Viader Black Label: A Book Pairing

The 2018 Viader Black Label from Howell Mountain is a striking, estate-grown blend that commands attention from the first sip. Deep purple in the glass, it has pronounced aromas of black cherry, ripe plum, blackberry and baked dark fruit. It needs an hour or two of time to breathe before it opens further, revealing layers of cedar, forest floor, tobacco and a long finish.

Full-bodied and intense, this is a wine built on structure and complexity. It’s satisfying on its own, without food. This wine will continue to evolve beautifully with age.

Viader Black Label
Producer: Viader
Region: Howell Mountain, Napa Valley
Grapes: 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Syrah, 11% Malbec, 3% Cabernet Franc
Style: Dry red
Alcohol: 15.2%

I paired the Viader Black Label with the book, Antidote by Karen Russell. Set in 1935 amidst the dust storms of Nebraska, where the townspeople of Uz confess their memories to a prairie witch called the Antidote. The Antidote keeps the memory deposits and the people are relieved of guilt and shame. Viader’s dark fruit and earthy undertones is a fitting companion to a story concerned with memory, guilt, the weight of the past and the nation that tries to forget.