Mosaique’s popularity

Surh Luchel’s 2004 Mosaique, a Bordeaux blend is terrific, balanced and lingering, but according to the Napa Valley winery’s Web site, it’s all sold out. I picked it up at Calandro’s this week for $27, and found it worth every penny. Here are the winery’s tasting notes:

As usual this elegant Bordeaux blend of merlot, cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon and malbec was created with earlier accessibility in mind. While the soft and round characters of merlot and cabernet franc dominate the fruit component of the wine, the fully ripe tannins from the cabernet sauvignon and malbec serve as the backbone in its finish. The 2004 Mosaique’s charming, fruit-forward aromas and flavors are, as always, apparent right out of the bottle, with rich raspberry-cherry fruit combining with a unique pomegranate-cranberry characteristic. Bright acidity adds considerable length on the palate. But the wine’s abundant fruit is framed by firm, slightly angular tannins that need air to soften their edges. The combination of tannin, ripe red fruits and acidity is as balanced in the 2004 as we’ve ever seen.