A blend of Pinot Noir and other red grapes made from leftover lots and purchased wines including some single vineyard fruit.
Fresh red berry nose with smooth black cherry flavors. The wine is just beautiful, with bright red fruits on the nose, medium body and a smooth finish.
A pioneer in Carneros, Acacia debuted in 1979 and quickly distinguished itself as one of the first California wineries to offer vineyard-designate Pinot Noir. Today, Acacia remains tightly focused on producing high-quality Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines with emphasis on showcasing terroir and crafting wines that pair beautifully with food.
Long before the climate of the Carneros American Viticultural Area (AVA) was recognized as ideal for growing Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, Acacia’s pioneering founders were convinced of it. Their goal when they launched Acacia was to achieve a certain balance in Pinot Noir that, at the time, existed only in French wines. They wanted to make a single-vineyard California Pinot Noir that was both complex and delicate—a wine that heightened the enjoyment of food, making everything a little more delicious.
Today, that quality is what draws aficionados and novices alike to Acacia wines. It’s what has helped put Carneros on the map. And it’s what continues to inspire winemaking at Acacia after more than 30 years, from the ferocious belief in the possibility of this place to the artistry of capturing its essence in a glass.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NM, NY, NC, ND, OR, PA, SC, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI
I’ve been a long time forum reader. We started buying wine on the “other site” back in 2010. But we’re excited to say that this is our first post and our first run at being a lab rat!
My wife is pregnant, it’s the middle of covid and a weeknight, so drinking a full bottle of wine felt like a fun challenge (my wine tolerance has taken a beating this past year)… and then this magnum bad boy showed up at our door.
The label makes this wine very approachable and fun from the get-go with it’s dog cartoon and descriptor as a “undistinguished pedigree of uncertain lineage”. It’s interesting to note that it’s made by Acacia, who is known for Carneros Pinot and Chardonnay. This however, is a medium body California Red table wine. It shows like a pinot, with some orange hues on the rim, which I assume indicates a bit of age.
Given it’s size, I tackled this bottle over the course of 3 days.
Day 1, I picked up strawberry on the nose, blackberry on the taste, with a clean finish on the wine. Night 1, I paired with a flank steak, roasted brussel sprouts, and macaroni and cheese. Despite the wine being more on the medium-bodied side, it help up surprisingly well.
Day 2, the wine held up very well against oven-roasted salmon and stuffed mushrooms.
Day 3, I enjoyed my last glass with a shrimp scampi pasta – the wine was still hanging in there, but had definitely mellowed out from the previous nights.
Overall, I’d say this wine is a very approachable bottle that would be a no brainer to serve at a large backyard BBQ (memories….sigh). Looking at the price point, this is a great QPR for an easy-drinking magnum.
How much more are you saving by buying 4 magnums?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
Mongrel Rouge California Red Wine Magnum - $20 = 16.66%
Just looking around, didn’t know Acacia as I used to know it is no longer. Winery and property purchased by Peju a few years back, 2016 or so?.. with Treasury Wine Estates buying the name. Looks like no Acacia wines produced in recent years other than the $10 “A by Acacia”. No webpage other than a cover page that says nothing. Makes me wonder about that $50 price attributed to this
That’s the tough thing about NV labeled releases, you just don’t know, and CT doesn’t help much with multiple vintage and NV entries where the blend likely changes between releases as well.
The 2013, assuming that was a release date, not a vintage date, has a comment from a respected palate we met on the last rpm tour, Brad from Woodbridge, that may be what we have here.
WOODBRIDGE BRAD LIKES THIS WINE: 86 Points
Better than most sub $15 CA pinots. Really a bargain. A respectable everyday pinot.
Unlikely, imo, he was commenting on one of the earlier ‘vintage’ releases.
Sigh…
WD, any idea when this lot was bottled and released?
