ($24) titled “WOW Oui.” Hah! (Say it out loud.) I’m not sure I can explain what Belgian artist Frank Slabbinck is trying to say here, but there is some sort of cow-like critter, standing in a field with the Benziger Parthenon, and, well, there is something else going on but I can’t begin to tell you what it is. What I can tell you, for certain, is that the wine has that lively, crisp-acid, floral-grass character that we so love about Sauvignon Blanc, and it’s a live-wire wine just as the label is live-wire expression of fun and frolic and whatnot.
The label on the 2005 Lake County Mourvèdre ($42) is an evocative country pastiche of a woman with a glass of wine, looking out her window (where a cat is perched) to a country scene (the Benziger Parthenon, in white, is perched on the hilltop). The wine itself is a warm, soft red, with coffee and ripe fig fruit, with cardamom spiciness, that would be perfect with a Navy bean casserole on a cold night. Next to a fireplace, naturally.
The 2004 Lake County Malbec ($34) is, as a wine, a narrowly defined line drawing, with tightly rendered blackberry, menthol and peppermint fruit. The almost steely quality of this wine makes it ideal for some meat in a heavy sauce, like a Salisbury steak in tomato sauce. This wine will cut it, for certain.
The 2004 Dry Creek Valley Sangiovese ($32) is all berry all the time, from raspberry to strawberry, with hints of blueberry and pomegranate. Syrup-dense, this wine is so fruit sweet and so fluid that you could almost pour it over vanilla ice cream, but I think I’d hold back and keep it for the sausages and sauerkraut or the chicken parmesan that Joe recommends. “It is a lush and full-bodied wine,” agrees Joe. “I get ripe plum and some earthy tobacco and oak, too. There was a high skin-to-juice ration to this wine, so we got max flavor and texture, as you can easily see.” Oh yeah.
The big boy in the current releases is the Imagery Estate 2004 Pallas ($70, 95.5 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 4.5 percent Malbec). This, as you might expect, is a big, black, dense wine, with blackberry, violets and a blueberry tanginess in the finish that really wraps things up. Bring out your best for this one.
As you might recall, biodynamic farming is big with the Benziger family, and the entire 20-acre Imagery Estate is farmed by the sustainable, holistic principles established in the 1920s by Austrian scientist-philosopher Rudolf Steiner.
The Imagery Estate is located at 14335 Highway 12 in Glen Ellen. Phone toll-free 1-877-550-4278 or see them on the web at www.imagerywinery.com. The tasting room is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for tasting and sales.
[Hinkle is the author of eight wine books – two of which earned him the Wine Literary Award – and is presently at work on books nine and ten. He is also an active business writer (he writes often for North Bay BIZ). His work can be seen at www.RichardPaulHinkle.com.]