Fifth time tasted since October 2020. This wine never disappoints, always excellent and very consistent with different vintages. Very drinkable. Zinfandel predominates. Lots of black cherry dark fruit, jammy, nicely aromatic. Just light tannin. Excellent now, will easily hold a couple more years, but no need to wait. Enjoy it while it has all its vibrant fruit. Ric
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This wine never disappoints, always excellent and very consistent with different vintages. Very drinkable. Zinfandel predominates. Lots of black cherry dark fruit, jammy, nicely aromatic. Just light tannin. Excellent now, will easily hold a couple more years, but no need to wait. Enjoy it while it has all its vibrant fruit. Ric
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This wine has really blossomed. Spicy vanilla nose. Medium to full bodied, well balanced, nice fruit and chalk - seems like there is some syrah (not just zin).
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This wine never disappoints, always excellent and very consistent with different vintages. Very drinkable. Zinfandel predominates. Darker and more concentrated than Turley Dusi, our favorite, but just as good. Lots of black cherry dark fruit, jammy, nicely aromatic. Just light tannin. Excellent now, will easily hold several more years, but no need to wait. Enjoy it while it has all its vibrant fruit. Ric
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dark garnet purple colored, full bodied, rich, thick concentrated sweet super ripe black currant fruit with notes of that Howell Mountain cinnamon spice, violet floral notes, pepper and pain grille. https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2022/09/viader-napa-valley-proprietary-red.html
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Opened an hour before tasting, as always with Scouts it takes time to open up. Poured second tasting through a vinturi and every taste got better and better. I love this wine. When possible try to open several hours before drinking because it just gets better with every hour it’s open
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Un zinfandel de casta, elegante y complejo. No es muy goloso. Fruta negra en abundancia. Fragante y equilibrado. La madera aporta notas tostadas y de vainilla que complementan el arandano (blueberry) y la violeta que predominan. El shiraz le da un caracter de seriedad y formalidad, separandolo de otros vinos mas joviales y desenfadados.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very drinkable despite its youth. Zinfandel predominates. Darker and more concentrated than Turley Dusi, our favorite, but just as good. Lots of black cherry dark fruit, jammy, nicely aromatic. Just light tannin. Excellent now, will easily hold several more years. Ric
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This is a wonderful Red Blend from Napa Valley my hat is off to Venge Vineyards. Zinfandel 63% Carbons 16% Petite Sirah 12% Syrah 9% It’s very much a Zinfandel blend with fruit forward of black cherry and blueberry and I especially appreciate the hints of black pepper, tobacco and vanilla. This is very high on my list to revisit. Would love to introduce to friends but I’m afraid we hogged the whole bottle!
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This is one of my favorites. Easy, approachable and affordable. The wine is deep purple and it smells like black fruit with hints of oak, tastes of black/blue fruits but not too sweet. The body is medium/full. The wine has smooth texture. The wine finishes medium. The wine has medium acidity. This hits all the point you expect from a Napa red.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dark ruby color with aromas of blackberry, cassis, spice. Full body, moderate acidity wit blackberry, licorice, earthy flavors. Moderately long finish.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This opaque crimson wine is a blend of 63% old vine Zinfandel, 16% Charbono, 12% Petite Sirah and 9% Syrah. Half of the wine was aged for 14 months in new American oak, the other half aged for the same duration in once-used, tight-grained French oak. At this stage, the wine requires at least two hours of aeration and is best served at approximately 60°F in order to mitigate the heat from its 15.5% alcohol. When served in this manner, it delivers a full-bodied package of ripe black and blue fruit, augmented with baking spices, licorice, lavender and eucalyptus. Low in acidity, liberally oaked and with plentiful grainy tannins, it stays plump on the mid-palate and concludes with medium length. Although this fruit-forward wine is drinkable now, short-term cellaring will likely allow the components to better meld (which may result in a higher score). Drink 2022-2026.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Scout's Honor greets the senses with a very calm floral aroma followed by a minute, “Hello, you’re drinking wine 😳 that’s very tasty” and also has a great aftertaste. 30-45 minutes later and glass #4 was even smoother. - Jef Burke
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very drinkable despite its youth. Zinfandel predominates. Darker and more concentrated than Turley Dusi, our favorite, but just as good. Lots of black cherry dark fruit, jammy, nicely aromatic. Just light tannin. Excellent now, will easily hold several more years. Ric
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Great wine over a fire pit with good friends after dinner with Gouda cheese, mixed nuts and homemade chocolate chip cookies. The sweetness goes perfectly for this setting, but it’s not cloying or syrupy; well balanced and good acid at the finish. Hard to compare as the blend is quite unique.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Not my preferred style but many will love this. But ripe in your face fruit. This would have been perfect to bring to one of my daughters dance competitions and drink out of a Starbucks cup. It is bold enough to be pleasant above the noise and chaos and the wrong glassware. Sadly, there are no dance competitions thanks to COVID and drinking this at home it was a bit much.
