2019 The Sheriff Of Buena Vista
Vintage: 2019
Region: Sonoma County
Country: USA
Winemaker Notes
A dark inky red color in the glass, this 2019 Red Wine has fragrant aromas of blackberry, blueberry, and currants with notes of violets. This is a medium-bodied wine with elegant texture and polished tannins. Dark fruit flavors continue through to the palate and are layered with brambly herbs and a hint of dark chocolate. The finish is delicious and lingering.
About Winery
One of California’s first sheriffs, Agoston Haraszthy was elected Sheriff of San Diego County in 1850. He built the first jail and served two colorful years before moving north to pursue “purple gold” – the perfect terroir for fine wines. He found it in Sonoma County where he established Buena Vista Winery in 1857. Our wine honors his pioneering legacy in law enforcement and winegrowing, as well as all of those individuals who protect and serve our communities.
The story of our illustrious founder, Count Agoston Haraszthy, is as long as it is colorful. After leaving the nobility behind in Hungary and before planting his grapes in at Buena Vista, The Count undertook a nine-month journey by wagon train from Wisconsin to the glimmering Pacific in hopes of finding Gold in California. Never one to pass on an entrepreneurial opportunity, Haraszthy first settled in the coastal town of San Diego where he purchased land, planted grapevines, and on April 1st, 1850 was elected the first Sherriff of the County of San Diego.
San Diego in 1850 was a lively town; hotels, saloons, and gambling parlors surrounded all edges of the central Plaza, serving the many travelers passing through as well as locals desirous of excitement. San Diego’s first jail, built by the Count himself, was rarely empty long. After its completion, the citizens of San Diego passed new rules and regulations to officially calm their restive, adventurous citizens. Ordinances prohibiting, “riotous or disorderly noise by firing guns, pistols, or otherwise,” and forbidding the, “slaughter of cattle, goats, or swine on the public streets,” led to The Count often explaining to troublemakers that, “you must stop shooting off your pistols in the streets, or I will be forced to throw all of you into the hoosegow!” In all these actions it was the Count who pulled his pistol on wrong-doers, and marched them off to jail.
The story of our founder is as long as it is colorful. One of California’s first sheriffs, Agoston Haraszthy was elected the Sheriff of San Diego County in 1850. He built the first jail and served two exciting years before moving north to pursue “purple gold” and the perfect terroir for fine wines. He found it in Sonoma County where he established Buena Vista Winery in 1857. It is his legacy that inspired this wine and the work of sheriffs everywhere that we honor with its release.
Winemaker's Notes
The Sheriff of Buena Vista proudly calls Sonoma County its home. The varietals that compose the 2019 vintage are harvested from appellations throughout the county including Rockpile, Sonoma Valley, Fountaingrove District, Bennett Valley, Russian River Valley and Dry Creek Valley. The individual varietals were aged separately for 15 months in a variety of new and neutral oak barrels before being blended prior to bottling.
Tasting Notes
A dark inky red color in the glass, this 2019 Red Wine has fragrant aromas of blackberry, blueberry and currants with notes of violets. This is a medium-bodied wine with elegant texture and polished tannins. Dark fruit flavors continue through to the palate and are layered with brambly herbs and a hint of dark chocolate. The finish is delicious and lingers.
Wine Enthusiast 94
Superripe, jammy flavors of strawberries and blackberries are nicely accented by oak spices of vanilla, toast and cedar in this moderately tannic, firmly structured wine. It offers lots of fruit and power.
