The Tasting Panel magazine

October 2017

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october 2017  /  the tasting panel  /  79 doing some saignée so that we're actu- ally getting almost a rosé," Willingham says. "Then we can kind of blend that back with the heavier, concentrated and macerated fruit so we're getting this juxtaposition of inky color and bold tannin with the softness and roundness and smoothness that you'd get from a whiter red." Both are aged in new French oak, with the oak on the Cabernet Sauvignon imparting a sweetness "like vanilla caramel crème brûlée, which layers really well" with its blackberry and cherry notes, Willingham says. She opts for "a more masculine-style oak" for the Dark Red Blend "that's a little bit smokier with a heavier toast, with more mocha coffee notes in that." "It is a little more fruit-forward and jammy even than the Cabernet Sauvignon, so it's a really good bal- ance," Willingham adds. The Winding Road to Ravage Willingham is based in Lodi, California, but her path to winemaking was far from direct. Despite being surrounded by orchards and vineyards during her youth, viticulture didn't command her attention until she began exploring tasting rooms in Paso Robles, California, in her mid-twenties. The industry immediately captivated her, and while grappling with a lack of fulfillment in her professional life in 2009, Willingham sat down with a piece of paper—and, fittingly, a glass of wine—to brainstorm which career paths would marry her most ambitious aspirations with her skills and passions. All paths seemed to converge on winemaking, and after being accepted into the Viticulture and Enology program at California State University, Fresno, Willingham took a seasonal position at Mission Bell Winery doing research and development. There, she was mentored by winemaker Oren Kaye, who imparted what would soon become an informal mantra for her work on Ravage: "Stay hungry." After graduating in 2012, Willingham wrapped up a post-grad internship at E. & J. Gallo Winery before return- ing to Lodi to work for Turner Road Vintners. When the opportunity arose to help launch Ravage, the prospect of being instrumental in the inception of a brand seemed like the closest thing to a "dream job" Willingham could imagine. "When this opportunity came around and I got to sort of build something from the ground up and see it through to fruition—literally watching the grapes be picked then seeing someone pick it up off the shelf—it's a feeling I can't really explain," she says. While Ravage has been an undisputed hit with Willingham's male friends, she says women have gravitated toward the wines as well. In addition to the surreal moments she's watched firsthand as people pluck bottles of Ravage off of shelves crowded with dozens of other wines, Willingham is also motivated by the social media posts she's seen of Ravage accompanying strangers to noteworthy experiences like "somebody's birthday, a date, a family dinner, Thanksgiving, whatever it is." "It's really nice to think that some small piece of something I did is part of that [memory]," Willingham says. Savoring New Milestones Willingham expects the 2017 vintage may pose an "interesting" test due to dramatic weather conditions that saw a drought give way to heavy rains—but one would be correct to assume she's never been the type to shrink away from a challenge. "Every vintage is a milestone, so I'm super excited about 2017 . . . and how that vintage is going to differ or be consistent with the others," she says. "I think now we're at the place where we can do a really fun vertical tasting and do the 2014 vintage all the way through 2017 in the future." When asked if she has a preference between the Cabernet Sauvignon or the Dark Red Blend, Willingham gasps in feigned agony and musters her most diplomatic answer: "I'll say what my mother says—I love them for differ- ent reasons!" And while she prides herself on her eclectic pairing habits ("I actually thought in college that I might write a book called Odd Couples that was about pairing wines with things like wasabi peas and Fudgsicles," she says with a laugh), the foods that best complement Ravage Wines are more "straightforward": heavy desserts like chocolate ganache or truffles, barbecue ribs, steak, hamburgers, and grilled vegetables. "That smoky character you get from a barbecue [grill] just really marries well with the profiles of both the Dark Red Blend and the Cabernet Sauvignon," she explains. Ravage's 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2016 Dark Red Blend are currently avail- able across the U.S. To check availability near you, visit www.ravagewines.com. Ravage 2015 Dark Red Blend, California ($13) Offers a rich, dense nose of black cherries and orange blossom, with a fine-tuned aroma of sweet red beets and toffee-mocha. Ripe on the palate, the liquid's round, supple tannins help intensify flavors of cocoa and roasted coffee. 90 —Meridith May PHOTO COURTESY OF RAVAGE WINES PHOTO COURTESY OF RAVAGE WINES Ravage 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon, California ($13) Ushers in a ripe, expressive perfume of bright boysenberry painted with vanilla strokes. On the palate, semi-sweet dark chocolate engages with juicy summer plums. The pleasant mouthfeel is silky and round. 90 —M.M. Tasting Notes:

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