For my 2,500th review I followed the advice of an old friend and went back to my roots, something that brought me joy, that in his words;
"Pick something you like. A wine that speaks to you with flavor or history. Start the review with I've loved this style of wine for years because....."
So..... I've loved this style of wine for years because it's what I grew up with, what initially interested me in wine, that has history of place and time for me. No, not this particular wine - all the old Zins of Napa have mostly been pulled up in favor of over priced high end Cab, but somehow this particular planting survived and today is mashed together with Charbono, some remaining Petite Sirah and a little Syrah. Not unlike the "field blends" (no one was quite sure of what was in the vineyard as they were all left over from the 30's and 50's) I grew up with. Zin "based" but who knows what else was growing out there! Of course thanks to UCD we all know down to the genetic molecule where EVERYTHING came from (a glass of Tribidrag anyone?) these days, but in my more formative years, every vineyard's Zin was something of a historical mystery and, perhaps, the better for it?
Anyway, those times are long gone. Zin almost died out before Sutter Home's marketing creation of sweet pink "white zin" saved the grape from virtual extinction, allowing Ridge, and the other "R's" to eventually turn the tide and showcased what it "could be". Many others followed and today there is a new generation of Zin-tastic wines with a variety of styles.
This particular one is young, BIG, all over your face, spicy, meaty, brambleberry, nicely balanced, (somewhat) nuanced (I mean just how nuanced can you be when you are screaming at someone at the top of your lungs?), modern (that's not actually a compliment, in spite of my rating).
I still prefer the classic Ridge and Sky offerings but credit where credit is due, this was a mouthful and that's why I chose it for my 2,500th review..... Thanks KZ
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Gonna give these a few more months in the bottle. Definitely needs to breathe a little first. At 15.5% it definitely shows. Get yourself to the grill though and you’ll be plenty happy with this one.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Delicious. Purple in color with thin legs. Cherry veiled in a hint of smoke on the nose. Soft texture. Flavors of cherry up front, followed by tobacco and spice on the finish. Really good stuff.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Fun, fruity Zinfandel blend from high end wine maker Kirk Venge. Think J Lohr Cab with higher fruit notes and higher overall acidity. IMO this is not a serious wine but rather a plush, fairly dense, crowd pleaser - the kind you pull out at parties and you can enjoy along with all the white wine and beer drinkers.
This wine shows little Zin characteristics beyond fruitiness. No spice and little serious Zin character. Much like previous years, its a well made sub 40 buck red, which most will enjoy.
3/27/2024 - Ex-Ray Likes this wine: 95 Points
Fifth time tasted since October 2020. This wine never disappoints, always excellent and very consistent with different vintages. Very drinkable. Zinfandel predominates. Lots of black cherry dark fruit, jammy, nicely aromatic. Just light tannin. Excellent now, will easily hold a couple more years, but no need to wait. Enjoy it while it has all its vibrant fruit.
Ric
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/13/2023 - bigbass250 Likes this wine:
on a cold night at the cape was very comforting watching Columbo of course
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/4/2023 - Ex-Ray Likes this wine: 94 Points
This wine never disappoints, always excellent and very consistent with different vintages. Very drinkable. Zinfandel predominates. Lots of black cherry dark fruit, jammy, nicely aromatic. Just light tannin. Excellent now, will easily hold a couple more years, but no need to wait. Enjoy it while it has all its vibrant fruit.
