Foris, "Fly-Over Red" 2007, Rogue Valley

This meritage blend (67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Franc) is deep cherry red color but still somewhat translucent. The nose reminded me of red hots candy, canned cranberry sauce slices, little hot green peppers, and a nail polishy chemical component. There was a fair amount of heat present as well. The Foris has a surprisingly mid to light body for this style. Layers of under-ripe rhubarb, sweet cranberry, and smoky oak chips stick to the front end of ones mouth and don’t move much from there. The flyover has a decent grip from the mid-palate to the finish but lacks tertiary flavor components. It finishes quite dry. An hour of decanting gave the alcohol a nice shove out of the picture, cleaned up a bit of the chemical-iness, but also deadened the fruit as well. I’m a huge fan of the Foris Cabernet Franc and think their Pinot is killer value. I remember liking the 2003 flyover but the 2007 vintage is a bit of a stinker. P.S. I am curious to try the 2008 since over half the fruit is sourced from Washington.