2018 Scarlett Wines Zinfandel
Community Tasting Note
PIntag wrote:
Sunday, July 23, 2023 - My brother brought this to our blind zinfandel family tasting.
15.8% abv.
Double blind, all Zinfandel tasting, 6 bottles.
Ok now, what do we have here - immediate thick, syrup, jammy fruit. Cloying, sweet, and unstructured, no noticeable acidity. This especially stuck out being after the uber acid-heavy, lean 2014 Sky Vineyard Zin the immediately preceded this bottle. I don't know, I know this is a Mike Smith wine of Maybach and Rivers Marie fame, and I hate to beat on a family-run winery, but this is an abomination, especially at this price point. My only other experience with Scarlett wines was a few years ago with the 2006 Scarlett Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon, and my note for that is pretty consistent with this, so it seems that is the house style. I guess a lot of people like this style, but it was not a hit in our tasting, as only one person (not a wine geek) seemed to enjoy this. I guess that is the target audience, but what non-wine geeks pay $40+ for a bottle of Zinfandel?
In any case, if scoring, I would not even be near 80 with this.
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Comment posted by LiteItOnFire:
7/24/2023 10:47:00 AM - FYI Mike Smith does not make Maybach nor is his style anything like Maybach nor does he make Rivers Marie.
Comment posted by PIntag:
7/24/2023 1:33:00 PM - Have not tried Maybach, so I can't comment on that. I also am not saying that this wine was in the same style - I should hope not.
I know TRB is the owner/winemaker for Rivers-Marie and winemaker for Maybach (and others), but Mike Smith was his protege and did make some of those wines or had a significant role in making them.
From the Scarlett web site:
"Mike Smith is an award-winning winemaker who started his career in 2001. Traveling from Portland, Oregon, Mike worked each crush “free of charge” to learn his craft. Following his third harvest, Mike accepted a full-time assistant position from one of the Napa Valley’s most notable winemakers and moved his family to St. Helena. During this tenure, Mike worked with a vast array of wine labels including Maybach Family, Tamber Bey and Rivers Marie. It was during this period that he developed his own philosophies on winemaking, based on the strong foundation he built while working with these established labels.
Mike’s innate talent and purist methods have truly made him one of Napa Valley’s superstar winemakers. From the vineyards to the bottle, his hands-on approach and passion for wine are evident in the luxurious portfolio of wines he creates for Scarlett Wines. Mike also makes wine under his own label, Myriad Cellars."
Comment posted by Anhelo:
7/24/2023 6:45:00 PM - While all that is true he does not make the wine for Maybach, regardless of his apprenticeship under TRB. He also made the wine for Carter Cellars until recently which Bevan has now taken the reins.
Comment posted by PIntag:
7/25/2023 9:21:00 AM - Not sure why you guys are spending energy about how Mike Smith was not part of the wine making team at Maybach -- he clearly was and it is documented in many places. I know he is not the "wine maker" right now at Maybach -- I never stated that he was. I only put in my tasting note "Mike Smith of Maybach and Rivers Marie fame". Perhaps that is overstating it a bit, but it is nevertheless, true.
Comment posted by LiteItOnFire:
7/27/2023 4:17:00 PM - TRB wines are very different than Mike Smith wines. Because Mike studied/worked under him does not mean the styles are the same. Additionally this os a Zin which when produced by Mike Smith profile is a bigger rounder extracted softer style than most.