Ric
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/16/2023 - Jwmumm Likes this wine: 93 Points
Yum! Wow…such a great red blend
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/24/2023 - Jmac56 Likes this wine: 91 Points
This wine has really blossomed. Spicy vanilla nose. Medium to full bodied, well balanced, nice fruit and chalk - seems like there is some syrah (not just zin).
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/18/2023 - Kentw Likes this wine: 90 Points
Easy drinking Zin blend. Medium weight, mixed black and red fruits, smooth and soft finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/8/2023 - Jwmumm Likes this wine: 93 Points
One of our favorite blends. Wow. So good
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/23/2022 - Michael_in_nc Likes this wine: 90 Points
Pre-Thanksgiving wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/7/2022 - Ex-Ray Likes this wine: 95 Points
This wine never disappoints, always excellent and very consistent with different vintages. Very drinkable. Zinfandel predominates. Darker and more concentrated than Turley Dusi, our favorite, but just as good. Lots of black cherry dark fruit, jammy, nicely aromatic. Just light tannin. Excellent now, will easily hold several more years, but no need to wait. Enjoy it while it has all its vibrant fruit.
Ric
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/26/2022 - rmcnees wrote: 90 Points
Dark garnet purple colored, full bodied, rich, thick concentrated sweet super ripe black currant fruit with notes of that Howell Mountain cinnamon spice, violet floral notes, pepper and pain grille.
https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2022/09/viader-napa-valley-proprietary-red.html
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/24/2022 - Jmac56 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Minimal fruity nose. Fruity, chalky, enjoyable.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/13/2022 - fungusmanrick wrote:
Opened an hour before tasting, as always with Scouts it takes time to open up. Poured second tasting through a vinturi and every taste got better and better. I love this wine. When possible try to open several hours before drinking because it just gets better with every hour it’s open
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/4/2022 - Russocaster Likes this wine: 90 Points
Un zinfandel de casta, elegante y complejo. No es muy goloso. Fruta negra en abundancia. Fragante y equilibrado. La madera aporta notas tostadas y de vainilla que complementan el arandano (blueberry) y la violeta que predominan. El shiraz le da un caracter de seriedad y formalidad, separandolo de otros vinos mas joviales y desenfadados.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/4/2022 - Jwmumm Likes this wine: 93 Points
So dang good! Looking forward to a winery visit soon!
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/3/2021 - sailincarib Likes this wine: 92 Points
Excellent Zin blend. Great with lamb rack
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/25/2021 - VinoRosso wrote: 92 Points
Very drinkable. Smooth and nice finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/6/2021 - CappyD Likes this wine: 89 Points
Z/Charbono/PS/S blend. Dark, quite fruity, fairly soft.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/19/2021 - Ex-Ray Likes this wine: 95 Points
Very drinkable despite its youth. Zinfandel predominates. Darker and more concentrated than Turley Dusi, our favorite, but just as good. Lots of black cherry dark fruit, jammy, nicely aromatic. Just light tannin. Excellent now, will easily hold several more years.
Ric
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/15/2021 - Rwlinn Likes this wine: 93 Points
This is a wonderful Red Blend from Napa Valley my hat is off to Venge Vineyards.
Zinfandel 63%
Carbons 16%
Petite Sirah 12%
Syrah 9%
It’s very much a Zinfandel blend with fruit forward of black cherry and blueberry and I especially appreciate the hints of black pepper, tobacco and vanilla. This is very high on my list to revisit. Would love to introduce to friends but I’m afraid we hogged the whole bottle!
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/3/2021 - yags1960 wrote:
Not bad. Jason and Jane liked the wine - blend of Zinfandel and Syrah.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/25/2021 - michelleandbud Likes this wine: 90 Points
This is one of my favorites. Easy, approachable and affordable.
