Wine of the week: Enkidu, 2011 Humbaba, Sonoma County, Lake County Red Rhone Blend

Vintner Phillip Staehle said the petite sirah in his red Rhone blend is the spine that runs through the wine. Staehle is the winemaker behind our wine-of-the-week winner - the Enkidu, 2011 Humbaba, Sonoma County, Lake County Red Rhone Blend at $28.

“I look for the complexity of the syrah and the other varietals to hang on the spine of the petite sirah that runs through the wine from the mid-palate to the long finish,” Staehle explained. The winemaker said he’s a good fit to produce red Rhone blends because he thinks like a chef.

“Blending these components is a lot like cooking to me,” Staehle explained. “When cooking, I conceptualize what the combination of components will create. Looking for the complexity of flavors, but with none being too loud in the dish, and then the balance of acid, bitterness, saltiness, etc., and all the while creating the desired texture... complexity and balance is always at the forefront.”

As for house style, Staehle’s grand plan is to produce wines that scream for Provencal food.

“The Rhone varietals offer such great textural qualities with multiple layers of richness and structure that combine with almost endless aroma and flavor variations,” he said. “I like my wines to not just be about fruit characters, but components such as tapenade, beef blood, smoked meat, white pepper, sweet edible roots, etc.”

Staehle founded Enkidu Wine in 2003, and he’s the company’s majority owner. The vintner went to U.C. Davis in the early 1980s and majored in political science and pre-law before he studied to be a winemaker.

“I became a fan of wine before actually thinking about how wine is made,” Staehle said. “I had a 50-bottle collection by the age of 18, and I can remember stealing the half-empty glasses of riesling off the Thanksgiving table when I was 12. I was tremendously intrigued by wine early on, but it was when I had my first wine class at U.C. Davis that I really became interested in wine production.”

Staehle finds winemaking bewitching.

“It’s multi-faceted,” he said. “These are the parts that are most gratifying: Walking in the vineyards early in the morning with my dogs; the anticipation of tasting the early results of outstanding wines; my wife really liking what I do; working in an industry that is so collaborative and supportive.”