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Thursday, August 15, 2024

2003 Robert Foley Claret

Recently, we had some friends over to celebrate a birthday. Our friend brought over this 2003 Robert Foley claret to pair with the pork loin roast that my husband made. Our other friend who is the queen of salad making brought over a delicious salad so the dinner came together quite seamlessly.
The 2003 Foley claret was delicious yet not unctious and was still tasting like a young wine, though it was now 20 year old! On the website Robert Foley Vineyards, provided some information about Robert Foley. His credentials include graduating from UC Davis in 1977 with a degree in Enology and Viticulture and working at Heitz. He is the founding winemaker of Markham Vineyards and Pride Mountain Vineyards. He began making his Robert Foley claret in 1998, which means that this bottle was his fifth vintage.
The wine was sparkling deep purple in the glass and had ample fruit but also cedar notes. Although the best pairing is with beef, the pork loin was a good foil. We all complimented our friend about how excellent the wine tasted!
One question I did have but could not find an answer to on the Robert Foley Website was about the label. It is so distinctive that I thought it must have a back story. Sadly, I could find no information about the label.
Update: I emailed Robert Foley asking about the back story on his wine label. He emailed me back! This is what he wrote: For the original label, 1998-2004 we used the Foley Family crest and coat of arms which includes the shield, helmet, pentafoils with the crest itself being the griffin atop the helmet. In 2005 we diminutized the label to be just the crest. We did a limited bottling of 20th Anniversary Claret and reverted to the old label.
It was so nice for Robert Foley to email me back! We further learned that his mother was raised in Milford, CT and lives there now. He also brought his harpsichord to Zuckerman's in Stonington to get it refurbished! I can only say that it is a very small world!

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