2011 Alpha Omega Proprietary Red

The 2011 Proprietary Red, mostly Cabernet Sauvignon blended with Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot is the least impressive of these 2011s. It possesses good freshness, a medium-bodied, lean, austere style and a herbaceous/vegetal character. The wine reveals a nice dark color and the tannins are soft, but there is not much substance to this 2011, which comes across like an uninspiring Bordeaux cru bourgeois. Alpha Omega, which has been in existence for nearly a decade, is located in a handsome building on Highway 29. The wines are made by John Hoefliter teamed with the famous globe-trotting Bordeaux oenologist, Michel Rolland. I have noticed incremental improvement in these cuvees, and the 2011s generally performed well. Tel. (707) 963-9999