The Chocolate Block

We’ve been so busy lately with new releases, big wine events and with life in general that we hadn’t been able to visit our favorite wine bar, Vino Bello, in awhile. So it was great to see owner Michele Smith again last weekend.

As usual, Michele had some special surprises in store for us in her frequently changing wine menu that always has something for everyone. We also had a taste of a unique wine called The Chocolate Block 2006 made by Boekenhoutskloof from Western Cape, South Africa.

As Michele aptly described it, “The Chocolate Block has a lot going on.” Its name comes from the spicy dark chocolate profile that the wine displays. There are also strong dark berry flavors in this unique blend of Syrah (55%), Grenache Noir (17%), Cinsault (15%), Cab Sauv (9%) and Viognier (4%).

The Chocolate Block is rich and robust with balanced, smooth tanins. It’s unlike anything we’ve ever tasted. And it reminded us of yet another reason why we will be going back to Vino Bello again soon. Hope to see you there!

Cheers!
Margot and Dave

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About Margot

Margot has been writing about wine since 1997 at KOIN-TV in Portland, Oregon; ten years later, she created this blog. Write for Wine focuses on the fine wines of Washington state, with additional posts about Oregon, B.C., California, ANZ, France, Italy, Spain and more. A former national journalist in Canada and the U.S., Margot has been a Washington wine enthusiast since moving to Seattle in 1999. Her motto: “It’s wine o’clock somewhere.”