Special occasion dry Napa red

Sometimes high-end low production wineries offer lower cost " Cuvees", essentially blends of Bordeaux grapes that might be excess crop or maybe not quite good enough for a flagship $ 60.00 plus bottle. I believe that the Don Raffaele 2006 Melange de Vin is just that-maybe not the top end but still good Napa fruit and decent winemaking. It's a rich wine and pretty tanninc as well, maybe not good for folks who like a fruitier style. For fans of dry reds in the older California style this is a good example, kind of like Mondavi about 15 years ago. While it might not be the tip-top cult wine, it is still really good if you can deal with the tannins. I'll give it 8 swiggs and a good chioce for the weekend. $ 24.99 at Trader Joes.