@halwarning@rjquillin@rpm@Winedavid49 Not sure if this is a clue to age of wine, but label says produced and bottled by Acacia Wine Company, Napa. With the change in 2016 is there even such a company anymore? A by Acacia is a Treasury trademark in 2018 most recently it looks like
@halwarning@kaolis@rpm@Winedavid49
If this really is the '13, with Brad’s TN from '15, a decently made PN in a mag at eight years should be fine for many more. There is only a single newer TN from '16 that suggests good life as well.
@halwarning@kaolis@rjquillin@rpm@Winedavid49 Thanks for all your sleuthing. It would be great to know more. Seems to be enough potential and intrigue to justify buying 2 for $60.
A magnum for 25 bucks that has great rattage and most likely comes from Napa and at the very least is made from grapes? I’m in! Worst case scenario it’s still wine in a big ol bottle with a pretty cool label.
@halwarning@pete0744 This is where I’m at as well. Looks fun and could always bring to a party. The rattage was encouraging. Just need to decide on 2 or 4.
@halwarning@jfuruno@pete0744 I’m realizing I didn’t specifically address my view of the overall quality in my lab rat report. I was getting at it with the comment on being great for backyard BBQs. But I think the folks here have it right. The wine did not knock my socks off by any means, but I figured that would be an unreasonable expectation given the price point. It was pleasant and it’s on sale as a magnum table wine for $25 or $30. That was definitely impacting my viewpoint here.
We were surprised to see a magnum when the bottle arrived. Upon initial review though, it was clear that this a non-informative label. No year. California appelation. No varietal. No back label.
The only annoying thing from the lack of info was that we have the varietal specific wine glasses, and had no idea which to use. On the plus side, we did try the wine in a few different glasses, which is always fun.
Initial pop and pour showed fruity nose of bright cherry and raspberry. Color was clear, bright red, definitely looks light. First pulled out the Bordeaux and the Zin glasses. Was a bit surprised that drinking out of the Bordeaux glass, indicated it might be more pinot noir based, rather than Cab Sauv. Anyway, pulled out the Burgundy glass to test it out. Lo and Behold, it definitely seemed to be pinot base. The biggest surprise there is that pinots usually would indicate that on the label, but ostensibly the blend changes so much over time that the producer didn’t want to be locked into listing.
Tasting confirmed that it is a light body wine, a bit fruity, reminiscent of a beaujolais nouveau out of the Bordeaux glass, but more prominent dirt and less bright cherry out of the Burgundy glass. Either way, the consensus from the two rats (Joel and Michelle) as well as the guests we had, was that it was an easy drinker, with nothing to offend anyone, but also not much to excite.
The first day was paired with garlic and herb tilapia and mashed potatoes, which was a decent pairing. The second day was paired with seared ahi, and it didn’t stand up overly well to the stronger fish. The only difference noted between the two nights was a bit less brightness on the second.
Drank one tonight at dinner with my family and in laws and it paired very well with Chinese. We had hand-pulled noodles, cumin beef, Sichuan fish, and pork filled potstickers. Delicious backdrop to every bite, and a very approachable crowd pleaser. It was also (as I hoped) the perfect amount of wine with the meal for the 6 of us of age. Thanking my past self for going with 4 bottles.
Unfortunately, two of my four bottles experienced slippage and leaked. They were drank, with a friend, earlier than I had hoped. I’m very good at bottle rotation, so I don’t know why this would occur.
Mongrel Rouge California Red Wine Magnum
Tasting Notes
Specs
Included in the Box
2-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
Not for sale online, $200/case MSRP
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NM, NY, NC, ND, OR, PA, SC, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Mar 22 - Tuesday, Mar 23
Mongrel Rouge California Red Wine Magnum
(2)$59.99 - (4)$99.99
NV Mongrel Rouge
I’ve been a long time forum reader. We started buying wine on the “other site” back in 2010. But we’re excited to say that this is our first post and our first run at being a lab rat!