The wine is deep purple and it smells like black fruit with hints of oak, tastes of black/blue fruits but not too sweet. The body is medium/full. The wine has smooth texture. The wine finishes medium. The wine has medium acidity. This hits all the point you expect from a Napa red.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/3/2021 - madvitale Likes this wine: 90 Points
It's Scout. If you like fruit-forward, this is your wine. My wife's favorite wine, so we have to have it in the cellar.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/2/2021 - Kayentacellars wrote: 92 Points
Dark ruby color with aromas of blackberry, cassis, spice. Full body, moderate acidity wit blackberry, licorice, earthy flavors. Moderately long finish.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/16/2021 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 89 Points
This opaque crimson wine is a blend of 63% old vine Zinfandel, 16% Charbono, 12% Petite Sirah and 9% Syrah. Half of the wine was aged for 14 months in new American oak, the other half aged for the same duration in once-used, tight-grained French oak. At this stage, the wine requires at least two hours of aeration and is best served at approximately 60°F in order to mitigate the heat from its 15.5% alcohol. When served in this manner, it delivers a full-bodied package of ripe black and blue fruit, augmented with baking spices, licorice, lavender and eucalyptus. Low in acidity, liberally oaked and with plentiful grainy tannins, it stays plump on the mid-palate and concludes with medium length. Although this fruit-forward wine is drinkable now, short-term cellaring will likely allow the components to better meld (which may result in a higher score). Drink 2022-2026.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/13/2021 - Nati Winos wrote:
Meh. Not very exciting. Maybe longer in the cellar?
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/31/2020 - yellowbird Likes this wine:
Scout's Honor greets the senses with a very calm floral aroma followed by a minute, “Hello, you’re drinking wine 😳 that’s very tasty” and also has a great aftertaste. 30-45 minutes later and glass #4 was even smoother. - Jef Burke
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/21/2020 - boston617 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Caramel notes in the midst of a fruit (cherry, berries) heavy wine.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/14/2020 - Brockster303 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Best Scout's Honor for the past few years.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/21/2020 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
That's got some oak on it. That's old school in its sluttiness notes one taster. And that about sums it up. RS and hot! Double wham!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/19/2020 - Ex-Ray Likes this wine: 95 Points
Very drinkable despite its youth. Zinfandel predominates. Darker and more concentrated than Turley Dusi, our favorite, but just as good. Lots of black cherry dark fruit, jammy, nicely aromatic. Just light tannin. Excellent now, will easily hold several more years.
Ric
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/15/2020 - pkatz Likes this wine: 90 Points
Like prior vintages very much grape juice so shortly after release. Will get some structure with a year in the bottle and get better score.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/9/2020 - Oberhau Likes this wine: 90 Points
Great wine over a fire pit with good friends after dinner with Gouda cheese, mixed nuts and homemade chocolate chip cookies. The sweetness goes perfectly for this setting, but it’s not cloying or syrupy; well balanced and good acid at the finish. Hard to compare as the blend is quite unique.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/27/2020 - mdvillaverde Likes this wine: 93 Points
A fun, fruity Zin-based wine. Great for what it is.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/20/2020 - Decanting Queen wrote: 90 Points
Not my preferred style but many will love this. But ripe in your face fruit. This would have been perfect to bring to one of my daughters dance competitions and drink out of a Starbucks cup. It is bold enough to be pleasant above the noise and chaos and the wrong glassware. Sadly, there are no dance competitions thanks to COVID and drinking this at home it was a bit much.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1)
9/6/2020 - ShawnWarmstein Likes this wine: 93 Points
Jam bomb! Showing very well despite age. Exactly what you want with a mega fruit forward blend.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/19/2020 - bigbass250 Likes this wine:
need to buy more goes down way too easy
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/12/2020 - madvitale wrote: 92 Points
Beautiful fruit, as is usually the case with this one. Very enjoyable and you don't notice the alcohol (!).
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/8/2020 - G III Likes this wine: 90 Points
Very good value
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/3/2020 - UpfromtheCellar wrote: 91 Points
For my 2,500th review I followed the advice of an old friend and went back to my roots, something that brought me joy, that in his words;
"Pick something you like. A wine that speaks to you with flavor or history. Start the review with I've loved this style of wine for years because....."
