I should have seen this coming, but nonetheless was surprised. It wasn't like I was in a blind curve. After all, we were standing at the tasting counter of Driven Cellars, an Amador County winery that sits like a shiny hood ornament on a sunny knoll in the middle of the Shenandoah Valley.

Maybe we hadn't been paying attention to the winery's theme because we'd been distracted by the stunning views of the foothills folding into the Sierra.

That panorama apparently distracted us from the immediate foreground, owner Rudy Chinco's rusty and seemingly growing collection of vintage vehicles – old farming implements, listing pickup trucks, the carcass of a vintage woodie.

But back to the tasting counter, where Chinco's winemaking son, Chris, is shifting gears smoothly as he moves from pouring an earthy barbera to dispensing a spicy primitivo. When he says something about his new "454," his first proprietary blend, we ask him to hit the brakes.

We're curious about the inspiration and significance of the wine's name. He looks at us as if we've been in the slow lane, passed up by the 1970s.

"It's Chevy's big-block engine," he explains with a conciseness that suggests that any dolt should have been able to make the connection.

Nope, our dome light was too dim. Nevertheless, we then realized we should have been paying more attention to the clues around us, which include a bottle label that runs mostly to tire treads.

I soon learned that "454" refers to the displacement in cubic inches of an engine block in a series of V8s that Chevrolet began to develop in the 1950s to provide power enough for the size and weight of cars and trucks that were becoming ever more massive. In the early 1970s, the Chevrolet Corvette, among other models, was equipped with the 454, which was rated at around 400 horsepower.

Given that heritage, the Driven Cellars 2008 Shenandoah Valley 454 should be a fairly powerful wine, right? Well, it is hefty. It does come with a Shenandoah Valley appellation, after all, and in that neck of the woods vehicles and wine run more to Dodge Rams than Fiats. But while the 454 rumbles with sweet dark fruit and expressive oak, it isn't obnoxiously aggressive. Its tannins are stretched out, and its alcohol is rated at an octane that is almost low by foothill standards.

Half the blend is primitivo, the varietal that created so much buzz when the premiere 2005 version was released that touring wine enthusiasts immediately punched the address of Driven Cellars into their GPS units. Since then, the winery also has been turning out solid representations of tempranillo, petite sirah, zinfandel and barbera.

For the 454, Chris Chinco blended in tempranillo, zinfandel and syrah to create a wine both broad and deep with dark-fruit flavors and alluring notes of spice and wood.

The 454 could be the start of an entire garage of Driven Cellars wines. Not only Chevrolet has a series of various-size engines. So does Ford, and Chris Chinco already is mulling over the possibility of a wine called "427" after a Ford engine.

That would reinforce the family's heritage. Rudy Chinco, long an avid car collector, once worked as a metal man at a Sacramento Ford dealership. In 1993, he bought 41 rolling acres off the northeastern stretches of Steiner Road and five years later started to plant grapes. First, he had to pull from the vineyard sites the big-block boulders that now line the drive up to the winery, which opened in 2008. Ultimately, the Chincos plan to show off their vehicle collection in a car museum on the site.

Driven Cellars

2008 Shenandoah Valley 454

By the numbers: 14.5 percent alcohol, 825 cases, $28

Context: Think husky drive-in fare, like cheeseburgers, pulled pork and tri-tip, just the sort of food the Chincos served when they celebrated their second anniversary and officially unveiled "454" in May.

Availability: Though some Driven Cellars wines are stocked by Whole Foods Market and Nugget Markets, the "454" initially will be sold only at the winery.

Location and hours: Driven Cellars, 12595 Steiner Road, Plymouth, is open 11 a.m.- 5 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.

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Longtime wine critic and competition judge Mike Dunne continues his relationship with The Bee as a contributing columnist to the Food & Wine section. His wine selections are based solely on open and blind tastings, judging at competitions, and visits to wine regions. Check out his blog at www.ayearinwine.com, and reach him at mikedunne@winegigs.com.

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