My wife is pregnant, it’s the middle of covid and a weeknight, so drinking a full bottle of wine felt like a fun challenge (my wine tolerance has taken a beating this past year)… and then this magnum bad boy showed up at our door.
The label makes this wine very approachable and fun from the get-go with it’s dog cartoon and descriptor as a “undistinguished pedigree of uncertain lineage”. It’s interesting to note that it’s made by Acacia, who is known for Carneros Pinot and Chardonnay. This however, is a medium body California Red table wine. It shows like a pinot, with some orange hues on the rim, which I assume indicates a bit of age.
Given it’s size, I tackled this bottle over the course of 3 days.
Day 1, I picked up strawberry on the nose, blackberry on the taste, with a clean finish on the wine. Night 1, I paired with a flank steak, roasted brussel sprouts, and macaroni and cheese. Despite the wine being more on the medium-bodied side, it help up surprisingly well.
Day 2, the wine held up very well against oven-roasted salmon and stuffed mushrooms.
Day 3, I enjoyed my last glass with a shrimp scampi pasta – the wine was still hanging in there, but had definitely mellowed out from the previous nights.
Overall, I’d say this wine is a very approachable bottle that would be a no brainer to serve at a large backyard BBQ (memories….sigh). Looking at the price point, this is a great QPR for an easy-drinking magnum.
@stevenfarber527
curious about the peeking-out “for resale” sticker on the side
@rjquillin whoops, the photo cuts of the rest of the sticker, which says “sample - not for resale”
@stevenfarber527 Thank you for the review. That was a big bottle to tackle.
How much more are you saving by buying 4 magnums?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
Mongrel Rouge California Red Wine Magnum - $20 = 16.66%
Should read “… by buying 4 magnums…”
@chipgreen
ZZZZzzzzz
until now.
@rjquillin
Thanks for the fix
NOTE: this is a 2 pack, 4 pack offer. i had a blast with this wine.
@Winedavid49
Thanks for the h/u. Now if only I could still edit my posts. Oh, Ron? @rjquillin
/giphy unused-miserable-gunslinger
/giphy peppery-ambulatory-helium
I’d buy it just for the adorably-patterned foil! Sadly, no Rhode Island…
Just looking around, didn’t know Acacia as I used to know it is no longer. Winery and property purchased by Peju a few years back, 2016 or so?.. with Treasury Wine Estates buying the name. Looks like no Acacia wines produced in recent years other than the $10 “A by Acacia”. No webpage other than a cover page that says nothing. Makes me wonder about that $50 price attributed to this
Any idea of the age of this wine?
@halwarning @winedavid49 @rpm
That’s the tough thing about NV labeled releases, you just don’t know, and CT doesn’t help much with multiple vintage and NV entries where the blend likely changes between releases as well.
The 2013, assuming that was a release date, not a vintage date, has a comment from a respected palate we met on the last rpm tour, Brad from Woodbridge, that may be what we have here.
Unlikely, imo, he was commenting on one of the earlier ‘vintage’ releases.
Sigh…
WD, any idea when this lot was bottled and released?
@halwarning @rjquillin @rpm @Winedavid49 Not sure if this is a clue to age of wine, but label says produced and bottled by Acacia Wine Company, Napa. With the change in 2016 is there even such a company anymore? A by Acacia is a Treasury trademark in 2018 most recently it looks like
@halwarning @kaolis @rpm @Winedavid49
If this really is the '13, with Brad’s TN from '15, a decently made PN in a mag at eight years should be fine for many more. There is only a single newer TN from '16 that suggests good life as well.
Wondering if that was the last production year…
@halwarning @kaolis @rjquillin @rpm @Winedavid49 Thanks for all your sleuthing. It would be great to know more. Seems to be enough potential and intrigue to justify buying 2 for $60.
No Indiana delivery…otherwise I would be in because 1) like the label and 2) magnum.