So..... I've loved this style of wine for years because it's what I grew up with, what initially interested me in wine, that has history of place and time for me. No, not this particular wine - all the old Zins of Napa have mostly been pulled up in favor of over priced high end Cab, but somehow this particular planting survived and today is mashed together with Charbono, some remaining Petite Sirah and a little Syrah. Not unlike the "field blends" (no one was quite sure of what was in the vineyard as they were all left over from the 30's and 50's) I grew up with. Zin "based" but who knows what else was growing out there! Of course thanks to UCD we all know down to the genetic molecule where EVERYTHING came from (a glass of Tribidrag anyone?) these days, but in my more formative years, every vineyard's Zin was something of a historical mystery and, perhaps, the better for it?
Anyway, those times are long gone. Zin almost died out before Sutter Home's marketing creation of sweet pink "white zin" saved the grape from virtual extinction, allowing Ridge, and the other "R's" to eventually turn the tide and showcased what it "could be". Many others followed and today there is a new generation of Zin-tastic wines with a variety of styles.
This particular one is young, BIG, all over your face, spicy, meaty, brambleberry, nicely balanced, (somewhat) nuanced (I mean just how nuanced can you be when you are screaming at someone at the top of your lungs?), modern (that's not actually a compliment, in spite of my rating).
I still prefer the classic Ridge and Sky offerings but credit where credit is due, this was a mouthful and that's why I chose it for my 2,500th review..... Thanks KZ
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/3/2020 - bigbass250 Likes this wine:
holiday treat
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/18/2020 - bigbass250 Likes this wine:
wow what a fruit bomb wish I bought more it's like candy
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/13/2020 - bigbass250 wrote:
to my sister
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/13/2020 - Gizzle Likes this wine: 93 Points
Give it time to breath and you will be rewarded. Pair with something off the grill.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/11/2020 - Slwojdyla Likes this wine: 89 Points
Gonna give these a few more months in the bottle. Definitely needs to breathe a little first. At 15.5% it definitely shows. Get yourself to the grill though and you’ll be plenty happy with this one.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/5/2020 - Zuperdaave wrote: 90 Points
Delicious. Purple in color with thin legs. Cherry veiled in a hint of smoke on the nose. Soft texture. Flavors of cherry up front, followed by tobacco and spice on the finish. Really good stuff.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/5/2020 - Jmac56 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Fruity nose. Nicely balanced with solid fruit and tannin.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/21/2020 - scotty_b wrote: 90 Points
Jammy and peppery. Chewy, chalky mouthfeel. A little hot on opening, but this blows off after a 1 hour decant.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/9/2020 - KendraPM wrote: 93 Points
Very jammy and fruit forward. Amazing pairing with pepper crusted tenderloin!
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/9/2020 - VinoVandal Likes this wine: 92 Points
Juicy drink aloneable blend
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/6/2020 - Jmac56 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Despite a modest nose, this is one of my favorite Scout’s in years. Beautifully balanced, big fruit, earth, and tannin.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/3/2020 - ciesel wrote: 87 Points
Decent cali Zin albeit with no complexity. Short term hold.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/30/2020 - VinoVandal Likes this wine: 86 Points
Fruit forward, high alcohol content, round finish
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/17/2020 - jstrovel@gmail.com Likes this wine: 91 Points
2 hour decant and it gives me what I need. A drink now fruit forward pleaser of a zin.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/11/2020 - BillsWine Likes this wine: 91 Points
Ditto.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/9/2020 - HowellMountainCru Likes this wine: 91 Points
Fun, fruity Zinfandel blend from high end wine maker Kirk Venge. Think J Lohr Cab with higher fruit notes and higher overall acidity. IMO this is not a serious wine but rather a plush, fairly dense, crowd pleaser - the kind you pull out at parties and you can enjoy along with all the white wine and beer drinkers.
This wine shows little Zin characteristics beyond fruitiness. No spice and little serious Zin character. Much like previous years, its a well made sub 40 buck red, which most will enjoy.
6 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1)