A magnum for 25 bucks that has great rattage and most likely comes from Napa and at the very least is made from grapes? I’m in! Worst case scenario it’s still wine in a big ol bottle with a pretty cool label.
@mattkillpatty
Truth.
/giphy bloody-mundane-banshee
/giphy scary-attentive-lithium
I couldn’t resist - even if it’s mediocre the bottle itself is beautiful!
@pete0744 Even if the quality is not shareable, I don’t mind killing a magnum on my own over a weekend. Eurovision is right around the corner…lol.
@halwarning @pete0744 This is where I’m at as well. Looks fun and could always bring to a party. The rattage was encouraging. Just need to decide on 2 or 4.
@halwarning @jfuruno @pete0744 yeah I’m looking for a split, maybe on 4?
@halwarning @jfuruno @pete0744 I’m realizing I didn’t specifically address my view of the overall quality in my lab rat report. I was getting at it with the comment on being great for backyard BBQs. But I think the folks here have it right. The wine did not knock my socks off by any means, but I figured that would be an unreasonable expectation given the price point. It was pleasant and it’s on sale as a magnum table wine for $25 or $30. That was definitely impacting my viewpoint here.
@halwarning @pete0744 @stevenfarber527 Thanks for following up though that was exactly what I gleaned from your earlier review.
Like the look of this but mr. google seems to indicate the price is high. What am I missing? Availability?
@jrbw3 2 bottles for $60 isn’t bad for magnums, IMO.
Howdy, folks! Labrat(s) reporting:
We were surprised to see a magnum when the bottle arrived. Upon initial review though, it was clear that this a non-informative label. No year. California appelation. No varietal. No back label.
The only annoying thing from the lack of info was that we have the varietal specific wine glasses, and had no idea which to use. On the plus side, we did try the wine in a few different glasses, which is always fun.
Initial pop and pour showed fruity nose of bright cherry and raspberry. Color was clear, bright red, definitely looks light. First pulled out the Bordeaux and the Zin glasses. Was a bit surprised that drinking out of the Bordeaux glass, indicated it might be more pinot noir based, rather than Cab Sauv. Anyway, pulled out the Burgundy glass to test it out. Lo and Behold, it definitely seemed to be pinot base. The biggest surprise there is that pinots usually would indicate that on the label, but ostensibly the blend changes so much over time that the producer didn’t want to be locked into listing.
Tasting confirmed that it is a light body wine, a bit fruity, reminiscent of a beaujolais nouveau out of the Bordeaux glass, but more prominent dirt and less bright cherry out of the Burgundy glass. Either way, the consensus from the two rats (Joel and Michelle) as well as the guests we had, was that it was an easy drinker, with nothing to offend anyone, but also not much to excite.
The first day was paired with garlic and herb tilapia and mashed potatoes, which was a decent pairing. The second day was paired with seared ahi, and it didn’t stand up overly well to the stronger fish. The only difference noted between the two nights was a bit less brightness on the second.
Likely QPR of $15-20 per magnum.
@jasisk this makes me want to try more variety specific glasses!
Happy Purim! Sounds like this wine would be a good choice for the holiday…
/giphy stupid-peppery-waffle
Here’s to hoping there will be social events to bring this to.
/giphy great-adaptable-twig
/giphy optimal-unequal-juniper
Nice very nice. Lou
@LouA22 Thanks. i really thought this one was a sleeper good deal.
Drank one tonight at dinner with my family and in laws and it paired very well with Chinese. We had hand-pulled noodles, cumin beef, Sichuan fish, and pork filled potstickers. Delicious backdrop to every bite, and a very approachable crowd pleaser. It was also (as I hoped) the perfect amount of wine with the meal for the 6 of us of age. Thanking my past self for going with 4 bottles.
Unfortunately, two of my four bottles experienced slippage and leaked. They were drank, with a friend, earlier than I had hoped. I’m very good at bottle rotation, so I don’t know why this would occur.